Items From the Kerry Spot on National Review Online

WHO DO VETERANS PREFER? IT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE

From the Washington Post:

Despite Kerry's courting, veterans say they trust President Bush more than Kerry as commander in chief, 56 percent to 38 percent, according to a report released yesterday by the University of Pennsylvania's National Annenberg Election Survey.
While the survey showed that Kerry got a boost from the Democratic National Convention, during which his Vietnam service was emphasized, 59 percent told pollsters recently that they have a favorable opinion of Bush, compared with 42 percent for Kerry. The sampling of veterans had a margin of error of 4 percent.

In interviews this week, local veterans said their opinion of John Kerry — for better or for worse — was forged long ago and has not been affected by ads accusing Kerry of lying about his wartime record. Many veterans dismissed the attack-and-volley surrounding Kerry's Vietnam service and his antiwar activism as a political sideshow not likely to change their votes...

Thirty-seven percent of veterans identified themselves as Republicans; 23 percent said they were Democrats.

One senses that Democrats hoped to get more of a pop out of the all-Vietnam, all-the-time convention.

BUSH LEADS IN OH, WI, AND MO

This Los Angeles Times headline may have produced screams of horror over at the Kerry camp, and high-fives around Team Bush: "Key Midwest Swing States Are Leaning Toward Bush"

Bush has opened small leads — within the surveys' margin of error — in Ohio and Wisconsin, states where the presidential race was closer in Times polls taken in June. The new Times survey also finds Bush ahead in Missouri, though by a narrower margin than in June.
The three states, with a combined 41 electoral votes, are among those both sides view as critical to the outcome of the race.

In Missouri, Bush leads among registered voters, 46% to 44%; in Wisconsin, he leads 48% to 44%; in Ohio, the president holds a 49%-to-44% advantage, the surveys found...

Bush draws support from virtually all voters who support his policy direction; by contrast, Kerry attracts about four-fifths or fewer of voters who want a new course...

In the national poll, 48% of voters said Kerry's combat service "demonstrated qualities America needs in a president," while 37% said his protests upon returning "demonstrated a judgment and belief that was inappropriate in a president." Thus, voters nationally tilted toward Kerry on those questions by 11 percentage points.

But in Ohio, the margin favoring Kerry was 7 percentage points, and in Missouri it was 6. In Wisconsin, by a 2-percentage-point margin, more said Kerry showed inappropriate judgment with his anti-Vietnam War protests than said he had demonstrated the right qualities for a president.

Beyond these shadows over Kerry, Bush is being buoyed by improved ratings on several fronts. For instance, since June, approval for his handling of the conflict in Iraq has edged up in all three states.

Voters in the states picked Bush over Kerry when asked which man was most likely to develop a plan to succeed in Iraq and who would be more qualified to serve as commander in chief. They also gave Bush a big lead when asked which candidate would best protect the nation from terrorism.

The big question for Bush is, can he build on this currently-tiny lead with the convention? Or will he experience the where's-the-bounce phenomenon that Kerry did?

O'NEILL IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Speaking of John O'Neill, he appears in the Wall Street Journal today, arguing that the Swifties are not "GOP shills."

Are we controlled by the Bush-Cheney campaign? Absolutely not. The Swift boat veterans who joined our group come in all political flavors: independents, Republicans, Democrats and other more subtle variations. Had another person been the presidential candidate of the Democrats, our group never would have formed. Had Mr. Kerry been the Republican candidate, each of us would still be here...
How many different ways will John Kerry devise to ask President Bush to condemn our ads and squash our book? Why, Mr. Kerry, are our charges as a 527 group unacceptable to you, while the pronouncements from 527 groups favorable to you are considered acceptable, regardless of stridency and veracity? And we do not have a George Soros, willing to drop millions into our modest group. We control our message. To date, we have received $2 million from 30,000 Americans who have donated an average of around $64.

Mr. Kerry, we ask you not to repeat the same mistake you made when you returned from war: Please stop maligning your fellow veterans. Dealing with us should be easy. Just answer our charges. Produce your Vietnam journal and notes, and execute Standard Form 180 so the American people can see your complete military record — not just the few forms you put on your website or show to campaign biographers.

It now appears clear that John Kerry will never sign and execute Standard Form 180. Never, ever, ever.

SCHACHTE INTERVIEW WITH NOVAK

Columnist Robert Novak's interview with Retired Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr. is here. Some will undoubtedly find it compelling. Novak reports that "Schachte until now has refused to speak out publicly on this question and agreed to give only two interviews. One was a television interview with Lisa Myers of NBC News. The second was a print interview with me."

I realize not every Swift Boat Vet can keep up with the intense media schedule of John O'Neill, but I think a case is made stronger by a willingness to answer questions from many sources. It's Schachte's life, and his decision to make, but in these cases more questions and more disclosure is better than less.

Obviously, that goes for Kerry, too.

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