Captain Ed says tonight:
“The effect of the collapse of Kerry’s Cambodian Christmas should be devastating. It shows that Kerry repeatedly lied about the nature of his service in Viet Nam, destroying his credibility and bolstering that of the Swiftvets. It also casts a lot of doubt on Kerry’s 1971 Senate testimony regarding widespread atrocities committed by American soldiers and Marines in the war and the complicity of US leadership. In fact, such blatantly false assertions and testimony undermine the confidence any reasonable person would have in Kerry’s entire character.”
You’re quite right, Ed, it should be devastating, and were we dealing with an homorable Democrat base, it would and should end his carreer.
Only one problem.
We’re not dealing with such an honorable Democrat voter base. I will ask you to remember Bill Clinton. If catching someone in a lie swayed Democrats, it certainly would have happened then… and we both know it did not. I will remind you of an Oldsmobile being driven off a bridge a few years earlier. Either of those would under the conditions of an honorable electorate, have ended their carrers, and swung elections for a few decades to come.
Neither happened, and we both know why… The Democrats, as a rule, hold party over truth.
It’s as I said a few days ago: Kerry’s rabidly leftist base disagreed with his even being in the service in the first place. Any lie he tells in that regard will be viewed by such people as a badge of honor among them.
His base isn’t moving even should be suddenly be revealed as an axe murderer. What motivates Kerry’s base isn’t getting Kerry elected, nearly as much as it is a hatred for George W. Bush and getting him unelected. As such, I expect the net effect to Kerry’s base however this falls out will be zero.
Now, of course there are the undecideds to worry about, and the few Democrats with an ounce of integrity left. But will it be enough to swing an election? I’m too tired at the moment to play the numbers out.
Update:
James Joyner and NZ Bear both seem to think this will be the campaign killer for Kerry. I hope they’re right, but I won’t hold my breath.
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