Actually it's not that stupid. It's pretty serious as far as the implications are concerned. But it's pretty stupid cause i know a lot of folks don't like what i have to say on this topic. and yet it remains, still to this day, the ghost of ghosts in the closet of closets. our monster under the bed. suffice to say, the topic has been diaried three other times today, so one more can't hurt, can it??
Last week, (not this week), on "this week" Newt Gingrich was responding to Fareed Zakaria and Fareed, agree with him or not, a very intelligent guy, who seems to carry no water for either party (although he supported regime change, as far as i know) said something that i see echoed in a lot of comments.... that democrats cast their vote for IWR out of some sort of political calculation.
Needless to say Newt jumped on that and while i don't really give a flying poop what he thinks in general, he said this:
"You just gave a stunning description which i won't want to associate myself with but .. of john kerry acting in ways so totally inappropriate for anybody in public office .. in your presumption that on three issues of life and death he voted explicitly against what he believed to be true for political reasons which would be as sick as you can get in this city." (transcribed by me from the podcast, stupid ABC, you have to pay for those transcripts).
which seems, after mulling it over for a week, a fair assessment of the issue. it strikes me as a totally NON-partisan statement. if i didn't know it was newt who said it, i could imagine the statement coming from anyone .... from any point in the political spectrum ...
So. The poll below accepts that frame. But instead of making the poll about Kerry, i'll make it more topical and make it about the guy who admitted a mistake this week: Edwards. Personally, i think this frame on the question urges one to consider some implications.
In the ashbin of history, a republican who supported the war will make the claim, true or not, they honestly thought they were doing something that would make america safer.
The other implication is this... If one decides Edwards was more worried about getting elected when he voted on IWR, then that means his admission of a mistake, his mea culpa if you will, has a notable omission from it.
not to mince words: is his statement in wapo today
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
100% honest?? and if it's not 100% honest, isn't it mostly, just more of the same: the politically expedient thing to do??