So I'm just checking all the main liberal blogs, and I come across this smackdown post on Huff Post, characterizing Republicans who attack veterans as "chickenshit", and I gotta say, I liked the sound of that rip roaring mad Democrat! But those words weren't coming from any of the regular pundits featured on Arianna's pages. Instead, I saw that it was none other than our supposedly sherry sippin'*, aristocratic*, wind surfin'*, elitist* former presidential nominee who came out with this! I gotta say it just tickled me pink to hear him say it.
* all of these words are the trademark of the Republican National Committee and must be properly ascribed to them when used.
John Kerry is touting this great group
The Patriot Project, who is researching the front groups that attack veterans (mostly Democrats) running for Congress. He sent an e-mail out yesterday, and then put this post up at
The Huffington Post. It starts off innocently enough:
Anyone who comes to Huffington Post has seen that the bloggers here have been the first to stand up and defend veterans from Admiral Sestak to Tammy Duckworth when they've been slandered. It should be a source of pride and testimony to how the blogosphere can get the truth out and deny lies a sliver of daylight.
That's nice of him to say about the liberal blogosphere, but fairly standard stuff. He goes on to talk about The Patriot Project and the kind of work they've been doing to defend veterans "whose patriotism is questioned simply because they exercise their rights as Americans." And then the fireworks start:
That's pretty damn fundamental in itself to who we are. But there's a human face behind it. The fight is intensely personal to me. Veterans are running for office all over our country. A lot of them got interested in politics as part of my campaign, and some got involved in Wes Clark's race. Some of us had disagreements for thirty five years -- like me and Jim Webb, we didn't see eye to eye over the war we fought in. But no matter where we came from, something much bigger now brings us together -- we're all a band of brothers now. When I got off the phone with Patrick Murphy after the chickenshit attacks on his military record, something felt awfully familiar and it got me pissed off. I care about these men and women. They've got guts and they've got brains and they've got heart and I'm telling you they will change the character of this pathetic Congress, and I'm boiling mad watching people who didn't serve attack those who did because they can't win a debate on the merits.
Perhaps, Senator, you could say that with a little more feeling, being that you're all aloof* and all.
* MSM owns that word.
He brings it home for why The Patriot Project is so important for this election:
It's up to all of us to say enough is enough. Stop the swift-boating. Stop the push-polling. Stop the front groups that are created with single $5,000,000 donations from Texas tycoons.
I just loved it! Of course, I know that many of you are going to say, why didn't he do that in 2004? Why didn't he fight the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth the way he's fighting for the likes of Patrick Murphy, John Murtha, and Jim Webb? I would come up with a list of responses to those questions, but it looks like the good Senator anticipated your questions, and has pre-emptively answered them:
Nitpick the campaign I ran all you want, question the tactics, I can take it -- but above all the small criticisms, I know that I lost to two lies backed up by big money: a lie about Iraq and a lie about my military record. Pundits can feast on the little details, I'm busy this year making sure that no veteran loses to a lie in 2006.
So, guys, I think in a nutshell the mantra is: let's concentrate on 2006 right now, because we really need to win this one. And, yes, have a chuckle listening to Senator Kerry cussing like a sailor -- oh yeah, he is a sailor so I think we can forgive him for this small transgression.