Attack on Clarke: So Over the Top it's Cartoonish (+ Additional Analysis)

[Beetwasher]

Several things are happening as a result of Clarke's broadside of the Bush admin.

First of all, it has totally demolished the slight momentum Bush was gaining on Kerry. Bush was starting to gain just a bit of traction, now he's fighting for his political life. Kerry wisely went on vacation and timed it perfectly. He knew the book was coming out, he knew Clarke was testifying and he knew Bush would begin his assault on Kerry while Kerry was on vacation and seemingly had his guard down.

It was a brilliant move on Kerry's part for several reasons. What happened is this: Bush begins his assault to "define" Kerry. Kerry appears to have his guard down, but it's really a rope-a-dope because he knew the Clark stuff was coming. Clarke broadsides Bush and completely derails the Kerry smear campaign that is just beginning. Bush now has to focus much of his resources on defending himself and attacking Clarke instead of Kerry. Kerry gets a sneak peek at what the Bush camp is planning and sustains minimal if any damage from the initial smear campaign while also appearing above the fray. The smear campaing itself is now neutered because it's lost in the shuffle of the Clarke affair. While Bush is occupied w/ Clarke, Kerry now starts his campaign to define himself positively.

Furthermore, the Clarke affair completely exposes the Bush admin. as the twisted vindictive fucks they are. Their response to Clark is SO over the top, SO vindictive, SO vicious, SO obviously coordinated and SO flagrant that is in effect cartoonish. It's almost like a satirical charicature of a political smear campaign. It's ridiculous and people just "get it". They've totally jumped the shark w/ this.

And now the joke about WMD's is making the news too. Folks, they're in a lot of trouble. Nothing like kicking yourself in the nuts a couple of times just as you think you're getting some traction.

[el_gato]

1. I agree, good analysis beet

[i_c_a_White_Ghost]

2. same

good insight! I expect his henchman will have to divert some of their war chest and run commercials undermining clarke, yea that's what they'll do.

[ex_jew]

3. But the Kerry smear campaign continues as well !

Yesterday on KGO (I think) in the morning, they were saying that Kerry doesn't like being called on his lies, because he's a Jew pretending to be an Irishman in Boston !

They'll wrap up the Clarke thing this week and be back to Kerry for sure.

[TankLV]

39. I bet these are the same people who were trying to make hay

of the fact that Kerry discovered his Jewish roots and was just trying to score points, when he wasn't really Jewish, etc. etc.

Hypocrisy is sooooo entertaining

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

49. Geez

Next thing you know they'll be saying Kerry's to blame for Christ's crucifixion.

[Mountainman]

4. All the right has is character assassination and it isn't working

The repubs can't do much about Bush's record because everyone knows it is nothing but the ruination of the working class. Today Bush is taking credit for a good housing market and low interest rates. Complete bush-shit.

The only play they have in their play book is to ruin their opponents character and it isn't working because it is seen and just another lie on their part. The more lies they try to spread about their opponents the more dishonest they look to everyone.

[Terran]

5. I think you're spot on

Kerry did time the vacation to coincide with Clark's book and testimony. What should have been a productive week of Kerry bashing by Bush has turned into a landslide of criticism and public questioning and embarrassingly nasty defensive posturing.

It's pure delight to see the Rove machine breaking down and the wheels falling off!

[Stephanie]

8. I think that's right. Kerry stays above the fray

And lets his surrogates handle this while the Bushites hang themselves. That vacation was a shrewd move.

[BabsSong]

6. Beet---there's another clue you can add to things

Cheney appearing on Limbaugh means they are scared shitless that they are losing part of the "stupid white men" audience. That's why Dems need to back Clarke and emphasize this isn't some crackpot. If we (and Howard Stern) can peel off some of those guys, we win.

[July]

34. Agree, BabsSong

I was just about to post that right now the Bush gang is just trying to hang on to its base. I think that's why they're trying so hard to discredit Clarke; if people can believe Clarke, they can't believe that Bush is strong on terrorism, and Bush has lost the one advantage he is seen to have over Kerry (by morans).

[Beetwasher]

35. Yup, You and Babsong Are Absolutely Correct and It Means

They are in serious trouble if they are still concerned about solidifying this portion of their base...They are wasting resources and energy merely trying to hold on to what should be their rock-solid unshakeable support base.

Howard Stern is a godsend because he neatly carves out a nice chunk from that base w/ his jihad.

[Stephanie]

7. Condi looked absolutely FREAKED out.

Just saw brief clips but she was sweaty and blotchy and twitchy and she was constantly shaking her head NO in that tell-tale way she does when she's LYING. She's attacking Clark on irrelevant points, but she looks like she's going to CRACK in the process. I really think she's about to lose it. Imagine the pressure? She KNOWS what they did. She KNOWS they LIHOP. And now it's about to come out and they are pushing her out front to take the blame and she's going to have a breakdown.

[Beetwasher]

9. "Freaking Out" is the Proper Term

They are in WAY over their heads. All of them, but mostly Karl Rove and Condi. Bush is too much of an idiot to give him credit for even being in above his head. He's just too clueless.

You see, Rove's an idiot. He's always been an idiot and has no idea how to handle a situation like this except to vicioulsy attack, which is the worst thing you can do.

The problem is, there is no one alive who can handle the situation they've gotten themselves into. There's no PR, no spinning, no coming back. There's only more lies built on top of lies. It's why Condi is so fucked. It's something that should never have been gotten into to begin with.

Here's more on my thoughts on Rove, who I have always felt was nothing more than a ham fisted goon and a moron.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1084134

[priller]

13. I agree with you, beet

No brilliance at all. He's effective mainly because he's utterly without shame, devoid of morals, and will screw people over and destroy lives without giving it a second thought. But brilliant? No.

[Stephanie]

16. Karl Rove = Not a Genius

Rove is highly overrated. "Ruthless" is not enough and that's all he's got.

[Jackpine Radical]

44. Ruthless and so used to a tilted playing field

that he would fall over if he tried to stand on a level floor.

[belle]

46. I've been saying he gets by on the "I'm a Loud Dog!" principle

tm Dilbert.

Dogbert goes into PHB's office and screams "I'M A LOUD DOG! YOU MUST GIVE ME A JOB BECAUSE I'M LOUD!!"

and the boss, blown backward and stunned by the sheer volume, says, "okay, okay! Just stop shouting!"

and the dog thinks, "Hm...too easy"

and then shouts "THIS OFFICE IS TOO SMALL! GET ME A BIGGER ONE!"

It's not *just* volume, of course; it's sheer overall chutzpah. I think at least part of the reason people have been so slow to respond to their actions, or for that matter to the verbal crap flung out by the likes of Coulter, Savage, et al, was because they simply couldn't believe their eyes/ears. By the time people pick their jaw off the floor and mobilize, they've already been stomped all over. Fortunately, sooner or later, the shock wears off.

[hippiegranny]

15. that was a very good analysis,

beet, sorry i missed it the first time around. i am enjoying this whole thread very much. thanks for starting it.

[sangh0]

31. They are ALL freaking out

The fear is obvious. I saw a clip of Tenet, and he was widely gesticulating with his arms, a sign of anxiety. Think about it - the Director of the CIA, getting anxious? I would think that the US's HEAD SPOOK would be difficult to upset.

[Beetwasher]

32. Where was the clip from?

Was it from the 9/11 hearings?

Tenet is usually pretty unflappable, you're right...

[patricia92243]

10. Where is O'Neil? Was he smeared out of existance?

[Catfight]

33. Bu$h ask Saddam for keys to Spider Hole

President Elect Bu$h has asked Saddam's permission to use his spiderhole to take a much needed break from the Clarke story. Saddam graciously gave Bu$h the keys and an "unrolled" map of the area for some site-seeing. Bu$h plans on growing a beard and reading Clarke's book while he rest.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

43. O'Neil is really a GOPer...

Clarke is a civil service guy without any particular political axe to grind when it comes to partisanship.

[yellowcanine]

11. I disagree on one point - the response is not coordinated

If this is how coordinated the * attack can be we should hope for more of it. They are all over the place. Rice and Cheney contradict each other about whether Clarke was "out of the loop". Rice contradicts herself. And in the middle of it all * makes an ill advised joke about looking for WMDs in the Oval Office. I read one column that compared the * attack to a medieval battle where everyone rushes unto the field slashing at whoever is coming from the other direction. And has anyone noticed that the * allies on Capitol Hill have been very quiet for the most part. They seem to want no part of this pissing contest between Clarke and *. I agree that * is in trouble, probably the most trouble he has been in since the Jeffords defection and this is worse.

[BurtWorm]

14. Frist just lobbed a bomb, apparently

But he was probably thinking more about stealing Tom Daschle's thunder than Richard Clarke's.

[Beetwasher]

18. They Are Coordinated, Not Well, But Still Coordinated

It's just that they are freaking out so much and there are so many lies they can't get a handle on it. But the barrage of people being thrown out there to counter Clarke is definitely coordinated. The release of the Fox transcript, the talking points they're all hitting on etc. It's obviously coordinated, however horribly it's been done. But you're right, we should hope for more of this type of coordination! ;-)

[belle]

47. They're not coordinated at all! They don't talk to each other!

They *are* usually good at falling line once the Alpha Dog shows them the way...but now no one knows *what* to do; hence, confusion.

[sangh0]

12. Another point

Bush*'s attempt to redefine Kerry led him to book millions of dollars worth of attack ads in key swing states. Now, those commercials are running in between segments of shows that are reporting on how Bush* failed us before and after 9/11. Just picture a Bush* ad claiming how a Kerry Presidency would make Americans unsafe, and then being returned to some show where the host is saying "And in Washington we have a report that Bush* ignored Al Queda in the months leading up to 9/11"

[hippiegranny]

17. heh heh

that is a lovely visual, i must say... heh heh...

[Beetwasher]

21. Right, That's Part of the Derailing of the Kerry Smear Campaign

aspect of the whole Clarke affair...

The whole thing serves to really solidify Bush's credibility problems, so now Bush's attacks against Kerry are being seen through the lens that BUSH HAS NO CREDIBILITY. His attacks on Kerry are neutered because of this.

[underpants]

19. The fact that there is even a "dink" in his armor is telling

Feet of claw and a glass jaw. This is the first real attack , if you will, aimed at the presumption that not only is W really strong on security but that it was untouchable... a fourth rail of politics.

Suddenly the only thing he has left is not as strong as it was. The press again is covering for him as much as possible but it really isn't sticking anymore. Some of that has to do with that people naturally are going to respond in the negative and now they feel like it is okay to do that.

Even quesitoning him on anything was out of the question a year ago for many people now it is not. The fact that it has gotten back to his trump card of trump cards 9/11 is really bad news for him. The days of him receiving praise for failure seem to be over.

[BurtWorm]

20. It's possible that they will try to use the coordination of Democratic

attacks as evidence that the Dems are "in power" and the Repubs are the little guys fighting back against the elite. This has been the GOP stance for 30 years, despite the fact that the corporate elite and media elite are all Republican and now the federal government is virtually all Republican as well. But they're used to fighting from that stance. If Bush's standing keeps going down, it's possible that that may be where they need to be to fight from their strength.

I just think Dems need to be cautious about how well things seem to be going. They snake is not dead yet.

[Beetwasher]

22. I Don't See This Happening At All

The snake is not dead, but I see no evidence of that type of spin emerging at all.

The great thing about what's happening is Kerry is not even involved. He's hardly touching the Clark thing. Bushco. is digging their own graves. Dems have nothing to be cautious about.

[BurtWorm]

23. I agree that they should just keep pouring it on.

I also agree that this type of defense probably won't work if the Dem attack rips the Bushists to shreds. But this is the kind of position they actually like to be in. It's not the one they were expecting to be in. They thought they were going to be "the grown ups," the "commander and his crew." Clarke's testimony has fucked that strategy completely up. So what is left for them? I think it may be to go back to the strategy that won them Congress in 1994, the Limbaugh offense. (I repeat, I doubt even that will work.)

[Beetwasher]

25. Maybe

I guess when they're behind in the polls they can start claiming they're the underdogs. I haven't seen any evidence of this tactic, yet, but it's certainly possible. And like you, I too doubt it would work, but I guess they've got to do something, though if Rove's calling the shots, I suspect that their tactics will be more of the same; ruthless, vicious thuggery and smear, smear, smear, terror, terror, terror, fear, fear, fear. The "underdog" approach is too subtle for Rove and I think just too far-fetched. No one would buy it, IMO. But who knows? :shrug: I expect they'd start hurling kitchen sinks if they thought it would work! ;-)

[BurtWorm]

27. I guess it really does come down to the fact that they've got nothing

to sell. There's nothing of any substance to them. They've objectively fucked up everything they've touched. They are utterly and totally and completely vulnerable to the core. But are they really as stupid and clueless as they seem to be? Where is the horrible Rove we've all been shaking about since 2000?

If they're really and truly this bad, Kerry will win in a landslide and people all over the world will be celebrating January 20, 2005, and every January 20 thereafter, as "Out With the Bushes Day!"

[Beetwasher]

28. See My Post #9 for My Thoughts on Rove's "Genius"

Personally, I never thought he was genius.

[BurtWorm]

29. Well said!

:toast:

The only reason Rove has his reputation is that his patrons bought it for him. ;)

[TankLV]

40. There's nothing "virtual" about it.

The repukes control the ENTIRE federal government.

[The Night Owl]

24. Great analysis.

This election is fast becoming a Shakespearean drama.

[Beetwasher]

36. Kick (Now W/ Threats of Perjury Charges!)

n/t

[DinahMoeHum]

26. Tee hee, and there are more shit-bombs lined up to drop on *

as the year goes on. More books exposing this douchebag "pResident".

And let's not forget Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 911" coming around this fall, hopefully just in time for the final swing before elections.

Bushie-boy is gonna regret the day his momma gave birth to him.


:kick::kick::kick:

[Beetwasher]

30. I Know! The Hits Will Just Keep Coming!

n/t

[KittyWampus]

37. I Want To Know Why They Weren't Better Prepared

They knew the book was coming out.

Why didn't they have their ducks in a row?

[Beetwasher]

38. Good Question

Denial? They are such utter narcissists and sociopaths that they could probably be in complete denial. They possibly really believed they can/could/will just spin/lie and ride it out of existence. Or, more ominously, it doesn't matter really because the fix is in for "re-election" vis a vis BBV or domestic terror (or both) and they believe once they're "re-elected" it will just be a mere embarrassing blip in the greater scheme of things and their crimes...:shrug: My best guesses.

[belle]

48. I think Bush is really just that arrogant. dunno about the rest.

But I think, cautiously, that if they really knew they had a "sure thing," they wouldn't be acting like chickens with their heads off like this.

[ConsAreLiars]

41. Timing got bollixed up

I'd like to know the actual dates, but they they (the cabal) received the book to review for secrecy violations "last fall."

They held the book for "months" and released it when it would likely be published after the Dem primary outcome was known. Thus they were positioned to attack the messenger as a Dem partisan/opportunist, which was how they shaped their first talking points.

Unfortunately for the PNAC-fundie-fascist alliance, at some point the 911 commission decided to question Clarke on TV, and doubly bad for them the publishers then rushed the publication schedule to get in on the action, incidentally making Clarke's full (non-secret) documentation available as a supplement to his TV appearances or whatever snippets they might have chosen to highlight.

They had their ducks in a row, they just turned out to be sitting ducks when the facts came out in such an overwhelming barrage.

Now they are reduced to saying "it's all lies," and THAT is definitely not a terrain particularly favorable to their cause.

[Beetwasher]

50. Perhaps

Though I tend more to believe that they were so arrogant they thought they could just dismiss it and blow through it w/ spin...

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

42. Doood...I LOVE it ! Great take on this..

...yeah, Kerry just lays low for a bit now...

[jeanmarc]

45. Agree 100 percent and was about to make a similar post

Kerry's braintrust is doing an exceptional job. It's a long road to November. And Kerry is doing very well.

I hope Kerry can see his opportunity in Ohio and campaing there vigorously. I almost hope Bush campaigns hard in California with Ahnold. I think the state is the democratic gold standard, but let them face a Waterloo in California.