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FEBRUARY 12,
2004 – So a while ago one of my favorite Republican sources said
there was no way Kerry could beat Bush because he was a philanderer,
like Clinton, and it would come out during the election.
We never report
pure rumor like that.
Not so for Matt
Drudge, who is once again leading the right-wing charge. Just
as predicted, the second General Wesley Clark withdrew from the
race, the all out assault on John Kerry was launched.
They built him up, now they need to tear him down quickly so they
can have – as always planned – Dean as the candidate they run
against.
So today at
drudgereport.com, there is the big headline: CAMPAIGN DRAMA
ROCKS DEMOCRATS: KERRY FIGHTS OFF MEDIA PROBE OF RECENT ALLEGED
INFIDELITY, RIVALS PREDICT RUIN
The rumor – and
it is only that at this point, as we do not consider Drudge a
reliable source – is that Kerry may have had a recent affair with an
AP intern, and that the press knows about it and is investigating
it, and that the Democratic candidates know about it and that is why
Howard Dean changed his plan to drop out after Wisconsin.
Even more, the
report explicitly claims that General Wesley Clark knew about it,
and even spoke of it. Drudge reports:
“In an
off-the-record conversation with a dozen reporters earlier this
week, General Wesley Clark plainly stated: "Kerry will implode over
an intern issue." [Three reporters in attendance confirm Clark made
the startling comments.]”
Now it is hard to
believe that Clark knew about this and yet dropped out of the race
anyway. And, as mentioned, Matt Drudge is nothing but part of
the right-wing hate and smear machine – remember, he is the one who
began the spread of insidious rumors about General Clark right
before the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries began (see article:
Right-Wing Launches
Dishonest Smear Attack On Clark) which turned out, as we
debunked, to be entirely nonsense.
So, dear M/I
readers, please do not take this report too seriously at this point
with regard to its factual content. But do take it seriously
as a clear sign of what we told you would happen – that the press
that had taken Kerry from the gutter to the castle for the sake of
driving Clark out of the race now have the hit on for Kerry.
The number one
issue so far this election for voters has been electability –
indeed, most of Kerry’s support has come from people who think he is
the most electable.
And so the
right-wing goes right at Kerry’s strength, putting a rumor out there
that – even if not true in the end – will circulate and spread and,
they hope, cause shock and quick doubt about Kerry’s… you guessed
it, electability. This is not about policy or anything such substantive thing –
it is targeted at the one thing Kerry has going for him, that people
think he can win.
And let me repeat
clearly, we were told months ago by a Republican source that this
line of attack would be used against Kerry, that he had had an
affair, that it would be brought out during the election, and so he
had no chance of winning. And we have had both rumors that turned out to be true and ones that were dishonest smears from this source - but the one important thing is that this source gets these things right from the Republican insiders, and so this is not a fringe claim but something the RNC is spreading around, and has been for some time now.
And unlike Drudge, we give the Kerry camp a chance to respond. Their word: It is completely, totally, and utterly untrue. That is directly from the Kerry camp.
If General Clark
actually knew about this, why would he have dropped out of the race?
He, like Edwards and Dean, would have seen that 80% of the delegates
are still out there and stayed in, knowing this would come out. And even more, why would he now be about to endorse Kerry, as is being reported by AP and NBC news?
So for now we
take the story to be entirely uncorroborated and nothing but rumor –
all parts of it, including the supposed comments by General Clark.
And only Drudge is reporting it, as he is calling it a “World
Exclusive,” so please, don’t give it credence yet in any way, shape,
or form. He doesn't even include any specific facts.
So please, please, remember how this tool was used against General Clark (as the story linked above details), the same sort of smearing attacks, both started by Drudge, both put on his website in 50 font or so, enormous-sized letters, both stories claiming to have a story so big even the most loyal supporters of the candidate will be flocking away from him in short order. We have seen this movie before - and will hear this all over talk radio in the coming weeks.
Ah, the pleasant, dignified campaign President Bush is running - and yes, he is directly responsible for this, as it is operatives from his party who directly orchestrate all of this. | 
