Gallup -People think Bush is behind attacks on Kerry

[59millionmorons]

I missed the numbers but it was like 52-42.
And by 56-42 think Bush should denounce them.

[JuniorPlankton]

1. Good!

BTW, it's another argument in Gallup's defense :)

[girl gone mad]

2. you mean..

65 to 32??

[faithnotgreed]

4. ya! i was wondering the same thing

[snyder]

5. 65% to 42% Is Correct ...

... because the poll was taken in Florida :D

[faithnotgreed]

7. good one! and it probably was....

[blm]

3. Most people think Bush is behind the ads, 56% say he should denounce them.

Those are GOOD numbers for our side.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

6. Absolutely. We have won this fight.

I posted this also in a dupe thread.

[depakid]

13. Yes; but with another such victory, we are undone

Phyrrhus after the Battle of Ausculum, 279 BC.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

15. "Pyrrhic" victory

It Pyrrhus.

No. This will go right to the heart of Bush's character.
More evidence will come out on the depths of the ties.

[Eurobabe]

8. link? thanks

[Chili]

9. this is fantastic!

*relaxing juuust a little!*

[iwantmycountryback]

10. Great news

Shows the Kerry camp has done a good job of driving home the fact that Bush is behind this. The great thing is the backlash for this will also happen during the convention. I'd be shocked if Shrub gets more than a 3-4 point bounce.

[goodhue]

11. of course

Kerry is sitting pretty.

[skip fox]

12. Here's the evidence so far (from SBVT-Gate: The File) in

Du's Editorials (send me link of more stories to help build the file):

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x70032



SBVT collusion with The Republican Party and/or Bush White House:


A schematic showing basic associations (and some contradictions):

http://nytimes.com/imagepages/2004/08/19/politics/campaign/20040820_SWIFT_GRAPH.html

and

<snip>

How the group came into existence is a story of how veterans with longstanding
anger about Mr. Kerry's antiwar statements in the early 1970's allied themselves
with Texas Republicans.

<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/20/politics/campaign/20swift.html


and:

<snip>

"A series of interviews and a review of documents show a web of connections
to the Bush family, high-profile Texas political figures and President Bush's
chief political aide, Karl Rove," the Times reported."Several of those now
declaring Mr. Kerry 'unfit' had lavished praise on him, some as recently
as last year.

<snip>

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5771731/


and:

<snip>

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Public records reveal that two of the
people in the new "Swift Boat Veterans for Bush" television ad are Republican activists
. . . . This is just more proof that Bush's Republican allies are the ones behind this
disgraceful smear of John Kerry (news -web sites)'s military record. It's pretty clear what's
going on here. It's no wonder the Bush campaign refuses to condemn this smear.


<snip>

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=669&ncid=669&e=2&u=/usnw/20040820/pl_usnw/more_republican_ties_revealed_behind__swift_boat_vets_for_bush___says_kerry_campaign141_xml


and:

<snip>

Mr. Bush's campaign confirmed on Saturday . . . that one of the veteran in that advertisement
(SBV ad #1) was a member (of) the Bush campaign's veterans' advisory committee.

<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/22/politics/campaign/22swift.html


DU's Mayberry Machiavelli pointed out in a post:

Ken Cordier was on Bush campaign staff right up until his appearance in the
second Swift Boat commercial, proving that Bush campaign denials of connection
with the smear campaign are disingenuous (long word for "lies"):

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/21/edwards.swift...



And Benjamin Ginsberg, the national counsel for Bush's re-election campaign
had to resign due to connections with SBVT:

<snip>

The Washington Post revealed today that a top attorney to the Bush
campaign, Benjamin Ginsberg, has been advising the Swift Boat
Veterans for Truth.

<snip>


http://www.washingtondispatch.com/spectrum/archives/000511.html

and:

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6067942

and:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5818634




Yet another conflict of interest, as DUs BurtWorm has it: SBVT Treasurer Administers GOP FEC Compliance Firm. Her name is Susan Artceneaux

<snip>

Political Compliance Services Inc. is a consulting company based in Fairfax, VA.
On its website, it describes itself as "an accounting services vendor specializing in
FEC regulations. Our comprehensive approach to your individual accounting needs
will deliver you from the headaches and legal ramifications of FEC non-compliance."

Its website says that it "serves the following political organizations":

Candidate Committees
Separate Segregated Funds
Non-Connected PACs
Party Committees

In May 2004, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth paid $7500 to Political Compliance
Services for what is described on its IRS form 8872 as "Compliance Consulting".
Despite this, in August 2004 three campaign finance watchdog groups filed a
complaint with the Federal Election Commission arguing that the Swift Boat
Veterans for Truth were in breach of restrictions applying to 527 committees

On its website, Political Compliance Services boasts that: "Our consultants and
analysts are career experts in campaign and PAC accounting, finance,
administration and compliance." <11> However, it appears shy of disclosing
who exactly those consultants are. No information is given on the site regarding
who works for the company. Fortunately, its entry in the WHOIS database is more
informative. It lists Susan Arceneaux as the administrative contact for the company.

. . .

Susan Arceneaux is also the treasurer of The Majority Leader's Fund, a PAC
affiliated with the former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas <13>.
Interestingly, the Majority Leader's Fund has been a client of Political Compliance
Services <14>.

Arceneaux is also listed as the contact person for the recently-formed right-wing
PAC FreedomWorks, on its IRS form 8872 for the first quarter of 2004 <15>.

<snip>

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x69684



We may get to know much more very soon since Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics
in Washington (CREW) has filed a Freedom of Information Act request investigating
links between the WH and the SBV for Truth group:

<snip>

(Melanie) Sloan (CREW's exec. director) decided to send the FOIA after reading that,
upon being asked whether she had worked with White House officials, SBVT public
relations coordinator Merrie Spaeth said "The answer is 'no' unless you refresh my
memory." (NYT 8/20/04). Sloan said that she was also skeptical of Bush political
advisor Karl Rove's claim that he has not spoken with his friend and large Republican
donor Bob Perry in over a year. The FOIA was sent, said Sloan, "to gather the
information Ms. Spaeth, Karl Rove and others may need to have their memories
refreshed as to whether or not SBVT illegally coordinated with the White House."

<snip>


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=669&ncid=669&e=1&u=/usnw/20040824/pl_usnw/crew_foias_white_house_contacts_with_swift_boat_veterans_group137_xml


Du's own Skinner (!) is doing a state-by-state search for collusion between local and state
Republican committees and the SBVTs in terms of rallies, links and ads on web-sites and selling
of SBVT materials, incl. Unfit for Command.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=649597&mesg_id=649597


such as . . .

<snip>

"Bush Campaign Caught Promoting "Swift Boat Vets for Truth" While National
Campaign Denies Coordination, Campaign in Florida Promotes Rally

Tallahassee -- On the same day that the Bush-Cheney campaign repeatedly
denied coordinating attacks with the anti-Kerry group "Swift Boat Veterans for
Truth," the Bush-Cheney campaign in Florida was caught promoting a rally
in Gainesville for the group

<snip>

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2004_08_15_atrios_archive.html#109303885084378264


Example of Bush campaign rally in collusion with SBVT:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4439188,00.html


and DU's fine posts and members . . . on the job with cameras!! Wow! Check it out:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x657176

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x646015

http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040821/LOCAL/40821006/1078/news&template=printart



And the Official Minnesota Republican Website links the SBV ad:

<snip>

Webpage "Prepared and Paid for by Republican Party of Minnesota" Found
to Be Linking to the Swift Boat Ads. In Minnesota . . . an official Republican Party
webpage was recently found to be linking to the Swift Boat Ads. The webpage goes
on to . . . question . . . John Kerry's service in Vietnam: SWIFT VETS ARE
GETTING TO KERRY; DID HE LIE ABOUT HIS SERVICE, repeatedly, in an
effort to embellish it? DID HE TAKE CREDIT for engagements fought by other men . . .?
The website also contains a link to purchase the book produced by Swift Boat
Veterans for Truth, "Unfit For Command".

<snip>

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=669&ncid=669&e=1&u=/usnw/20040823/pl_usnw/kerry_edwards__reports_detail_even_closer_ties_to_bush_campaign__no_wonder_bush_won_t_condemn_this_smear_his_campaign_is_behind



Or even the right-wing affiliations (O'Neill with Charles Colson in
the Nixon WH) of those making the charges as these:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x647917

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=647199&mesg_id=647199

http://www.washingtondispatch.com/article_9865.shtml


The similarity between the attack on Kerry and the attacks
on other Bush opponents, including McCain, as well as
those who've opposed Karl Rove's candidates, suggests
on-going and systematic collusion:

<snip>

"It's amazing how similar this type of attack is to the pattern
of attacks I have seen over two decades -- in some cases
involving Bush's campaigns, in other cases they involved
campaigns in which Karl Rove was a participant,'' said
Wayne Slater, senior political writer at the Dallas Morning
News, who has covered Bush since his early days in Texas
politics and is author of the book "Bush's Brain,'' about Rove.

"In every case, the approach is the same: You have a
surrogate group of allies, independent of the Bush campaign,
raising questions not about the opponent's weakness but
directly about the opponent's strength,'' Slater said. "In every
case it works."

<snip>

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/08/24/SWIFT.TMP

[Mr.Green93]

14. the backlash begins

[BillZBubb]

16. Did Gallup say how this affected Bush*s negatives?

They may think Bush* is behind them, but will it affect their vote?