The Power Of A Soundbite

Howie Kurtz of the WaPo demonstrates the power of a soundbite:

Fact Check-o-Rama David E. Rosenbaum provides highlights of the New York Times campaign fact-checking. Allow me to summarize some of his summaries:

• Bush says Kerry continually shifted positions on Iraq: Not true....

We hooted at this the first time we saw it, and are still in awe of the chutzpah required by the Times to print that. Whatever editor passed on this must have a Kerry-style cache of botox to keep a straight face. Let's roll the tape (again):

A review of Mr. Kerry's public statements [on Iraq] found that his position had actually been quite consistent. But as the politics changed, Mr. Kerry repeatedly changed his emphasis. News accounts reflected what he was emphasizing at the time. And Mr. Kerry was often unclear in expressing his views.

...In May 2003, two months after the United States invaded Iraq and routed Mr. Hussein's army, Mr. Kerry was the presumed front-runner for the Democratic nomination. Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, from the antiwar wing of the party, was not yet regarded as a serious threat. In a nine-candidate debate in Columbia, S.C., that month, Mr. Kerry declared: "I would have preferred if we had given diplomacy a greater opportunity, but I think it was the right decision to disarm Saddam Hussein. And when the president made the decision, I supported him, and I support the fact that we did disarm him."

By October 2003, Dr. Dean had begun to emerge as a strong candidate and it had become clear that no unconventional weapons would be found in Iraq. Mr. Kerry asserted that month on the ABC News program "This Week With George Stephanopoulos": "The president and his advisers did not do almost anything correctly in the walk-up to the war. They rushed to war. They were intent on going to war. They did not give legitimacy to the inspections. We could have still been doing inspections even today."

Unwavering. On this rock, John, I will build my foreign policy.

But Mr. Kurtz repeats the sound-bite, so that will be enough for cocktail party chit-chat.

Back in April, the Times ran a piece provocatively titled "Kerry's Shifts: Nuanced Ideas or Flip-Flops?". Their conclusion then was a bit different. And folks may remember this article as the inspiration for the "Kerry Motto Lotto".

And while we are on the subject, let's dredge up one of our favorite Kerryisms, as he rationalizes his war vote to the San Fran Chronicle. This is March 2004, so look for Kerry-the-Dove:

"What we thought we were doing was getting him (Bush) to a place where it would be harder to go to war."

Just so. That subtle signal may have been overlooked by the White House, however.

MORE: More "Kerry Motto Lotto" foolishness here - look for the emergence of "I voted for the $87 billion...".

And let it be noted - Andrew Sullivan's long expected endorsement of John Kerry hinges on the notion that Kerry's elevation may force the Democratic Party to sober up and fly right. And so it may. Or, it may not.

But this "strategy" calls to mind what should have been the winning entry, if Mr. Scheiber would ever acknowledge it - from Patrick Sullivan himself, who magically encapsulated the Kerry appeal with "Let's Fly Under The Bridge!"

UPDATE: Searching For Kerry's Soul - the NY Times gives us "2 Kerry Votes on War and Peace Underline a Political Evolution".

Hard to pick a favorite, but this is new:

He is personally close to just a handful of senators, including John McCain, the Arizona Republican whom he sounded out about joining the Democratic ticket this year. He is politically close to others like Mr. Biden, with whom he discusses foreign policy and campaign strategy. But his best friends are mostly outside politics, roommates from college, colleagues from his earliest days as an antiwar protester and Congressional candidate.

Has he changed much?

The excerpts from his speech opposing Desert Storm are dramatically anti-war as well. Interesting that he picked a book written to oppose World War Two to make his point. No good wars, I suppose.

Comments

[Fausta]

the notion that Kerry's elevation may force the Democratic Party to sober up and fly right reminds me of people I've known who stay with a really bad partner because they "know" that the partner "loves" them and therefore will change.
Doesn't work.

[New Once]

I emphasised my support for the war against Saddam, before I de-emphasised it.

[Ricky]

I'm link-whoring, so......

Anyway, here's a (very amateurish) video of Kerry's own flip-flops (including the war):

http://www.rjwest.com/blog/index.php?p=1631

Trust me, there was plenty of material left over.

[Reid]

"What we thought we were doing was getting him (Bush) to a place where it would be harder to go to war."

Hey, that's consistent. It's the same way he thinks giving the terror masters what they want will make them less likely to attack us.

It's consistent, all right. Consistently bonkers.

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

'But this "strategy" calls to mind what should have been the winning entry, if Mr. Scheiber would ever acknowledge it...'

I'm not sure how flattered I am, as this comes from a guy who also thought the Yankees would still be playing. But thanks.