February 24, 2004

THE 'F' STANDS FOR 'FLIP'

If consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds, John F. Kerry’s mind must be freaking enormous:

In the stump speech he delivers virtually every day, Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) stirs the Democratic faithful by railing against current trade practices and slamming President Bush's policies on education, civil liberties and Iraq.

But the Democratic front-runner does not mention how he, as senator, supported the president on all four issues ...

No wonder Kerry prefers to focus on ‘Nam. Check his semi-apology to offended National Guardsmen:

Stephen Eckhardt was in the National Guard in 1968 when he was sent to Vietnam to run supplies into sniper-filled combat zones. Now he believes that service is being unfairly maligned.

Enough Guard veterans share Eckhardt's views that Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, quietly sent a message earlier this month to the National Guard Association of the United States, recognizing the service of guardsmen. "There are many members of the National Guard who served as I did in Vietnam, and I honor their service," Kerry said in a statement sent to the association after the group told campaign aides of its members' anger. "Many of them died and their names are on the Vietnam memorial alongside some of those in my Swift Boat."

Presumably Guardsmen who didn’t serve in Vietnam are spared Kerry’s honour. Of course, this is another issue on which Kerry has reversed his views; twelve years ago he didn’t want to divide America over who served and how. The ad campaign against this guy will practically write itself.

UPDATE. George W. Bush speaks at a Republican Governors Association fund-raiser:

"The other party's nomination battle is still playing out. The candidates are an interesting group, with diverse opinions. For tax cuts, and against them. For NAFTA, and against NAFTA. For the Patriot Act, and against the Patriot Act. In favor of liberating Iraq, and opposed to it.

"And that's just one senator from Massachusetts."

Posted by Tim Blair at February 24, 2004 11:04 PM
Comments

I think the correct quote is, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Posted by: Ted at February 24, 2004 at 11:30 PM

look at that towering forehead, tim; ringling bros. could perform inside that thing...

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at February 24, 2004 at 11:55 PM

``The candidates are an interesting group, with diverse opinions - for tax cuts and against them, for NAFTA and against NAFTA, for the Patriot Act and against the Patriot Act, in favor of liberating Iraq and opposed to it,'' Bush said.

``And that's just one senator from Massachusetts.''

Full story

Posted by: Dash at February 24, 2004 at 11:55 PM

Of course there is also Emerson's lesser known quote, "A foolish IN-consistency is the hobgoblin of great minds, adored by intellectuals, professors and those with to much time."

Posted by: Shannon Love at February 25, 2004 at 12:06 AM

John Kerry: the only Naval officer unaware of the rules of war. Or so he says...

"I personally didn't see personal atrocities in the sense I saw somebody cut a head off or something like that," Kerry said. "However, I did take part in free-fire zones, I did take part in harassment and interdiction fire, I did take part in search-and-destroy missions in which the houses of noncombatants were burned to the ground. And all of these acts, I find out later on, are contrary to the Hague and Geneva conventions and to the laws of warfare. So in that sense, anybody who took part in those, if you carry out the application of the Nuremberg Principles, is in fact guilty. But we are not trying to find war criminals. That is not our purpose. It never has been."

via Jon Henke

Posted by: Tongue Boy at February 25, 2004 at 12:19 AM

I think I finally understand why Kerry underwent the botox treatments. It's so he could say all the things he does with a straight face.

Posted by: DanG at February 25, 2004 at 12:46 AM

When a guy can't make it through a ten-day period without trying to jump on both sides of an issue, you know that dogmatic adherence to a single position isn't one of his shortcomings.

Posted by: Randal Robinson at February 25, 2004 at 01:34 AM

Bill Clinton immortalized the term "triangulation", the fine art of placing his own position on a particular policy issue before Congress somewhere between the positions of the party leaders of both houses. His intention was to place himself above the fray of petty partisan politics, thus advancing his political ambitions, while retaining some wiggle room to move towards the most advantageous position as the policy debate played out.

John Kerry appears to have attempted this strategy throughout his political career. While not an unusual strategy, the contrast between Clinton's brilliant implementation and Kerry's crude mangling is quite startling. Perhaps "triangulation" is not the proper term to describe Kerry's strategy; the term "biangulation" seems more appropriate:

Main Entry: bi·an·gu·la·tion
Pronunciation: (")bI-"a[ng]-gy&-'lA-sh&n
Function: noun

: the formulation and ennunciation of the policy positions necessary to pander to and receive votes from (n+1) audiences, where n=∞.

"Biangulation" also has a patina of sophistication that the term "flip-flop" does not. Impress your friends! Wow your poly sci professor! Get laid by horny policy wonks!

Biangulation! Just say it -- TODAY!

Posted by: Tongue Boy at February 25, 2004 at 02:43 AM

The Democratic convention is months away. Kerry is going to crash and burn long before that.

Posted by: Fred Boness at February 25, 2004 at 02:55 AM

"Many of them died and their names are on the Vietnam memorial alongside some of those in my Swift Boat." HUH? Just when did any of members LT (j.g.) Kerry's crew die in Vietnam? This is sure NEWS to me. Me thinks this is another lie from horseface

Posted by: Roger at February 25, 2004 at 03:20 AM

The ad campaign against this guy will practically write itself.

Which is, no doubt, the reason that the only thing he wants to talk about in any substance is Vietnam.

Posted by: ExRat at February 25, 2004 at 03:37 AM


Vietnam-Shmietnam.

Posted by: Dave S. at February 25, 2004 at 03:44 AM

Is it just me, or was Kerry supposed to be on duty when he flew Walinsky around New York? Release the records, John!

After all, he was supposedly still on the staff of the admiral he asked for an early out. How much time did he spend flying a political candidate (which apparently not many realized he was doing) and was any of it when he was supposed to be on duty?

Also. His green fatigues? Pardon me. I had greenies in the USAF, and the Army had them, but I don't recall the Navy wearing them.

Posted by: JorgXMcKie at February 25, 2004 at 05:37 AM

Is JFKerry saying the only good National Guardsman is a Dead National Guardsman?

Or maybe that makes them 'good enough' to be mentioned... or share a monument... with JFKerry's crew.

Posted by: DANEgerus at February 25, 2004 at 06:02 AM

as enormous as his ego.

Posted by: Fredrik Nyman at February 25, 2004 at 08:02 AM

Does Kerry wear a syrup?(Look it up)

Posted by: More in sorrow than in anger at February 25, 2004 at 09:44 AM

In mewling response to the forcefulness of the Commander-in-Chief's frontal assault, FrankenKerry [TM Moxie] droned ineffectually that GW's entry into campaign mode showed the President is "nervous" . . . WHO's nervous?

The year of the sharp elbow and the quick tongue

Posted by: Sissy Willis at February 25, 2004 at 12:56 PM

The F stands for 'Flip?' I thought it was 'Flop."


Or was that what it stood for yesterday?

Posted by: Random Numbers at February 25, 2004 at 05:07 PM

RE: US National Guard in the 60's ..

There have been a lot of jokes regarding Pres. Bush saving the US from the 'Mexican Invasion' during the 60's .. and many are very funny!!

However, just wanted to bring up a minor point regarding civil unrest in the US during that time period. Lots of stuff was going on in our country and the National Guard (for good and for bad) was called on to defend citizens and enforce laws in the streets of the USA.

Lest anyone think I'm recalling ONLY how the Guard was used against student protesters (of which I was one in the very late 60's), think about Civil Rights. There were places, especially in the South, where the National Guard was needed to enforce our laws and allow for integration.

Now, I'm certain we would not have needed a jet fighter to help integrate the schools, etc.. but we did need the Guard here and they were used quite a lot during that time period. Granted those who were on the battlefields of Vietnam placed their lives in greater danger. But, we did need people willing to stay and serve in our Guard. Many probably will not admit to serving here while others went to Vietnam. That's too bad because they *were* needed here.

Posted by: Chris Josephson at February 25, 2004 at 06:13 PM