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CapitolLink: What Was John Kerry Thinking?

Much has happened in the nearly 450 days since Democrat John Kerry lost his electoral battle against President Bush.

Iraq held elections as insurgents continued killing civilians and U.S. soldiers; terrorists attacked London; one of the worst hurricanes in history slammed into the United States; Bush picked two nominees for the Supreme Court; the Bush administration grudgingly acknowledged a domestic spying program; and the makings of a major congressional scandal emerged.

Through it all, Kerry, a man who wanted to be president and who still holds a seat in the Senate, stayed well clear of the blogosphere. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., started a blog, and several other lawmakers from both parties tested the blogging waters. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., engaged bloggers over campaign finance and did a guest stint at TPMCafe while leading a revolt against the USA PATRIOT Act. But nothing moved Kerry to speak his mind online.

Nothing, that is, until a television talk-show host compared a film director with a terrorist on the run. When MSNBC's Chris Matthews played hardball with Michael Moore by comparing Moore with Osama bin Laden, only then did Kerry feel compelled to join the conversation at Daily Kos.

"There's something that doesn't sit right with me when, on the day Osama bin Laden resurfaced in a disturbing audio tape, cable television ends up in a game of name-calling as a war protester is compared to Osama bin Laden," Kerry began in a post that segued into a disjointed Bush- and media-bashing session.

"Here's a subject suited for true hard ball, on [Matthews'] "Hardball": four years of failure [by the Bush administration] -- enough is enough. Why hasn't Osama bin Laden been captured or killed, and how will he be destroyed before he next appears on tape to spread his disgusting message? That discussion -- rather than criticizing American citizens who exercise their right to free speech and express dissenting opinions -- is the discussion that America needs."

The Daily Kos community celebrated Kerry's presence in their world. The entry generated nearly 1,200 comments, and a follow-up "thank you" post from Kerry had generated nearly 700 more by this evening. "A man who received more votes than any other man in the history of the U.S. (if you actually counted votes accurately in 2004) just posted a diary on our little progressive group blog," one reader commented. "A-Mazing!"

But other bloggers didn't share that view. The conservatives at RedState gleefully linked to and ridiculed the post. "DKos officially jumps the shark," one RedStater chortled. "DKos: bringing together the world's biggest losers," another snickered.

"John Kerry goes to the Daily Kos to defend Michael Moore and claim we let Osama escape," John Cole added at Balloon Juice. "Apparently this was done to give [White House adviser] Karl Rove an easy way to tar and feather Democrats with Moore again this election. Brilliant!"

Kerry's post left more than a few people skeptical that he was indeed the author. So many questioned the authenticity of Kerry's diary, in fact, that Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas Zuniga had to confirm it -- and even then readers remained suspicious.

The logic of Kerry's post left me doubtful as well. Matthews' comparison of Moore to bin Laden was bizarre in its own right, but for Kerry to try to draw a line from the Matthews/Moore/bin Laden flap to Bush and the media was all the more ludicrous. Kerry's first foray into the blogosphere certainly will be memorable -- but probably not in a flattering way.

Posted by | 07:49 PM

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Comments

Why is Matthew's comparison bizarre? With the last message before the 2004 election, Moore himself wondered if Osama had seen a copy of F/911, so closely was bin Laden tracking to it.

Jeff | 01.23.06 09:43 PM

The Karl Rove-a-lizer Mind Control Rays strike again! That's what you get for taking off the tinfoil hat, oh MR. vaguely French-loking Senator, who by the way served it Vietnam - muahahahahaha!!!!

Some days, you look at the US Democratic Party, and it's hard to conclude that there's any other explanation....

Joe Katzman | 01.23.06 09:54 PM

Jeff is right: On the eve of election '04, the depraved and repugnant Michael Moore posted a public letter, and in the section addressed to Bush, taunted our President that Osama was ridiculing him (Bush) with Moore's own propaganda points. Said Moore to Bush:

There he was, OBL, all tan and rested and on videotape (hey, did you get the feeling that he had a bootleg of my movie? Are there DVD players in those caves in Afghanistan?)

Repulsive, yet Kerry, Kos and a boatload of left-wing activists are out to defend the honor and dignity of Michael Moore, purporting it was some huge travesty for Matthews to note that Osama sounds like Moore, when Moore himself has delighted in the fact. What politically inept fools.

Mona | 01.23.06 10:08 PM

So the same idiots who scream Bush=Hitler get their knickers in a knot when a guy who lists somewhat to port himself comments that Moore sounds like OBL.

There's another hypocrisy meter blown all to hell.

Achillea | 01.23.06 11:27 PM

"That discussion -- rather than criticizing American citizens who exercise their right to free speech and express dissenting opinions -- is the discussion that America needs."

This in the context of--drumroll please--criticizing an American citizen who exercised his right to free speech. Kerry is just hopeless.

Nathan | 01.24.06 01:00 AM

Hmmmm.

It would be nice to really have a dialogue between the left and right but it's clear that there's almost nothing in common. Further radicalization is probable.

ed | 01.24.06 01:04 AM

A couple of memorable photos:

Fatso with WorstPresidentEver at the Dem Convention.
http://www.viaccess.net/local/messages/56/5381.jpg

LongFace looks around a cowboy hat at Bush giving his Inauguration Speech
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/photos/bush_cp_7000693.jpg

Ignatius O'Reilly | 01.24.06 01:41 AM

I like how he criticizes criticism of criticism in the context of having not yet killed a man before he could spread more criticism.

aaron | 01.24.06 07:27 AM

Matthews comparison was edgy, daring and politically incorrect, but hardly bizarre. Moore has said that the Iraq was is being fought to enrich greedy weapons merchants. Bin Laden said something very similar. Matthews had the timerity to point that out. Why is this hard to understand? And a number of pundits have noted that, right before the election, the last time Bin Laden released a statement, Moore was TRUMPETING the fact that Bin Laden sounded like he'd seen F-911. Kerry's phony dudgeon is just that.

Bill | 01.24.06 08:08 AM

Moore isn't like Bin Laden. He doesn't want to kill us all, he just wants to hand us over to the killers.

Just like all the socialists and do-gooders throughout history have always done: turn a blind eye to evil.

Pluto's dad | 01.24.06 08:44 AM

I've finally figured out how Bush has retained power, special mind powers with the ability to make his opponent insane post-election, and thus remove that person from the electoral pool for the forseeable future.

Think about it, not a single Bush oppoenent in the past 16 years has any relevance on the political stage.

Gabriel Chapman | 01.24.06 10:33 AM

"Think about it, not a single Bush opponent in the past 16 years has any relevance on the political stage."

Well, yes. True also of Clinton/Gore's opponents (Dole/Kemp, Perot/Stockdale/Choate, Qualye), Reagan's opponents (Mondale/Ferraro), etc. One has to go back to Nixon (after his defeat in 1960) or Stevenson (after 1952) or Dewey (after 1944) for examples of continuing influence and relevance on the political scene of failed candidates for federal office.

People who become presidents, even if they are later defeated (GWH Bush, Carter) have something no one can take away, so their influence is magnified by their ability to get press coverage and the natural stature that comes with the office.

This is not some mystical alchemy of the current administration. Thus was it ever. When parties select leaders that actually embody their message (Bryan repeatedly, Reagan after missing the nomination by a whisker in 76) they have legs. When they opt for calculation (e.g. Kerry's "electability") those candidates lose the only thing they had going for them the instant the contest is over.

wgsalter | 01.24.06 11:44 AM

Nobody of Kerry's stature "writes his own post." That thing was vetted, and re-vetted, by his staff over and over again.

It was written by his PR staff with his input, but let's be realistic here--he didn't write it.

Meryl Yourish | 01.24.06 11:47 AM

It is also something like 450 days since JF Kerry lied about releasing his military records.
Defending Michael Moore from the obvious, clear similarities in their perspective and word choice is what is bizarre.
Kerry's choice in choosing to defend a man who supports the terrorists killing Americans and innocent Iraqis reveals why he will never be President.

hunter | 01.24.06 06:25 PM

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