YOU WANT INSTANT REACTION FROM KERRY? Feast.

[WilliamPitt]

For Immediate Release

August 12, 2004

Statement from Ten Senior Military Officials in Response to Vice
President Cheney's Latest Round of Personal Attacks

Ten senior military officials released the following statement today in
response to the Vice President's attacks on John Kerry today:

"We are deeply disappointed by the tone and tenor of President Bush and
Vice President Cheney's personal attacks on John Kerry, a decorated
combat veteran who served his country with courage and honor. John Kerry
is talking about his plan to address the most pressing issues facing our
nation - jobs, the economy, health care, the war on terror, the war in
Iraq. George Bush and Dick Cheney have chosen take their campaign to the
gutter. We call on President Bush and Vice President Cheney to stop the
irresponsible personal attacks and tell us where they want to take the
country. Tell us how they plan to win the peace in Iraq. Tell us how
they plan to get us back on track with the war on terror. Tell us where
they plan to lead the country. The American people and our troops
deserve better."

Signed by:

Admiral William J. Crowe (United States Navy, Retired)
Admiral Stansfield Turner (United States Navy, Retired)
General Wesley K. Clark (United States Army, Retired)
General Merrill "Tony" A. McPeak (United States Air Force, Retired)
General Joseph Hoar (United States Marine Corps, Retired)
General Johnnie E. Wilson (United States Army, Retired)
Vice Admiral Lee F. Gunn (United States Navy, Retired)
Lieutenant General Claudia J. Kennedy (United States Army, Retired)
Lieutenant General Donald Kerrick (United States Army, Retired)
Lieutenant General Edward D. Baca

[Sparkly]

1. Yesss

The detailed deconstruction of the smearvets' ad was quick and strong, as well.

I love all the brass on Kerry's team!

[Old and In the Way]

2. Yowsa.

Royal Straight Flush beats this administration's pair of Jokers.

[bahrbearian]

3. Every Week that List will Grow

[burned]

4. Boom

Very nice.

[Carni]

5. WOW! This is MOST excellent!

I wonder if the always joyous CNN will cover this?

[Richardo]

6. YEAH now!

IS that a release from johnkerry.com, Will?

[WilliamPitt]

7. yup

[Nite Owl]

8. But if the media doesn't carry

these statements is it like the tree that fell in the forest...

Is it on tv? I sure hope so, I don't watch much.

[bigtree]

16. Get Busy- Activists' Resource Thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x614019

[Joanne98]

19. Your right. we need an e-mail campaign

We have a leader now. Let's do it.

[juajen]

24. OK, I admit it

I am the spelling police. Please, when you mean "you are", spell it you're, (it's a contraction) not "your", which is possessive, as in "Your bicycle fell down." Sorry for the interruption, it just drives me crazy, and it doesn't take much.

[Sparkly]

Don't miss General Clark's statement, either!!

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0812i.html

“I spent almost all of my adult life in uniform serving this great nation in the United States Army. I have led American soldiers into battle and led an international coalition in the Balkans where diplomacy, backed by force, was the winning formula.

“George W. Bush failed to learn the lessons from his predecessor or history. His ideologues who control American foreign policy have squandered much of our credibility with our allies and failed to achieve victory in the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. They gambled with a go it alone policy and our soldiers are paying with their lives.

“Today we Americans are shouldering the overwhelming costs of rebuilding Iraq without sufficient help from our allies. The administration’s incompetence in protecting our security effectively is rightfully a key issue in this campaign

“Today, Dick Cheney took the lowest road in politics -- it was a cheap shot unworthy of the office of Vice President.

(more)

[Tom Rinaldo]

31. I loved this part of Clark's statement

"The truth is that this administration has over-relied on the military in the war against terror – if we are to win, we must use all the means at our disposal – diplomacy, international law, economic development, law enforcement, and only as a last resort, military force.

“But then, maybe that’s to be expected. Neither George Bush nor Dick Cheney has ever heard a shot fired in anger. Never worried whether he’d ever see his family again or seen the destruction caused by the weapons he’s wielded. The losses of war are permanent. The consequences are unpredictable. That’s why John Kerry has always said force should be a last resort..."

Way to Go Team!

[senseandsensibility]

9. Will, I agree with and

admire all the instant press releases done by the campaign. They are flawlessly argued and well written. But unless they get some coverage on the mainstream media, I don't think they're enough.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

14. I guess you are just gonna have to do everything you can to help.

As you've pointed out, depending on the mainstream media to do the job is not a good idea.

[senseandsensibility]

25. I'm very comfortable with what I've done.

Thanks for the interest. Yesterday I started a thread begging other DUers to write e-mails to CNN protesting against this swiftboat B.S. A few responded. It was my second attempt that day to get DUers involved. If we sit back, the freepers WILL steal the agenda.

[juajen]

29. Castigation noted.

Will now leave here and email CNN.

[senseandsensibility]

32. Hey!

I'll have to try the "guilt thing" more often!:) Thanks for e-mailing.

[juajen]

35. You're welcome

I sent an email and it's wending it's way to emailland. THANK YOU. Sometimes I need my chain jerked.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

30. You misunderstand me.

I don't mean to say or imply that you haven't done enough.

Personally, I think emailing CNN is basically a waste of time though. Much more effective is actually getting the word out ourselves to our friends, neighbors and coworkers. CNN just probably has some low-level employee reading and deleting your email.

[blondeatlast]

10. SA-LUTE! Excellent! nt

[Cerridwen]

11. Wooooooo Hooooooooooooooooo!

Thanks for posting this. I almost started jumping and shouting here in my office. Caught myself just in time.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Sounds like "It's the issues, dummy!"

Yay!


:bounce:

[dw]

12. Interesting that Baca signed.

He's still active (not retired) and is the chief of the National Guard Bureau. He has Bush and Cheney by the short hairs. They had better tread lightly if they want the NG's cooperation in any future 'liberations'.

[dweller]

21. maybe he knows where

the AWOL records are buried.

:think:
dp

[Worst Username Ever]

13. Hey Will

so you have a link for that I can throw around?

[WilliamPitt]

15. Not yet

There's always a little lag between the emailers and the HTMLers for the site. 'Twas the same with the Kucinich campaign. Keep an eye on the press release page of his site.

[Worst Username Ever]

17. Gotcha, thanks!

[bigtree]

34. here's one

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=167-08122004

[buycitgo]

20. sooooohhhhh, when will we SEE some of this on Tee frickin VEE?

what does this matter if NOBODY sees it?

not to pee in the punch here, but ALL I see these days is Bush/Cheney, by a factor of at LEAST four to one, making INSULTING remarks about Kerry, with almost NO response

how to avoid being GORED by the bushevik media again?

I started a thread on this, but it seems to have gone down the memory hole

[Feanorcurufinwe]

26. No amount of complaining about media bias will help.

Letters to the Editor, radio call-ins, word-of-mouth, and the like will be much more effective than despair or complaints.

[depakid]

33. It's the Kerry campaign's job to get this out

That's what they get paid for.

LTTE's, radio call in's, etc. are great, but ineffective compared with the current assault on Kerry in the media. The only way to blunt the assualt is with an equally forceful response in kind- which isn't something that most of us are in a postition to do....

[bigtree]

36. They get it out but the media outlets pick and choose

If the media outlets think the public is interested then they will pay more attention to the releases. That's the point in the activism. Let these media outlets know that you're interested. That's your job.

[sandnsea]

28. Where do you live?

Do any of the newspapers in your state have forums? Post there first. Then send it to the newsrooms. That's what democraticunderground.com/cu is for. If the media starts to understand that WE know what they aren't reporting, they may just start paying attention. And if you can get the local news to report it, that's better than the national news anyway. We have to work at least half as hard as John Kerry is, don't you think?

[MoonRiver]

18. Wonderful!

I feel like crying for joy that my country is the home of such brave and dedicated patriots!

[w13rd0]

22. Remember how Bush and Cheney...

...tried turning the issue when questions were raised about his being AWOL? They said those that asked the questions were disparaging the National Guard. I'd think sending them overseas for a friggin year with no benefits would be more than enough disparagement for them. Looks like there's some agreement with that in the NG.

[depakid]

23. Now how about swamping the media with this

That's what has to happen in order to counter the Republican noise machine.

[xray s]

27. Someone tell me who is going to run this as an ad

This is a great response, but it needs widespread distribution and saturation play. It needs to run in all the markets the swiftboatliars campaign in running. Hell, it needs to run during the RNC in NYC. Put these guys on TV.

I'll give $100 to whoever runs the ad. DNC, moveon, whoever.

[wicket]

37. Thank you thank you THANK YOU!!!!

This just made my day :D

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

38. Goin' on...

The website in my sig.

Much thanks, hubba bubba.

On edit: Thanks for a little bright light on this dark day...:(

[Bullshot]

39. I'm just amazed at the audacity of Bush and Cheney,

dredging up lies and distorting Kerry's statements on Iraq.

These bastards are a bunch of CHICKEN HAWKS, who cowered away from serving this country when they had the opportunity.

They obviously have no consciences. I sure hope this country has a collective wake-up call and votes these clowns out of the country. Then try their sorry asses on war criminal charges in The Hague.