The Ongoing Kerry Mess

The previous post is a superb essay by Wilfred McClay, wherein he argues that the mainstream media, reflective of the unctuous, arrogant boomer generation, is getting its due with the Kerry fiasco. We've commented on this topic here before -- most notably here, here, and here.

Other bloggers are following this story with remarkable vigor. Some of the best commentary I've seen is on The Truth Laid Bear, where you'll find this:

"Another thought from the Dept. of Conspiracies: Ok, now we've all discussed in the past how Bush is extremely good at luring his opponents out onto a limb and then sawing it off. Consider that it is entirely possible that Bush might be able to use this moment to shame the existing 527's into withdrawing, or at least curtailing, their participation in the remainder of the campaign.

"Putting on my tinfoil hat for a moment, could neutralizing 527's have been Bush's plan all along? With SBVT out in front showing what an impact a 527 can have on the campaign, that gave Bush the excuse to come out against all of them --- which he has just done. He and the RNC are now perfectly positioned to keep the pressure on the Democratic 527's to shut the hell up.

Is this the Mother-Of-All-Rope-A-Dopes?"

Perhaps a better formulation of this would hold that the Bush folks, seeing Kerry's campaign supported by 527s to a much greater degree than the GOP and knowing that his reliance on his Vietnam record made him particularly vulnerable to questioning it, has played the situation almost perfectly. Otherwise, you might have to assume that the Bush folks are in contact with Swift Vets, which seems unlikely given Rove's reputation for caution. When your opponent's hanging himself . . .

TLB links to OpenSecrets.org, where you'll find Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has spent $158,750. Compare that to some anti-Bush 527s: Media Fund ($28,127,488), America Coming Together ($26,905,450), and Moveon.org ($9,086,102).

The rich lefties who sought to remove money from politics weren't any more serious about actually doing that than they are about living simply or donating their wealth to the Federal government voluntarily. For a bunch that claims to see money as the root of all evil, it comes in pretty handy to have a big stash around when you need it.