Armchair strategists: Should Kerry turn the memo thing around on KKKarl?

[John_H]

I happen to think the memos are real but there's a better way to deal with them. Since Kerry has been silent on them he has the benefit of having watched the whole thing unfold before him.

He should hold a press conference, just a general one. But you know what Q #1 would be:

Senator: Do you believe the CBS memos are real?

Kerry: You know Candy, 'm not a document expert so I can't tell you. There are many possibilities. They could be real, But I've been thinking something I haven't hear in the press very often. Odd things happen whenever Karl Rove is involved in a campaign. Bugs just are found in his office. Bush campaign staff mail bogus debate prep videos to Al Gore. And now this memo controversy. The thing is whenever these weird things happen they are always "discovered" by republicans, always blamed on Democrats.

Q: Are you accusing Karl Rove of forging the memos?

Kerry: No. Even though he's accusing the democrats, I'm not. I'm just telling you the mysteries that happen whenever Karl Rove is involved in a campaign.

Not a good idea for Kerry to say anything? The campaign staff surrogates might do so.

This never would have happened if the Judo Chess people were in charge--it might now that there are people around who know that the ONLY way to beat the GOP is to turn around their sliminess so it slimes them.

[wurzel]

1. These things can only work with the active collusion of the media.

[John_H]

3. I think they woud jump all over it, and the issue would be laid back at

the Bush Cheney campaign's feet.

[Mr_Spock]

4. No, the media can easily be manipulated - just ask Karl

n/m

[still_one]

2. No, Kerry should stay away from that

He has no idea about the source of the memos

What he must keep doing though, is yell that bush LIED to us about Iraq, and now he has created a terrible mess for the country and the world by his reckless incompentence

bush has enough "REAL" stuff on him, we don't need to use something we have no control over

[randr]

5. He should state that it is up to bush to prove his

involvement in the TANG and to fill in all the blanks and leave it there.
If this is, in fact, a curve ball from Rove, Kerry must move on and jst ignor it.

[beaconess]

8. Agree -

He should say, "I don't have anything to do with the memos, so what I think about them isn't important. What is important is whether George Bush is being truthful with the American people when he says that he completed his service when there is absolutely no evidence that he actually showed up for duty. I did show up for duty, over and over, yet Bush stood by silently while my service, my integrity and my fellow soldiers were mercilessly attacked by his partisans. And he is still standing by silently as his partisans attack anyone and everyone who raises reasonable questions about his service.

"The issue is not what Bush did during the Vietnam War - we all made different and difficult choices during that time. If Bush's choice was to use his family connections to avoid going to Vietnam, I'm sure the American people are willing to let that pass, if only he owned up to it.

"The issue is whether he is being straight with the American people about the choices he made. So far, he has not been and that raises serious concerns about whether he can be trusted about anything else."

[farmbo]

6. Yep...many in the press already suspect this but they need a "hook"...

...to justify running the story.

Other points: 1)categorically deny...and laugh off... suggestions that the Kerry campaign/ DNC leaked the amateurish memos, and;
2) Point out that Rove's RW spin machine was loaded up and ready to roll with the "forgery" talk points even before Rather did the story, suggesting that the Bush campaign knew they were fakes before they released them from the Whitehouse, and;
3) ask "who benefits?" from a forged documents scandal at this point in the campaign...Answer: Rove and Bush.

[unfrigginreal]

7. The Judo Chess crowd is becoming vocal on the board again

"get back to the issues" "playing into Rove's hands"

Rove would love nothing more than for Kerry's campaign to stop attacking Bush's character so the press could get back to their "beer buddy" Bush routine.

As for your plan of attack on the memo's, personally I'd like to see Kerry stay away from it, but do think that surrogates should be pushing the allegations raised by the memos.

[maine_raptor]

9. When there's mud in the air.......

best thing to do is to stay clear.

Let the "others" do the dirty work.

If they are fakes......let CBS worry about it/expose Rove's judo, and the "others" below the candidate do the slinging.

If they are real.......then Kerry ONLY says "Shameful, if only he'd told the truth."

Kerry should ONLY use the documents as an issue in the context of "Bush Lied", and ONLY if and when the documents are truly authenticated or another source conclusively proves the "allegations" against Bush.

There are MORE than enough issues where, in the course of the past four years, Bush has lied. All of which is readily available, proved true, and about Bush's Conduct of Office.

[ArkDem]

10. I just wish he would concentrate on what bush is doing now.

There is more than enough to criticize. We need to nail bush for what he has done in the last 4 years and get off this TANG and Vietnam bullshit.