Even Matthew Dowd Now Realizes Kerry Was Right

[Dr Ron]

From Liberal Values:

http://liberalvaluesblog.com/?p=1327

In an interview with The New York Times, Matthew Dowd, former chief campaign strategist for George Bush, explains why he now feels his faith in George Bush was misplaced. Despite all the smears against John Kerry during the 2004 campaign, Dowd now admits that Kerry was right:

In a wide-ranging interview here, Mr. Dowd called for a withdrawal from Iraq and expressed his disappointment in Mr. Bush’s leadership.

He criticized the president as failing to call the nation to a shared sense of sacrifice at a time of war, failing to reach across the political divide to build consensus and ignoring the will of the people on Iraq. He said he believed the president had not moved aggressively enough to hold anyone accountable for the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and that Mr. Bush still approached governing with a “my way or the highway” mentality reinforced by a shrinking circle of trusted aides.

“I really like him, which is probably why I’m so disappointed in things,” he said. He added, “I think he’s become more, in my view, secluded and bubbled in.”

In speaking out, Mr. Dowd became the first member of Mr. Bush’s inner circle to break so publicly with him.

He said his decision to step forward had not come easily. But, he said, his disappointment in Mr. Bush’s presidency is so great that he feels a sense of duty to go public given his role in helping Mr. Bush gain and keep power.

Mr. Dowd, a crucial part of a team that cast Senator John Kerry as a flip-flopper who could not be trusted with national security during wartime, said he had even written but never submitted an op-ed article titled “Kerry Was Right,” arguing that Mr. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat and 2004 presidential candidate, was correct in calling last year for a withdrawal from Iraq.

It is good to see Dowd questioning his support for George Bush, but this was not his only lapse in judgement. Last year he also advised Dick DeVos, the Republican candidate for Governor of Michigan who is so far to the right he makes Bush and Cheney appear moderate in comparison. DeVos also exceeded Bush’s dishonesty in presenting his views. While Bush would often slip in code words to the religious right while pretending to be more moderate in public, DeVos would imply one thing over state-wide media one day and then say the opposite on a Christian radio station the next.

[kerrygoddess]

1. Quite and admission from Dowd

I read most of Applebee's America last fall, which Dowd co-wrote with Doug Sosnick (former Clinton advisor) and Ron Fournier (former AP political analyst). I had a feeling reading the book that Dowd was disillusioned.

I think it's yet another vindication for JK as I said here: http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=5561

[whometense]

2. I have to say,

reading about Dowd's turnaround I was skeptical, but after reading the article I felt differently. Maybe I'm a pushover, but it seems like a lot of things changed in his life, and that caused him to cast off his blinders. Still too little too late, but on the other hand he seems genuinely miserable about Bush, and that's a good thing.

It is too little, too late. But if everyone in the Bush camp who feels the same way made those feelings public, imagine the impact it might have on the press and on the voting public.

[kerrygoddess]

3. Me too

At first I glanced at the piece and saw the "kerry Was Right" and was pissed. I went back later after having sometime to digest that one admission and read the whole thing and really looked at it differently. Life changes people and if he's had a wake up call that is a good thing. We need more BushCo insiders coming forward - let's hope Dowd starts a watershed of confessions!

[karynnj]

4. the question is now what he does with his newfound contrition

I remember the press given to Colson, the Nixon dirty trickster, when in prision he found God, recanted the nasty stuff he did, and begged forgivness. In fact, one person he apologized to was Senator Kerry. However, did we hear a peep out of him in 2004 when the moinster he created - O'Neil - reappeared. Unless he died and I didn't hear about it - his apology was pretty damn empty because of this. He started all the hate back in 1971 that the Senator has lived with since then. When you thing that those actions were against a brilliant young war hero still dealing with the nightmare of Vietnam, he has a huge amount to answer for.

I will believe Dowd if he now works to fight the mess he created - he really morally shouldn't have the luxury of essentially dropping out. He also owes it to the country and to Senator Kerry to tell what he knows of the 2004 dirty tricks - both with voting and with any complicity with the Texas friends of Bush who smeared Kerry.

[Dr Ron]

5. Don't count on it

I'd love to see him spill the beans, but considering that he worked for Dick DeVos last fall I think he's only fed up with Bush, not the right wing Republican culture.

[karynnj]

6. I think you're right

and with Bush, I suspect he is deserting Bush more because he sees him as a lead weight than anything else.