Kerry Says Aides Don't Know What They're Talking About

[salonghorn70]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50019-2004Jun17.html

[RC]

1. How about a hint for those of us that don't want to sign up?

[Kagemusha]

2. VP search.

nt

[robbedvoter]

13. Sign up without disclosure via bug me not:

http://bugmenot.com/

[BootinUp]

3. He's starting to sound like

"I want to restore trust and credibility to the White House, and I hope that the person that I choose is going to be somebody who matches the expectations of the country about the kind of leadership that people want," Kerry said.

like Wesley "We need a higher standard of leadership" Clark

:)

[robbedvoter]

15. Same feeling here.

[chimpymustgo]

19. It's Edwards: "somebody who matched the expectation of the country

about the kind of leadership that people want."

The majority want Edwards and expect a Kerry/Edwards ticket.

You know, you can spin this stuff every which way from Sunday.

[LandOLincoln]

22. Like you're doing, you mean? n/t

[Scoopie]

28. How does a campaign that's been saying

since February that it wants a VP with foreign policy credentials spin into Edwards?

If people are "expecting" a Kerry/Edwards ticket, then they must be hoping for trouble.

[Cronus Protagonist]

4. Here's a few snippets...

Kerry Demands Secrecy Amid VP Search

By RON FOURNIER
The Associated Press
Thursday, June 17, 2004; 5:22 PM

WASHINGTON - John Kerry sought to curb rampant speculation Thursday about his vice presidential search, taking issue with leaks from campaign aides "who don't know what they're talking about."

"I'm the only person who knows when I will" announce a running mate "or what even direction I might take. And I intend to keep it that way," the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said as fresh clues about his intentions emerged.

Kerry, a four-term senator with a history of publicly chastising his staff, smiled and chuckled as he recalled that he "read with amusement about aides who don't know what they're talking about with respect to my schedule" for announcing a running mate. A day earlier, his meeting with Rep. Dick Gephardt became public despite efforts to keep it under wraps.

-snip-

The official was relating recent conversations with two senior Kerry advisers, one of whom talks almost daily with the candidate about his running-mate search. He said both advisers mentioned Gephardt and Sens. John Edwards of North Carolina and Evan Bayh of Indiana as the type of "safe" candidates getting strong consideration.

-snip-

ANYBODY BUT BUSH

Click here for "ANYBODY BUT BUSH", and other fair and balanced yet stunning buttons, magnets and stickers

[dolstein]

5. Kerry's problem: too many of his aides have their own agenda

The Kerry campaign has been leaking like a sieve for quite some time. Some of his aides obviously don't want Edwards to be VP, so they've been talking to reporters (off the record, natch) at every opportunity to tell them how Kerry personally doesn't like Edwards. Other aides have been deliberately playing up Gephardt's prospects. If these aides had any real respect for the candidate they purportedly work for, they wouldn't be doing this.

ON EDIT: Man, is this article hilarious. It starts with Kerry chastising his aides about talking to the press, but then it has a bunch of off-the-record comments from still more Democratic officials talking about the VP election. Sheesh.

[janx]

6. I dunno. It sort of keeps people off balance. That's kind of

fun. And it's great that Kerry came out and said this. Really funny, especially for those of us wise enough not to believe every rumor and piece of speculation we hear on the subject.

[daveskilt]

7. well a former dean staffer I know has been saying for months now

Since the Iowa caucus she has been telling me that Kerry only won there when he struck a deal with gephardt (weeks before it) to have gephardts delegates switch to kerry across the state at the last minute and then gephardt would drop out in exchange for the VP spot.

Since then i have heard this from 2 other former dean staffers

[chimpymustgo]

8. Has anyone heard this coming from the Gephardt camp? Or an unbiased source

Coming exclusively from the Dean camp gives no assurance of validity. Sounds a lot like excuse-making.

If it's true, it should be verifiable. If all those Gephardt delegates were told to change their votes - don't you think that might have gotten out?

[daveskilt]

11. could be sour grapes but....

they all came back from Iowa furious about it and the story hasn't changed for them since that this was the deal in Iowa. Gephart would seem a weak choice for vp (to me anyway - gephart and lieberman scared me until they dropped out) so if he is the choice I know I will wonder if my deaniac friends were right on this one.

[chimpymustgo]

14. But what was their proof?

(see my earlier posts, below)

[Still_Loves_John]

10. Thats ridiculous

He won by too wide a margin. Kerry won because some people actually like him. I can't stand this sentiment that the only way Kerry could have won was by striking some kind of deal. I mean honestly, there were like three people who were gonna vote Gep; it would have had no effect. And it's not like Gephardt had any control over his constituents; look at the Edwards/Kucinich deal--people, for the most part, don't caucus for someone else just because their candidate told them to.

[chimpymustgo]

12. And Kerry's poll numbers were rising daily. His crowds were getting larger

As were Edwards.

Not to mention how Dean and Gep committed murder-suicide. And Dean was clearly starting to unravel in that week leading up to the caucuses.

The Deaners should stop spreading that one. Real disservice to Kerry.

[daveskilt]

18. very good point - sad to see them crash in flames together

dean spent most of his cash there fighting gephardt and never could recover. My dean friends of course say that was part of the plan that gephart would knock dean out in a kamikazee run of spending.

then I remind them of the good doctors tarzan impersonation that just may have had a teensy effect on his ability to recover.

[daveskilt]

17. that sounds right but...

on the ground in Iowa there were gephart people actually passing out kerry flyers in districts where gephart was polling low and even in a few where he had a shot of pulling a delegate or two. I think Kerry did pull support on his own and may have won iowa anyway but there is definitely some truth to the rumour from the dean folks since gephardt's people were actively working for Kerry in parts of Iowa BEFORE the caucus.

btw I am a reasonably impartial observer as a non US citizen who supported carol mosely braun then just hoped like hell it wouldnt be lieberman

[LandOLincoln]

16. Dean staffers, who are of course totally disinterested

observers, que no?

Please.

[Justice]

9. The democratic official could be Zell for heaven's sakes

That is the problem with this nonsense anonymous source.

[Lefty Pragmatist]

20. A little more discipline from the aides

would be a good sign. Can you imagine leaks like this coming from the Bush-Halliburton camp? They'd be Ward Boss of Eastern Baghdad within an hour.

We're all starting to look a little overconfident, considering this is probably a 51-49 election. Let Carville get a little fundamental on the Kerry aides' asses.

[chimpymustgo]

21. According to Novak on CNN, HIS sources said Gep was close to getting it,

everybody in gep's camp was psyched - but some of Kerry's aides talked him out of Gep - saying he's too boring.

According to Novak, Gep's out, Edwards is in.

I didn't even start a thread when I heard. Just more speculation. Kerry's aides really are showing a disturbing lack of discipline. And that includes Chris Heinz offering his opinions publicly.

Loose lips sink ships.

[TSIAS]

23. But I thought ABC said it wouldn't be Edwards

Seriously, I don't buy into much of the speculation. Some articles are saying Clark's the odds-on favorite. Others think it will be Nunn.

Even though I favor Edwards, I could be satisfied with any number of guys.

[Doosh]

24. baseless rumor started by a Clarkie with no link provided

what else is new

[mzmolly]

25. I agree. Though they may be putting out feelers?

;)

[Moderator]

26. Kick

[TheFarseer]

27. It's totally going to be Vilsack

how would his name even come up if he wasn't JK's guy all along? Who the hell has even heard of this nobody?

[wjsander]

29. Clarkies, don't panic!!!

Just ignore this piece of news like any other one that doesn't mention Clark as the front-runner.

Now go ahead and celebrate his future vice presidency!!