Saturday, June 26, 2004 :::
 
A valued young friend--alas, of the leftist variety--has sent the item reproduced below with the simple entry on the Subject Line, "Disgusting."

A Mind That Suits encourages everyone to read the Kerry campaign e-mail, watch the video, and form their own opinion. But he cannot resist a few comments:

Both campaigns agree that using Hitler as a comparison in a political campaign is "simply wrong," to use the Kerry campaign's exact wording. However, the Kerry campaign has actively solicited the support of the far left, whose current locus of activity, MoveOn.Org, runs ads exactly comparing our George W. Bush to Adolf Hitler. Indeed, it is the use of such ads by his most motivated supporters that the Bush campaign is calling on Kerry to denounce.

(Said young valued young friend insists that MoveOn never ran those ads, that they were simply posted for members to vote on. What would have been the furor if the Christian Coalition had done the same? And the Bush ad never says that the ads were run; it calls for Kerry to denounce such comments. He has been asked to, and he has refused to. Fair game.)

The ads and comments from various leftists are clearly labeled as to their origin, and the ad itself--an unusual and welcome 60 minutes long--is very clear. But Ms. Cahill, of the Kerry campaign, maintains that the references are "inexplicable."

What's inexplicable is why Sen. Kerry does not just denounce those supporters and be done with it. But political campaigns develop their own logic, and from the inside any argument looks good, even one verfiably false. He is guaranteeing that the issue will drag on, and this is all to the good.

Leftists have for too long gotten a free ride while slinging the "N" and "F" words, in this case, "Nazi," and "fascist." Is it too much to point out that to be an "N" or an "f" in this context, one must be a socialist. And that if you support free markets and the rule of law, you cannot be an "N" or an "f"?

No less a figure than Guido Calabrese, a Clinton appointee to the Court of Appeals and a major figure in liberal jurisprudence, recently made these odious comparisons in a speech. He appears to have violated judicial standards knowingly--he used some Clintonesque weasel words to say that he was not engaged in partisan campaigning, when he was--and he used that leftwing freebie, the whole comparison to Hitler, "f" word thing. It would be easy for Kerry to denounce him--and Calabrese could not be more central to the Democratic party--but he hasn't. (Calabrese offered the tepid, standard-issue "I was speaking off the cuff" defense.)

Of course, there is the "M" word, and regular readers of this blog will know that a certain pudgy, balding English teacher holds former Secretary of Pretty Much Everything Important George Schultz in a special place in his heart for being the only member of the Executive Branch he has ever seen scold a Member of Congress. The late Ted Weiss, a radical but normally entertaining Representative from New York--entertaining because he could not control himself, was the object of Mr. Schultz's affestions. In a hearing, he referred to the Reagan Administration as using "McCarthyite tactics" by referring to the Sandinistas as Marxists, which they described themselves as being. Mr. Schultz stated clearly that he resented the characterization and would never answer a question from the Distinguished Gentleman until he apologized. When Mr. Weiss repeated it, Mr. Schultz simply sat there. After an awkward silence, the (then) House Foreign Affairs Committee went through its first round of questions, and when Mr. Weiss got his second chance, he asked another question, to which Mr. Schultz listened carefully, leaned forward, and said simply that he had said he would never again answer a question from the Distinguished Gentleman until he apologized. Which, stammering, he proceeded to do, whereupon Mr. Schultz thanked him brusquely and answered his question.

This makes Mr. Bush the second person to call things as they are, and it is a welcome change in a so far dismal campaign. It is worth remembering that in the run-up to the war, International Answer, an organization with a longstanding record that can be fairly be described as "troublesome" on human rights violations by socialist governments and on American foreign policy interests, was a welcome member of the anti-war coalition. Criticising them was considered hitting below the belt and a distraction from the "real issue." As one conservative friend pointed out, Republicans have to apologize for David Duke, even though they disassociated themselves from him promptly after he switched parties. The anti-war movement should apologize for consorting with International Answer, and John Kerry should denounce MoveOn.Org's ads, even the ones they put up for review. Period.

Oh, yes, and my young friend was correct. "Disgusting" is the word, for the whole Hitler, fascist, Nazi name-calling thing.

Herewith, the Kerry campaign e-mail.

Yesterday, the Bush-Cheney campaign, losing any last sense of decency, placed a disgusting ad called "The Faces of John Kerry's Democratic Party" as the main feature on its website. Bizarrely, and without explanation, the ad places Adolf Hitler among those faces.

The Bush-Cheney campaign must pull this ad off of its website. The use of Adolf Hitler by any campaign, politician or party is simply wrong.

We sent you a fundraising plea earlier this morning. But when this came up, we decided it was important to show you just what we're up against: a presidential campaign that is willing to do or say absolutely anything to win. You're our only line of defense against these underhanded tactics. Please contribute today:

https://contribute.johnkerry.com

If he were a real leader, George Bush would be talking about his first-term accomplishments -- and his second-term vision for America. But he has cast aside that opportunity because he has nothing to offer except a string of broken promises and a steady stream of fear and deception.

John Kerry is talking to this country about his optimistic vision for a stronger America. By contributing, you're giving him the resources to get that vision to millions more Americans every week. Help keep up the incredible momentum of this campaign by making a donation today:

https://contribute.johnkerry.com

Thank you,

Mary Beth Cahill
Campaign Manager

P.S. It's hard to believe that the Bush campaign would use images of Adolf Hitler. See it for yourself: http://www.georgewbush.com



::: posted by A Mind That Suits at 2:50 PM


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