IPW Daily Report – Friday, February 13, 2004
"The Army's here,"
said Wesley
Clark in endorsing the former navy lieutenant Sen.
John Kerry.
"If anything, there may now be a greater
appreciation for the trouble you can get into for
certain behavior,"
Kerry said in
the statement at the time. "More parents
are teaching their children about lying, about
humiliation, about family hurt, about public
responsibility, than before we ever heard the name
of Monica Lewinsky,"
commented John
Kerry about President Clinton’s affair.
''I haven't
promised to go to Washington and unify everybody.
And there's a reason for my not making that
promise. I think it's important to stand up for
what you believe in,''
said Howard
Dean.
“… the real reason former Dem presidential nominee
Al Gore
did NOT select Kerry as his veepmate was because
of allegations of women problems, or marital
infidelity involving Kerry's marriage to Heinz…”
– writes Chicago
Sun columnist Michael Sneed.
“John Kerry was a guest this morning on talk radio
show host Don Imus’ show this morning and
officially denied having an affair, saying there
was nothing to report.”
– from DRUDGE.
“There is no evidence the pair had an affair, but
her father Terry, 56, said: “I think he’s a
sleazeball…” –
quote on John Kerry in The Sun/UK
Men’s Journal editor Tom Foster: "Would you mess
with her?" –
reference to Hillary Clinton named in magazine’s
Top 25 Tough Guys in America.
"There are still some people looking for work
because jobs have gone overseas… We need to act to
make sure there are more jobs at home,"
President Bush
said.
"I'm the candidate, if you look at the exit
polling from these various primaries, who is
attracting independents and the kind of voters we
have to have to win the general election,"
John Edwards
said.
"The way to beat George Bush, whose White House is
a wholly owned subsidiary of special interests, is
with a candidate from outside Washington, who is
independent and brings new people into the
process," said
Howard Dean.
“Democratic strategists feel John Kerry's war
record means he can beat Bush. They say when it
comes down to it voters will always vote for a war
hero over someone who tried to get out of the war.
I'll be sure to mention that to Bob Dole when I
see him," said
Jay Leno.
"We have a president for whom English is a second
language," actor
Robin Williams said. "He's like 'We have to
get rid of dictators,' but he's pretty much one
himself."
Kerry endorsed by Clark: Clark speech
Kerry response to Bush ad
Why Clark is endorsing Kerry
Kerry’s weekend schedule
Kerry’s response team
Clark’s aide & sex story
Dean pushing for student vote
The Doctor is still in
Kucinich is out there and up
Sharpton gumming up the works
Dean’s wife appears
Kerry pushes alliances
Kerry on Imus: No affair
MoveOn.org pushing new ad
Kerry endorsed by Clark: Clark speech
"The Army's here," said Wesley Clark in Wisconsin.
"I ask you to join me in standing up for an
American who has given truly outstanding service
to his country in peace and in war," said Clark in
endorsing Sen. John Kerry.
"Welcome aboard" said Sen. John Kerry and he told
Clark he should be prepared "to walk point" in the
campaign.
Here is the prepared text of Clark’s speech
endorsing Kerry:
"It's great to be back in Wisconsin! And it's
great to be standing here today with my friend,
our leader, and the next President of the United
States - John Kerry.
"I also want to recognize all the veterans here,
the Draft Clark people, and all the others who
rallied to my campaign and to our cause. Thank you
for your faith in me and your devotion to our
country. Now, I ask you to join me in standing up
for an American who has given outstanding service
to his country in peace and war - John Kerry.
"Senator Kerry, I admire your service with the
U.S. Navy in Vietnam and here. 'The Army's come on
board.' I will work with you to do everything I
can to help you take back the White House for its
rightful owners - the American people. I will do
everything I can to help you win back a future of
opportunity and prosperity for all Americans -
jobs, health care, and education for all
Americans. I will do everything I can to help when
the Republican Mean Machine cranks up their
attacks. I will do everything I can to help make
sure George W. Bush doesn't get away with playing
politics with national security.
"George Bush has compromised America's leadership
around the world. And the American people should
know the truth: that President Bush hasn't led
America, he's misled America time and time again -
and we have to put a stop to it.
"George Bush has had three long years to keep our
country moving forward. But instead, he's done
nothing but set us back - 3 million lost jobs,
exploding deficits, 44 million uninsured, and the
wrong war at the wrong time.
"Senator, as you've made clear, America simply
can't afford three more years of George W. Bush.
So I join you in saying three words that we all
know George Bush will understand - 'bring it on!'
"Working together, we can build a better America.
An America where we don't just talk about family
values, but where we actually value families.
Where a job, an education, and health care aren't
just luxuries for the chosen few. An America where
we don't just preach our faith - we practice it.
Where those that have the most reach out to those
with the least. An America where everyone has a
shot at the American dream, no matter where
they're from. Where we include everyone,
recognizing that diversity is our greatest
strength. An America where we understand that
debate and dissent - that questioning your leaders
and holding them accountable - is the highest form
of patriotism. Where being patriotic means using
force as a last resort, not as a political tool.
An America where we look up to our leaders, and
trust our commander in chief. An America that the
world listens to and admires again.
"I'm here today because I believe John Kerry has
the right experience, the right values, and the
right leadership and character to beat George W.
Bush. I believe he has the right message to bring
back jobs and prosperity, provide affordable
health care for all, move our economy forward into
the 21st century, and make America safer and
stronger in the world.
"And I believe he has the crucial experience and
background in foreign policy to go toe-to-toe with
George Bush on national security and win.
"Both John and I served in Vietnam - and know what
it is to be tested on the battlefield, fighting
for your country. John Kerry never quit fighting
for his country. From a young DA sending criminals
away for life to a courageous Senator standing up
for what's right, John Kerry has been the kind of
leader America needs. He will stand up to the
Republican attack dogs and send them home licking
their wounds.
"John Kerry is the leader our party and our nation
need for the 21st century. And that is why I am so
proud to endorse him as our next President of the
United States. Ladies and gentleman, our leader,
the next president, John Kerry!"
Kerry response to Bush ad
The Kerry campaign released the following response
to the Bush ads that show Kerry as the leading
member of Washington receiving special interest
money. Stephanie Cutter issued the following
statement:
"In another attempt to avoid an honest discussion
of the issues, George Bush has chosen to make his
first campaign message to the American people a
misleading, negative attack on John Kerry before a
Democratic nominee is chosen.
"We haven't been able to trust what George Bush
has told us about the war or about the economy--
we certainly can't trust what he has to say about
the special interests.
"We welcome a debate on special interests because
there's nobody more vulnerable on this issue than
George Bush. The fact is, George Bush has taken
more special interest money than any person in
history. He couldn't even put this ad on
television, because he knows he can't appear in it
to back it up.
"After turning over our environmental laws to big
oil and the nation's worst polluters, after
handing our Medicare system to the big drug
companies and the HMOs, after helping companies
ship jobs oversees to 'strengthen our economy,' it
takes a lot of nerve for George Bush to attack
John Kerry on the special interests.
"John Kerry has a proven record of standing up to
the very special interests George Bush caves to.
As president, John Kerry will continue to fight
polluters who are trying to rewrite our clean air
laws, HMO's who put profits before patients, and
the big oil companies who are trying to drill in
the Alaskan Wilderness.
"George Bush has no more credibility on taking on
the special interests than he does on creating
jobs."
Why Clark is endorsing Kerry
The Washington Post reported on the reasons why
Clark was going with Sen. John Kerry and not the
other guys:
Sources close to Clark in Little Rock said the
former NATO commander values Kerry's experience in
the Vietnam War -- in which he was wounded and
came out a decorated Navy officer -- and his years
of work on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Those factors, they said, outweighed the issues on
which Clark had criticized Kerry during the
campaign: the senator's support of the resolution
authorizing President Bush to use force in Iraq
and his votes for the Bush education measure --
the No Child Left Behind Act -- and the USA
Patriot Act, which expanded the government's
anti-terrorist surveillance powers.
Kerry’s weekend schedule
Kerry is not doing any Sunday shows, but will be
at the two big Wisconsin events of the weekend:
the Democratic Party dinner tomorrow night and the
debate on Sunday, both in Milwaukee.
Meanwhile, in Milwaukee Kerry laid in some new
bash lines against Bush:
"I mean, if you were CEO of a company, you'd be
fired immediately," Kerry said. "The arrogance,
and the sheer sort of, almost stupidity of it, is
stunning."
And:
"What's astonishing about the failure of this
administration is that there is a very, very
powerful, legitimate argument for Europe not
wanting a failed Iraq on its doorstep or for the
Arab countries not wanting a failed Iraq as a
neighbor," he said.
Kerry plans to use star power surrogates in
Wisconsin to campaign for him. Kerry's camp
announced that several notables would stump for
him in the state leading up to the primary. They
include Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts,
former Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia and musician
Carole King.
Kerry's wife, Teresa, also will visit the state,
his press secretary, David Wade, said, as will
several other relatives.
Kerry’s response team
Sen. John Kerry’s Nevada chairs responded to Ed
Gillespie’s charges that Kerry will run the
dirtiest campaign in history:
"…this is the dirtiest, most ruthlessly political
White House since Richard Nixon, and they're
desperate to hide the worst jobs record since
Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression. So
they've been working overtime to smear decorated
war veterans John Kerry and Max Cleland - and have
even sunk so low that they're attacking John
Kerry's wife for making charitable contributions
to conservation groups."
Clark’s aide & sex story
It seems Clark's top aide, Chris Lehane (who was
Gore's campaign press secretary in 2000) has long
been shopping the Kerry sex story. Washington
insider Craig Crawford of the Congressional
Quarterly said in a widely circulated e-mail that
Lehane had been "shopping" the story to reporters
for a long time.
It is also reported that the Kerry camp has long
expected to deal with this, and have assured party
leaders they can handle it.
Dean pushing for student vote
The Dean campaign has over the past week visited
at least five college campuses or technical
colleges, not to mention a series of grade schools
and university facilities. Indeed, the campaign's
state director is himself a college student who
coordinated some of Al Gore's student outreach
efforts in 2000. But despite drawing strong crowds
on campus, there's no evidence this strategy is
working.
The Doctor is still in
USA Today reports that Howard Dean still has a
strong presence on the campaign trail. This is
especially true when talking about health care:
Yet, even now, Dean brings to the fray unique
virtues as a candidate. As a doctor-politician, he
displays a level of confidence and insight in
talking about the Democratic dream of universal
health care that is difficult for his rivals to
match. Kerry and Edwards also have detailed plans
to provide medical coverage for the uninsured, but
neither would dare advise audiences, as Dean does,
what over-the-counter remedy is virtually
identical to the pricey prescription drug Nexium.
Kucinich is out there and up
Kucinich has two TV ads up in Wisconsin. One
points out that he is the only candidate to vote
against going to war in Iraq.
Kucinich also took his quest for a girlfriend and
some recognition to late-night television — and
won a date with actress Jennifer Tilly. After
Kucinich selected Tilly and she emerged from
behind a screen, Jay Leno presented Kucinich with
a gift certificate to a Santa Monica vegan
restaurant.
Sharpton gumming up the works
Al Sharpton can never quite seem to follow the
rules. Whether the rules are about how much you
can loan yourself to qualify for matching funds or
getting on the ballot in Louisiana. The Times Picayune reports:
Louisiana's March 9
presidential
primary may be delayed if a judge orders the Rev.
Al Sharpton's name placed on the ballot,
election officials said Wednesday.
The state says Sharpton was kept off the ballot
because he failed to properly qualify for the
primary. The Democratic presidential candidate and
civil rights activist responded with a lawsuit
against Secretary of State Fox McKeithen, the
state's chief elections officer.
Dean’s wife appears
Dean, the one-time front-runner desperately
looking to resurrect his campaign with a
come-from-behind showing in Wisconsin, was joined
on the campaign trail by his wife at a rally in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The once illusive Dr. Judy
Dean was once touted by Dean as not being a
‘prop’, however, in the decline of the Dean
Machine she has miraculously surfaced despite
Dean’s earlier claim.
Kerry pushes alliances
Sen. John Kerry Presidency would move the country
into more alliances with foreign governments.
Kerry has criticized the Bush administration for
not gaining greater international cooperation
after Kerry voted to go to war.
"Intoxicated with the pre-eminence of American
power," the Bush team has abandoned fundamental
tenets like "belief in collective security,
respect for international institutions and
international law, multilateral engagement and the
use of force not as a first option but truly as a
last resort," Kerry said.
Kerry has had a mixed and somewhat strange and
inconsistent record on foreign affairs in his
House and Senate career. He supported efforts to
gut the nation’s intelligence apparatus. He voted
against major weapons such as the Patriot missile
and the F15 jet fighter.
Reuters reports that his advisor are saying:
Kerry would reconsider Bush's decision to deploy a
missile defense system and produce a defense
budget that "would be different but might not
necessarily be smaller," said foreign policy
adviser Rand Beers, who resigned last year as
Bush's counter-terrorism special assistant to join
Kerry's campaign.
In addition to Beers, Kerry's foreign policy
braintrust includes: former Defense Secretary
William Perry, former Sen. Gary Hart, retired Lt.
Gen. Claudia Kennedy, Senate aide Nancy Stetson
and several former Clinton administration
officials.
Kerry on Imus: No affair
John Kerry was a guest this morning on talk radio
show host Don Imus’ show this morning and
officially denied having an affair, saying there
was nothing to report. News of a Kerry/intern
romance was reported on DRUDGE yesterday, though as yet there is no
way to prove the accusation. Today DRUDGE is
carrying links to articles in the British (and
Australian) media – widely covering the story –
and name the young woman. They also have
interviewed the woman’s parents. The father is
calling Kerry a ‘sleazeball.” Here are some
excerpts from the British news:
[in The Sun/UK]
“Alex Polier, 24, was named as the woman at the
centre of a scandal that threatens to damage
Democrat Kerry’s bid for the White House… Her
mother Donna claims Kerry, 60 — dubbed the new JFK
— once chased Alex to be on his campaign team and
was “after her”.
There is no evidence the pair had an affair, but
her father Terry, 56, said: “I think he’s a
sleazeball. I did kind of wonder if my daughter
didn’t get that kind of feeling herself…
“He’s not the sort of guy I would choose to be
with my daughter.”
Terry, of Malvern, Pennsylvania, added: “John
Kerry called my daughter and invited her down to
Washington two or three years ago. He invited her
to be on his re-election committee. She talked to
him and decided against it.”
One of Kerry’s former rivals, General Wesley
Clark, told reporters earlier this week that
Kerry’s campaign would “implode” over the issue.
Another Kerry rival, Howard Dean, has reversed his
decision to quit the race because of the scandal.
Journalist Alex was in Kenya last night refusing
to comment ‘
Talon News has been told “A source at one of
the major television networks told Talon News that
they are specifically forbidden to talk about this
story on the air until one of the other major
television networks reports on it first.”
However, Michael Sneed, a columnist for The Chicago Sun, has written about the Kerry
situation and identifies the woman as having
worked for the Associated Press. This is the only
U.S. newspaper currently carrying the story. And
according to
MensNewsDaily, Google News has removed a story
on the Kerry affair that had been posted last
night. Here are excerpts from the Sneed/Chicago
Sun article:
It's no secret Kerry dated alotta women after his
divorce from first wife Julia Thorne in
1988 and before he married Teresa Heinz in
1995.
But the first salvo in an alleged sexual drama
came via Internet columnist Matt Drudge,
author of the "Drudge Report," (which broke the
Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky mess) who
claimed Thursday a Kerry scandal may be erupting.
It allegedly involves Kerry's marital infidelity
with a woman who once worked for the Associated
Press -- and has reportedly fled the country at
the prodding of Kerry.
True? Well, Sneed is told the real reason former
Dem presidential nominee Al Gore did NOT
select Kerry as his veepmate was because of
allegations of women problems, or marital
infidelity involving Kerry's marriage to Heinz,
heiress to the Heinz Ketchup fortune, whom he met
in 1990.
A top source tells Sneed Gore was talking about
Kerry's sexual baggage "with a young woman" as
recently as late last week!
"Kerry was the favorite to be Gore's veep, but
they worried a female problem could erupt, so U.S.
Sen. Joe Lieberman was selected instead,"
said the source.
"In addition to Gore backing Howard Dean
for president, because he wanted access to the
cadre of Dean youth called the "Deanie babies"
when he runs for president again and goes up
against Hillary Clinton, Gore chose Dean
because he feared the Kerry female mess would rear
its ugly head," the source added.
The big question: Did Dean opt not to pull out of
the race after the Wisconsin primary because he
was waiting for the Kerry scandal to erupt?
Also, according to
MensNewsDaily, Rush Limbaugh is cautioning
against jumping on the story, “Don't
Jump Too Soon on Kerry Hit, Interns Only Enhance
Democrat Resumes.”
MoveOn.org pushing new ad
Here is a new email from MoveOn:
Dear MoveOn member,
Today we're launching the Bush in 30 Seconds
video, which includes all of the contest finalists
and thirty other great ads. We've also included
the Bush in 30 Seconds Live awards show
featuring Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo, Moby,
Rufus Wainwright, Michael Moore, Julia Stiles,
John Sayles, Chuck D, and others. If you donate
$30 or more to the Voter Fund today, we'll send
you a copy in DVD or VHS format, and every cent of
your donation will help get the ads on TV.
You can get your copy now at:
https://www.moveonvoterfund.org/donate/dvd2.html?id=2335-3383857-gx38hCjv4U0bJA3..o52xA
As you know, we've had some trouble getting
Child's Pay, the winning Bush in 30 Seconds
ad, on the air. Now, thanks to your efforts, it's
airing in states across the country. And
Polygraph, one of the runners-up, will follow,
delivering a succinct and devastating message
about the gap between what President Bush told us
and the truth. We hope to continue airing ads from
the contest over the next few months, highlighting
the democratic way they came to us while also
revealing the real effects of President Bush's
policies.
But we don't have to rely solely on advertising to
get these ads out there. The Bush in 30 Seconds
video allows us to show the ads directly to the
public. We've received hundreds of requests for
copies of the ads, from the U.S. Senate to a TV
station in Australia. Film festivals are asking to
show them in between movies. Folks want to hold
house parties and watch them. The video makes that
easy.
President Bush is raising hundreds of millions of
dollars in order to saturate the air waves with
negative and misleading ads. We'll never raise as
much –- there simply aren't as many folks who can
afford to write us $2,000 checks. But there are
two things that we have that he does not:
creativity, and the truth. And the Bush in 30
Seconds video contains a lot of both. Help
support our Voter Fund effort to get out the truth
in swing states by picking up a copy today.
Bush losing credibility
A new Washington Post/ABC News Poll shows
President Bush is losing credibility:
Barely half -- 52 percent -- now believe Bush is
"honest and trustworthy," down 7 percentage points
since late October and his worst showing since the
question was first asked, in March 1999. At his
best, in the summer of 2002, Bush was viewed as
honest by 71 percent. The survey found that nearly
seven in 10 think Bush "honestly believed" Iraq
had weapons of mass destruction. Even so, 54
percent thought Bush exaggerated or lied about
prewar intelligence.
Bush seems to becoming vulnerable to charges being
made by Sen. John Kerry that Bush has a
credibility gap. The current Time magazine cover
story asks: "Believe him or not -- does Bush have
a credibility gap?" The Post reports that:
Three in four Democrats said Bush either lied or
exaggerated about what was known about Iraq's
weapons, while an equally large majority of
Republicans said the president did neither.
Slightly more than half of all independents
believed Bush had misled the public about Iraq's
weapons cache.
Bush’s traffic tickets
In the continuing saga of those who cannot believe
that Bush was honorably in the Air National Guard,
the White House has released the fact that Bush
received … speeding tickets. The release is the
response of sorts to USA Today’s printing Bush’s
application to join the Guard with blacked out
portions of the application.
White House press secretary Scott McClellan showed
a small group of reporters a copy of Bush's
application to be an officer, with nothing blacked
out, after USA TODAY published a picture of the
blacked-out document Thursday. The accompanying
report said that Guard officials in Texas had been
concerned about embarrassing information in Bush's
military records before the files were released to
the public beginning in 1999, according to two
former Guard officials. Bush aides denied there
was any effort to suppress any potentially
embarrassing information.
The information in the documents showed that
President Bush had been arrested once for a
college prank and was cited for two automobile
accidents and two speeding tickets before he
enlisted in the National Guard.
Bush campaign ad
President Bush’s campaign sent out the following
email to their supporters:
John Kerry often says that, if elected, he'll show
the "special interests" the door. But a review of
his record reveals that the only door he's shown
special interests is the front door of his office.
For more details, please go here and see a new Web
video:
http://www.GeorgeWBush.com/Unprincipled/
Hillary named to top 25 ‘Tough Guys’
According to a report by the Associated Press,
Hillary Clinton has been named one of American’s
top 25 Toughest Guys in America. Okay, so she’s
number 25 on the list of 25… but toughest guy?
Yup.
Men’s Journal magazine is the official maker and
keeper of the list and the AP story quotes Men’s
Journal editor Tom Foster: "Would you mess with
her?" Excerpt:
Foster referred to Clinton's handling of the
sexual improprieties of her husband, former
president Bill Clinton, in the White House.
Hillary Clinton wrote about the pain caused by the
president's affair with a White House intern and
the subsequent impeachment effort in Living
History, her White House memoir.
And what company is Hillary The Tough Guy keeping
in the list?
Clinton wasn't the only Washington figure on the
magazine's Toughest Guys list, which was topped by
Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. Arizona
Senator John McCain was No. 5 and U.S. Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was No. 21, two places
above rapper 50 Cent, who was shot nine times and
drove himself to a hospital.
According to the AP, Senator Hillary’s office
could not be reached for comment on her inclusion
in the Top 25 list.
homepage
