The only downside is that we're going to have to hear twenty fucking years of whining over this, just like with Willie Horton.

But the upside to that is that they only whine when they lose.

Update: One of those increasingly-popular "Connections" charts shows the secret links between President Bush, Max Cleland, and the KKK. (The connection is made through Senator/Kleagle Robert Byrd, natch.)

Thanks to Nick, again.

Update: MyPetJawa calls this "freaking brilliant analysis." I haven't read it yet -- I'm posting right before I read it -- but if Prof. Rusty Shackleford says it's brilliant, I have to think it's pretty good.

Rusty goes on to question whether all the people claiming to have "seen or heard about" the SwiftVets ad really have. I think he's wrong. I take his point that a lot of those who've "seen or heard about" the ad haven't seen the whole thing, or have just seen parts of it shown on newscasts with the best parts edited out (sanitized for Kerry's protection).

But some ads, some books, some reports, etc., do cut through the clatter and make an impact, even if people aren't very strong on the details. The dirty little secret about elections is that 90% of the public is relatively uninformed; they make gut level judgments on sketchy knowledge. I expect that's the same with the SwiftVets ad, but to be fair, a lot of the people now doubting Kerry were previously inclined to vote for him based on an incomplete and erroneous understanding of his record, his ideology, and his actual Vietnam record.

Correction: Harlan Pepper points out the NRO chart didn't link the SwiftVets to the KKK, as I wrote. I have corrected.

Posted by: Ace at 10:17 AM | Comments (8)
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Former Salon reporter Jake Tapper, now working for ABCNews, shocks me by actually reporting -- not grudgingly, either -- that John Kerry has a lot more "links" to a lot more "shadowy 527's" raising a hell of a lot more "unregulated soft money" than George Bush could even dream of.

The NYPost sums up the confrontation in Crawford, noting an interesting irony. (Hint: How many Purple Hearts did Max Cleland receive for losing three limbs? And why?)

More thoughtful, more rewarding, but also more meandering is this Opinion Journal piece from a blogger I linked once and expect to be linking again. He takes a while to get there, but his thesis is that a grudging post-Vietnam domestic truce was declared between the left and the right, in which both sides conceded points to the other in the interests of political peace.

The writer argues that John Kerry is exploiting one half of this truce to his advantage while refusing to honor the other prong-- and is thereby re-opening Vietnam as an issue, and bringing this all on himself.

And then there's this, a reminiscence of a Vietnam combat surgeon who had a lot of experience with troops begging for Purple Hearts in order to get their ticket home. The article contains the following "new information" -- new to me, at least. It seems that it has never been the case that you automatically get a Purple Heart for a wound, even if inflicted by enemy fire:

In the absence of the medical records that Mr. Kerry apparently declines to make public, the only details we have about his second and third Purple Hearts are that he also based them on wounds too minor to require hospitalization. My reason for refusing to verify insignificant wounds as the basis for a Purple Heart was the regulation covering Purple Heart awards. In Part B, Paragraph 2, of the Army Purple Heart Regulation (600-8-22 of 25 February 1995), we find "the wound for which the award is made must have required treatment by a medical officer."

Dr. Louis Letson was entirely correct in turning down Lt. Kerry's first Purple Heart — even if the wound had been the result of enemy action. Can there be any doubt that the tiny metal sliver could have been removed easily, and safely, by a Navy corpsman? It certainly did not "require" treatment by a medical officer (an MD).

Purple Hearts are not supposed to be awarded for self-inflicted wounds, nor for wounds too minor to require treatment by a physician. So where and how did Lt. Kerry eventually obtain a Purple Heart for his first wound? Nobody seems to know. Only his medical records will tell — and the American public needs that information to evaluate candidate Kerry's qualifications and candor.

All three of Kerry's wounds-- even the one most likely to have been inflicted by hostile enemy action -- were of such a trivial nature that none "required" medical treatment by a doctor. Only one arguably did; even if we grant that one, Kerry was still two legitimate Purple Hearts shy of an early ticket stateside.

I should note that I don't think it's necessarily cowardly or even blameworthy to game the system to your advantage; but it's definitely not heroic. We may say that we can hardly blame Vietnam vets for wanting to get home as soon as the system could possibly allow, but we certainly wouldn't call such men "War Heroes" for doing so.

And yet that's precisely what John Forbes Kerry has done, and is doing. He could have simply gotten three bullshitty Purple Hearts and gone home, confident that he had honorably served, while not heroically. Or he could have braved the bullets and bombs and possibly given life or limb for the country, in which case he would have in fact served heroically.

The problem is once again one of trying to have it both ways. After serving in Vietnam for just four months before engineering an escape hatch of his own contrivance, John Forbes Kerry was not content to simply call himself a veteran, but a courageous hero.

A lot of liberal pundits make the case that criticizing John Forbes Kerry's service in 'Nam demeans other veterans.

They fail to comprehend -- or, more likely, refuse to acknowledge -- that awarding John Forbes Kerry the accolades reserved for heroes demeans true heroes. The guys who risked all and died for it. The fewer band of heroes who risked all and actually lived to tell the tale.

John Forbes Kerry risked as little as possible in Vietnam, and yet he wants to wear the wreath and laurel of a modern day Achilles. Every day the media calls him a "war hero," either dishonestly or negligently failing to report that probably two thirds of all Vietnam Vets did as much or more in Nam as John Kerry, but very few of them have medals or were ever called "war hero" -- or got an early ticket home on the basis of two scratches and a sliver in the keister.

An Unrelated Aperitif: I always loved Isaac Asimov's science essays as a kid (detested his fiction-- ucch). The cool thing about Asimov is that you could begin reading an essay convinced you had absolutely no interest whatsoever in the topic and yet be thrilled by the conclusion. And you'd learn something along the way.

Steven den Beste isn't quite up to Asimov's level yet, because den Beste tends to interest me with stuff I'm already interested in. If he can finally sell me on his passion for Japanese Anime, maybe I'll acknowledge him as Asimov's heir.

But you just can't help feeling smarter by the end of this piece on Saddam's nuclear reactor, and its capacity to produce weapons-capable fuel, than you were befoe you started it.

And along the way, he ferociously bitch-slaps a libdweeb jerkoff from Paris Match magazine; so what's not to love?

Posted by: Ace at 10:36 PM | Comments (18)
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Yes, among registered voters, a more liberal leaning group (usually) than likely voters. And it's an LA Times poll besides-- not exactly Republican-friendly.

Even when I first saw the first SwiftVets ad, and "predicted" that it would cost Kerry 2-4 points, I didn't entirely believe it; I was more hopeful than confident.

But the latest polls tend to show those ads were just as powerful as they first seemed:

WASHINGTON -- President Bush heads into next week's Republican national convention with voters moving slightly in his direction since July amid signs that John F. Kerry has been nicked by attacks on his service in Vietnam, a Los Angeles Times Poll has found.

For the first time this year in a Times survey, Bush led Kerry in the presidential race, drawing 49 percent among registered voters, compared to 46 percent for the Democrat. In a Times Poll just before the Democratic convention last month, Kerry held a 2 percentage point advantage over Bush.

That small shift from July was within the poll's margin of error. But it fit with other findings in the Times Poll showing the electorate edging toward Bush over the past month on a broad range of measures, from support for his handling of Iraq to confidence in his leadership and honesty.

Although a solid majority of Americans say they believe Kerry served honorably in Vietnam, the poll showed that the fierce attacks on the senator from a group of Vietnam veterans criticizing both his performance in combat and anti-war protests at home have left some marks: Kerry suffered small but consistent erosion compared to July on questions relating to his Vietnam experience, his honesty and his fitness to serve as commander in chief.
...

With independent voters splitting evenly in the survey between the two men, one key to Bush's tentative new advantage was his greater success at consolidating his base. While just 3 percent of voters who called themselves Republicans said they would vote for Kerry, Bush drew 15 percent of all Democrats, and 20 percent of Democrats who consider themselves moderate or conservative, the poll found.

...

Other key questions produced even more troubling results for Kerry.In the July Times Poll, 53 percent of voters said Kerry in his Vietnam combat missions had demonstrated the "qualities America needs in a president" while just 32 percent said by "protesting the war in Vietnam, John Kerry demonstrated a judgment and belief that is inappropriate in a president."

In the August survey, that balance nudged away from Kerry, with 48 percent saying he had demonstrated the right qualities and 37 percent saying he exhibited poor judgment.

Likewise, the share of voters saying they lacked confidence in Kerry as a potential commander in chief edged up from 39 percent in July to 43 percent now; the percentage that said they were confident in him slipped from 57 percent to 55 percent. Both changes were within the poll's margin of error, yet both tracked with the poll's general pattern of slight Kerry slippage.

...

Now the poll of course shows continued anxiousness about the Iraq War and the economy. I had to cut something from the article, though, and I figured that's just telling us what we already know.

Gallup, I believe, will also be releasing a poll either late tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks to Kirk for the tip, although Kirk doesn't understand that cowbells are for economic news.

For a good poll, I can provide only either this picture of an adorable dog snapped by da Goddess:

or this animated Robot from Lost in Space:

or this still of Tawney Kitaen humping a Jaguar in the Whitesnake video "Here I Go Again":

I would provide cowbell if it were up to me, but I've got my boss looking over my shoulder every five minutes.

Whoa, Whoa, Wait a Minute: The commenter Kerry Is Unelectable cried bullshit on an ABC/WaPo poll showing Kerry losing ground going into his convention. His theory was they were pushing the poll down for Kerry so that the convention would result in a bigger "bounce" -- but of course that bounce would be illusory. But still, it would be a good talking point in favor of Kerry.

I don't know if I buy this sort of crafty-to-the-third-power skullduggery in polling, but I suppose this poll might be goosed for Bush so that his convention will then show him "losing" support.

Update: Allah points out that it's state-by-state voting, and therfore state by state polling, that ultimately counts. I disagree-- only if one candidate fails to win the national election by 2% or less will the state-by-state outcome differ from the national-poll/national-vote outcome.

It should be noted that Bush's state-by-state position has been improving as well. See Rasmussen, for example.

Update: Not a big deal, but Rasmussen's national numbers show Bush pulling ahead now too.

Update: Frequent AoSHQ contributor Kerry is Unelectable sets a high number for Bush's convention bounce.

Isn't this the guy who's always so cautious about the expectations game? What gives, Kerry is Unelectable?

Posted by: Ace at 09:33 PM | Comments (8)
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Well, maybe not really, but it's worth clicking on.

Posted by: Ace at 09:16 PM | Comments (4)
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STATUS: Remains En Fuego
PROGNOSIS: Poor. The raging fires consuming this poor man show no sign of abatement.

It's about time someone said it:

Joe Scarborough: Now I want to ask, you've been through one of these presidential campaigns. You know what it's like on the campaign trail. Are you surprised, as a guy who is a war hero, that John Kerry's war record is playing such a central role in this presidential campaign this year?

Bobby "Blaze" Dole: Well, I am a little surprised because I remember in '96, of course, Clinton didn't have a record and the liberal media didn't want to say much about my record. So it never really became - you know, I guess the New York Times may have said I was a veteran; that's about as far as they went.

So this time you've got a candidate named John Kerry who had a good record in Vietnam, came back from the service, denounced the war, in effect, trashed the Americans who were still fighting there. Went before a Senate committee in April of 1971, threw away his ribbons or his medals or whatever and now is standing before the American people and saying you've got to elect me because I'm this Vietnam hero.

And it's kind of hard to reconcile all of these things. So it does sort of bring up focus that I don't think we've had in the past.

Posted by: Ace at 03:24 PM | Comments (11)
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Flop-sweat leads to flip-flop?

Sign the Form 180, Senator Kerry. Release the records.

Posted by: Ace at 02:19 PM | Comments (3)
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As you might know, John Forbes Kerry has made some implausible claims about VC, his swiftboat's dog, and its acrobatic-watersports capabilities. The tale involves a "nearby mine" rocking the boat and catapulting VC the Flyin' Wonderdog unharmed on to the deck of the next boat. (By the way, note that the SwiftVets commanders whom the media claim weren't close enough to observe John Kerry's actions apparently were close enough to provide a landing area for his flying mutt.)

And yet the Washington Times can find no references to any Flyin' Wonderdogs in the military records.

One might almost begin to think that John Forbes Kerry concocted this entire episode.

But that would be a silly thought indeed.

Thanks to Publius for the tip.

For Further Reading and Review: Ace of Spades HQ's crack research team has turned up that John Forbes Kerry had ten additional "Vietnam Super-Pets."

Posted by: Ace at 12:55 PM | Comments (11)
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This charge sounds suspiciously like the leftist whine that mines and uranium bullets are "designed to injure and/or kill people."

Posted by: Ace at 12:43 PM | Comments (8)
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If this happens, it's huge, I think.

NAJAF, Iraq — Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric was returning home from Britain today in a bid to end nearly three weeks of fighting in Najaf and called on his followers to join him in a march to reclaim the holy city, his spokesmen said.

Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani, 73, has been in London for medical treatment since Aug. 6, one day after clashes erupted in Najaf. The cleric wields enormous influence among Shiite Iraqis and his return could play a crucial role in stabilizing the nearly three-week-old crisis.

"His eminence Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani will arrive in beloved Iraq in a few hours and he will return to the holy city of Najaf to rescue it from its ordeal," Hamed al-Khafaf said in an e-mail sent to The Associated Press in Beirut.

The announcement came as U.S. and Iraqi forces in Najaf tightened a cordon around the Old City and the neighbouring Imam Ali Shrine, the holiest Shia site in Iraq. U.S. forces shelled militants loyal to rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the Old City on Wednesday and smoke rose into the sky after U.S. warplanes pummeled the area overnight.

...

The relentless American bombing in Najaf appeared to be weakening as Iraqi troops moved to within 200 yards of the revered Imam Ali Shrine and Iraq's defence minister once again demanded fighters loyal to a radical cleric surrender or face a violent raid.

The militant force, which once waged fierce battles with U.S. troops throughout the Old City and Najaf's vast cemetery, seemed considerably diminished in number and less aggressive Tuesday after days of U.S. air strikes and heavy artillery pounding.

Hundreds of insurgents have been spotted leaving Najaf in recent days, witnesses said. Those that remained appeared to have pulled back to the area around the shrine, where the fighting Tuesday was concentrated, U.S. troops said.

Police say al-Sadr, who has not been seen in public for days, has fled the city.

Go effin' figure on that, huh?

His aides, however, vigorously denied that, saying al-Sadr was in a secret hideout here. Regardless, the fiery, charismatic cleric's absence from the battlefield may have withered his followers' morale.

Al-Khafaf told the Arab satellite television station Al-Arabiya that al-Sistani "will lead thousands of followers on a march to holy Najaf."

"We call upon all devout Iraqis who follow him" from all over the country to be "on alert to head to holy Najaf under his leadership," al-Khafaf told the station. He said an announcement on the next steps will be made later.

Posted by: Ace at 11:44 AM | Comments (5)
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This headline isn't a joke.

An interview with Sheik Sumide'i, a participant in the battles raging in Fallujah, reveals the following startling news:

Sheik Mahdi Saleh Al-Sumide'I:T hey [the Americans] attacked Falluja and tried to cause great damage to its residents. They destroyed mosques and homes, killed women, children, and youths, and spread corruption in Falluja. Nevertheless, we believe that Allah protects the believers, and indeed, Allah stood beside Falluja, and I'd like to mention some miracles Allah performed in Falluja. It is possible that the media does not know about them.

The first miracle that occurred in Falluja took the form of spiders that appeared in the city – each spider larger than this chair, or about the size of this chair. The American soldiers left, holding the legs of this spider, and I too, in one of the Friday sermons, held up a spider, with all its magnitude, in front of the satellite channels and in front of the world. This spider also had thin black hair. If this hair touches the human body, within a short period of time the body becomes black or blue, and then there is an explosion in the blood cells in the human body - and the person dies.

This is one of the miracles performed in support of Falluja, and the Jihad that took place in Falluja. Despite the damage done to the American forcesÂ…

Interviewer:

The people saw it, but the TV stations did not air it?

Sheik Mahdi Saleh Al-Sumide'I:

The people saw it and the TV stations indeed aired it. I held the spider, and there were between 13 to 15 TV stations, including Al-Arabiya, Al-Jazeera, Al-Majd, Dubai, Abu-Dhabi and other stations, and they saw it with their own eyes.

I think he's almost certainly referring to that picture of "camel spiders" posted way back on this site (and originally on Little Green Footballs).

Frightening. And I don't mean the spiders.

Top Ten Other Miracles Which Will Save Fallujah

10. To show his wrath, Allah will blot the very sun from the sky, usually evenings around sunset

9. Crusaders will be confused and harassed by special holy curse that makes them feel like they're not wearing a hat when they are, but that they are wearing a hat when they take it off

8. Pork-and-beans MRE's will suddenly become strangely unappetizing

7. Performers on upcoming USO tour unexpectedly changed; old bill-- Gary Sinise, Toby Keith, KISS, and The Rock; new bill-- Al Franken, Margaret Cho, the kid who played Dwayne-Wayne on A Different World, and, from Hall and Oates, "Oates"

6. Four Words: Lyddie Englund Penthouse Shoot (by Allah's mercy alone-- no pictorial in Hustler)

5. The balls of American soldiers go from their normal size of "fucking enormous" to "just plain unweildy"

4. Distribution problems cause shortage of Coke, Pepsi, and Budweiser; for three long weeks, only beverages available are Shasta and/or Fanta

3. Bizarre magical loss of sense-of-direction will cause dozens of soldiers to mistakenly believe themselves to be in Cambodia

2. Special Labor Day surprise appearance by Dennis Kucinich, who distributes tofu tacos and and organic alfalfa to visibly-disappointed troops

...and the Number One Other Miracle Which Will Save Fallujah...

1. By exertion of Divine Will, the mainstream American media will report all Iraq news with a strongly negative slant

Posted by: Ace at 11:26 AM | Comments (17)
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