Tidbits

+Clinton, On the Road Again…

(CNSNews.com) - "Don't be surprised to find [former President Bill] Clinton spending a whole lot of time doing book-signing in the battleground states, especially in medium-sized cities, where a presidential visit can dominate the news," the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. The newspaper says the Kerry is "looking to use" Clinton as much as possible.

+Senators Kerry and Edwards have announced, albeit privately, that they will not be present to vote on the Marriage Amendment. Essentially, not showing up is 1) a no vote, and 2) a demonstration of poor judgment on the part of the Democrat ticket.

Not Showing Up for Marriage Vote Will Count, Conservatives Say

(CNSNews.com) - Not showing up for Wednesday's planned votes relating to the Federal Marriage Amendment will be seen as a vote against traditional marriage, a Republican senator says. Sen. John Cornyn, chairman of the Constitution subcommittee, issued a statement on Tuesday, noting that the American people are watching Wednesday's planned vote - and that Senators will be sending a message to their constituents when the roll is called. In this election year, Republicans are waiting to see if Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards show up to vote on the controversial issue.

Full story - Not Showing Up for Marriage Vote Will Count, Conservatives Say -- 07/14/2004

+Here's something we always suspected.

Kerry Is No War Hero, Say Vietnam Comrades

(CNSNews.com) - Some of John Kerry's former swift boat crewmates will have a high-profile role at the Democratic National Convention later this month, as they attempt to portray Kerry as a decorated Vietnam War hero. But an even larger number of veterans say that's not the case. As news spread Tuesday of the convention's framework, members of a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth dismissed the Democrats' plans. On the last night of the convention, an undisclosed number of Vietnam veterans plan to endorse Kerry in glowing terms. But members of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth were quick to dismiss the effort, which they said amounted to a public relations push by the Kerry campaign to remake the candidate into a war hero despite lingering questions about his actions in Vietnam.

Full story -Kerry Is No War Hero, Say Vietnam Comrades -- 07/14/2004

The following items are from the Kerry Spot in the National Review
+SCHEDULES [07/14]

Today President Bush campaigns through Wisconsin, hitting Waukesha, Fond du Lac and Ashwaubenon. Laura Bush attends a literacy event at Hueytown (Alabama) Elementary School and some fundraisers in that state. Kerry is in Boston with no public events scheduled (he's not expected to make any the four days before the convention, either). Edwards visits the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines and attends a evening fundraiser in Chicago.

+JUST WHAT IS HARSH LANGUAGE TO THE TIMES?

Complaining about the New York Times's election coverage is like complaining about the weather. But ask yourself whether the following statement by Bush lives up to the Times' chosen adjective of "harsh":

"He voted for the Patriot Act,'' Mr. Bush said. "He voted for Nafta. He voted for the No Child Left Behind Act and for the use of force in Iraq. Now he opposes the Patriot Act. He opposes Nafta. He opposes the No Child Left Behind Act and the liberation of Iraq."
Is this one of those Harry S Truman, "I never give them hell; I just tell them the truth and they think it is hell" moments?

+KERRY'S CAST OF A THOUSAND ADVISERS

The Washington Post observes that John Kerry isn't just the candidate of big government - he's the candidate of big government advisory panels:

The campaign now includes 37 separate domestic policy councils and 27 foreign policy groups, each with scores of members. The justice policy task force alone includes 195 members. The environmental group is roughly the same size, as is the agriculture and rural development council. Kerry counts more than 200 economists as his advisers.
In contrast, President Bush's campaign policy shop is a no-frills affair. Policy director Tim Adams directs about a dozen experts who make sure the campaign is in sync with the vast executive branch that is formulating policy. Adams's group also analyzes Kerry's proposals and voting record. Fewer than a dozen outside task forces, with five to 10 members, also help out on education, veterans' issues, the economy, and energy, environment and natural resources, said campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel.

Here's a slogan for the fiscal conservatives: "George W. Bush: More efficient use of policy wonks."

I guess this just exemplifies what a Kerry administration might look like. Think of the cost.

+A PROUD MOMENT FOR NEW JERSEY DEMOCRATS

Bloomberg: Charles Kushner, a New Jersey real estate developer and Democratic fund-raiser, was charged with hiring a call girl and two intermediaries to obstruct a federal investigation of him and his companies, prosecutors said.

Kushner, 50, hired the intermediaries and a New York City call girl for $25,000 to videotape her having sex with a cooperating witness in the probe, according to a news release by U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie in Newark, New Jersey.

Kushner, the chairman of Kushner Companies and the top donor to the 2001 campaign of New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey, ordered the videotape and still photographs sent to the witness's wife, who is also helping prosecutors, the release said.

"Kushner conspired with the intermediaries in the hiring of another call girl for the purpose of seducing and videotaping a second cooperating witness in the government's investigation," the release said. "The second intended victim, however, refused the call girl's advances."

Kushner recently joined U.S. Senator Jon S. Corzine, a New Jersey Democrat, in an unsuccessful bid to buy the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association.

+WASHINGTON POST POLL HAS RACE EVEN

The Washington Post: "Kerry and Bush remain in a tight battle for the presidency with each candidate claiming 46 percent of the hypothetical vote of registered voters. In June, the Massachusetts senator led Bush 48 percent to 44 percent."

And I'll bet this is difficult for the Washington Post to print.

+AMERICANS TRUST BUSH OVER KERRY ON TERROR

Note this Washington Post poll, showing "55 percent of all Americans currently approve of the way Bush is handling the campaign against terrorism, up 5 points in the past three weeks. Slightly more than half — 51 percent — also said they trust Bush more than Kerry to deal with terrorism, while 42 percent prefer the Democrat. Three weeks ago, the two were tied on this crucial voting issue, which ranks with the economy and the situation in Iraq as top concerns this presidential election."


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