When Toy Poodles Attack...

There's a whole lot of yapping and advances on ankles, but no real damage. The New York Times has a long story covering the individuals who've been assigned to yap away, while MSNBC notes the mud isn't sticking. Nightline got into the act as well.

It's not surprising that this kind of crap substitutes for genuine discussion of the issues. Mudslinging is almost as old as the US political system. I noted yesterday that this is a clear sign of desperation from the Bush team--sort of a Plan B. Whether or not it was actually authorized by Karl Rove doesn't matter--the people behind the character assassination of Kerry are well versed in this style of politics.

Combined with lots and lots of money, a Texass "anything goes in politics" attitude, and a fawning media ready to present any degree of slander against the Democratic nominee as "newsworthy," the Swift Boat Veterans Who Lie have managed to make a minor league (Bush league?) stink seem Texass sized (it's fitting that John O'Neill is from Houston, the most polluted city in the US).

Kerry thus far has done the right thing--he's publicly distanced himself from similar attacks on Bush--in spite of the fact that THOSE are a lot more grounded in reality--and, when the moment was right, he came out swinging. As I noted yesterday, the trouble with going this negative this early for Bush is the danger of a backlash: at a certain point, when the thrill of the attack wears off, the realization that it was SO sleazy, underhanded, and wrong will set in. Because the facts are the fact: Kerry served his country honorably, while Bush barely served at all.

And this fact will bring home the point about the REAL issues of the campaign: the economy, Iraq, and Bush's junior-varsity approach to governing. Vietnam speaks to character, not to the day-to-day problems affecting us. At the same time, it offers insight as to the kind of individuals running for the highest office in the land. One candidate accepted the responsibilities that come with privilege, while the other acted like a typical frat boy, snorting cocaine, drinking like a fish, and generally acting like mommy and daddy--and the trust fund--would keep him from ever having to act like a man.

Which is why, for instance, the frat boy saw nothing wrong with ordering the military into Iraq without any real evidence--to him, this was just a fun adventure upon which to base his re-election. Having never seen real combat, Bush's juvenile actions--the aircraft carrier stunt, the 'bring 'em on' flap, the shirking of responsibility (pay close attention to how he pawns off EVERYTHING related to Iraq to either Dumsfeld or the ground commanders)--demonstrate clearly that this man is simply unfit to be commander in chief. Which is why Rove is so desperate to smear Kerry, as the Senator has proven himself to be more than capable of leadership under fire.

But, I believe the American public will see through the sham. Already, Iraq is seen by most as the ridiculous boondoggle that it is, combined with the fact that bin Laden has managed to elude us for almost three years now, the fact that the economy is still tanking, the fact that our schools are still underfunded, the fact that roads, bridges, and other public works are falling apart--all this will register with voters. And Bush has NO plan for any of this. He's only concerned with sliming by proxy.

And I'm not going to let his lies--and those from his attack poodles--bother me too much. Because toy dogs are all bark...