Tar Baby
Dems are now learning what happens when you bring a knife to a gun fight. Less than two days after stunning allegations that George W. Bush disobeyed a direct order, and that both he and his father lied repeatedly over the years about the strings that were pulled to get him into the Guard in the first place, we are now arguing about models of typewriters in use in government offices in 1971.
Worse is the counter-theme being bandied about on the far left that this was all a set-up in the first place - a brilliant Karl Rove scheme designed to take the National Guard issue off the table once and for all by introducing tainted evidence. Even if true, which is possible, this is a non-starter in big flashing capital letters because it attributes a kind of omnipotence to the adversary (always bad) and stinks of desperation.
Further evidence of Democratic incompetence at low-road tactics is clear in the lack of coordination. Kerry is out taking the high road and getting completely drowned out. Edwards is doing the thankless but important work of debunking Dick Cheney, who is sounding more like an unhinged old crank by the day, but is really just a sideshow. Meanwhile, Kitty Kelley is steaming down the track with a load of tantalizing gossip that, properly deployed, could tie the Bushies up for weeks. Steve Gilliard seems to believe there is something so hot between the lines that, well, we won't be hearing the term "girlie-man" from BC04 anytime soon. At this point, I'll believe it's damaging when I see the poll numbers, and not before.
To the GOP, all of this would be like a trunk full of enriched plutonium to an Al-Qaeda cell, but you can count on the Dems to botch the job. Bill Clinton is the closest we've got to a cold-eyed assassin, but even in perfect health, he isn't worthy of tearing toilet paper for Lyndon Johnson, the last really mean Democrat. One can only imagine the medeival device LBJ would have constructed to use on Bush and Karl Rove's tender bits during the course of this campaign. He would have done it on anyone, just for sport, but you have to believe that a couple of whiny Texas "Mayberry Machiavellis" really would have got the old bastard's blood up.
But, for better or worse, Johnson is dead and gone, and those who carry on in the Democratic party don't have the killer insinct or the skills for this kind of fight. Not only can't they make progress, but even good news tends to set them back. Until we can find a candidate ruthless enough to press the attack and competent enough to make it stand up, this is a game we should leave to the professionals. Kerry can win on the issues if he talks about them right. Let's hope, amid all this noise and clutter, he gets a chance.
8:41:49 AM 
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