Saving money is the only excuse the Kerry campaign has for failing to counter-attack. The DNC and the 527s have no excuse. This is particularly so because ads like the Swift Boat Veterans were foreseeable, right down to the names and the text. Counter-attacks ads should have been ready to go by the end of June.

What this campaign has not yet learned from the experience of the Gore campaign is that the SCLM will not rescue them with factual reporting. Instead, they will present any allegation against the Democrats as if it were factually based, they will have Republican surrogates on the shows who will insist that the allegations have merit, and there will be a "he said, he said" presentation that gives legitimacy to the allegations.

The only effective defense is a counter-attack that borders on the hysterical.

Well, I read somewhere that the Kerry team of lawyers was going to sue SBVT for libel. Also McCain and Rassman have come out strongly, and many conservatives(oreilly) have said that this was back firing.

They need to hit back hard. Everything can't be done by ads - a couple nice shots from the VP would be good.

Hi, I was a trial lawyer for years, and I know when a story is baloney. Let me tell you why O'neill is full of it.. Just take from DailyHowler.

And then finish by taking a shot the President for playing gutter politics. Or open up on the National Guard question.

Even if Kerry is a deserving recipient of that whole "chest full of medals," he's going to have to spend time and resources refuting the accusations that he lied about and exaggerated his wartime experience. He asked for it and now he will get it. Because if any of you morons who once supported the inexplicable joke of Wesley Clark's campaign thought that you could come back to undercut Bush by promoting yet another combat veteran, you are mistaken. Viet Nam is not a winner for the Democratic Party in any way, but now you're stuck with a guy who can't stop talking about it. What a weird turn.

This election isn't going to be about the truth, but about how many lies are believed. Kerry's hoping that his lies will be sweet enough to swallow, but every day is putting that to a real taste test.

Please someone get the cattle prod!

Yes, the train trip was positive, but now it's time to hit back.

What do you people think of Kerry's admission that he would have voted to authorize the use of force against Saddam ---even if we knew then what we know now about the WMDs?

I don't think the waffle on that one has come to a complete stop just yet.

Not incidentally, everyone knows that the Syrians are holding those stockpiles. I just wish we could prove it on them this coming week so that it would take the wind out of your sails.

Hi

Folk might be interested in last night's Newsnight here on the BBC (for right wing nutters it's the national licence-fee paid for impartial broadcasting company).

I would be interested to see how US folk compare it to US tv interviews.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/3563184.stm

If it doesn't work go to:

www.bbc.co.uk
search for newsnight
then go to 13th Aug broadcast on real player