More "Suspicious Timing," This Time from Andy
Ryan tips this Sullivan quote:
"A sincere and deep word of thanks to all of you who have contributed so far in this pledge week. By being so positive about the Democrats this week, I haven't
exactly picked the smartest moment to ask for support." -- Couple of days ago
Hmmmmm...? Was Sullivan's pro-Kerry boosterism driving down his bandwidth-o-thon money? Well, no problem-- we can fix that!!!:
Well, I guess there was always going to be a reality check. ...One thought sprang into my mind immediately: what an arrogant jerk.
... This was also, it seems to me, a very liberal speech. Domestically, there was no problem the government couldn't help solve. There was support for protectionism, and for penalizing the drug companies. Government-funded research into stem cells was described as revolutionary. But private drug research that has cured millions and saved my own life must be throttled to placate constituencies like the AARP. There was no mention of welfare reform in his past; no mention of education reform; and no firm commitment to seeing the war through in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is obviously what worried me the most. His goal in Iraq is to bring the troops home. Three words: not good enough. Here's the passage about the war:
[Kerry's paragraph:] "I know what we have to do in Iraq. We need a President who has the credibility to bring our allies to our side and share the burden, reduce the cost to American taxpayers, and reduce the risk to American soldiers. That's the right way to get the job done and bring our troops home.
...
No mention of democracy in Iraq or Afghanistan. No mention of the terrorist forces that are amassed there. No reference to the elections scheduled for January. No mention of Iran. And the whole point is about process - about how to wage a war, not whether it should be waged. This is a man who clearly wants the U.S. out of the region where our future is at stake, and who believes that simply by taking office, other powers can somehow pick up the slack. Memo to Kerry: no other powers can pick up the slack. They don't have the troops or the technology or the will. His strategy is pure defense. This sentence is his strongest threat: "Any attack will be met with a swift and certain response." So let's wait, shall we?
And he also touts this as the "best assessment" of Kerry:
The responsibility of sending troops into danger should weigh on a commander in chief. But so must the responsibility of protecting the nation against a shadowy foe not easily deterred by traditional means. Mr. Kerry last night elided the charged question of whether, as president, he would have gone to war in Iraq. He offered not a word to celebrate the freeing of Afghans from the Taliban, or Iraqis from Saddam Hussein, and not a word about helping either nation toward democracy.
But fear not. By Monday, Kerry will be redeemed as a Anti-Terrorist Crusader. This of course will have less to do with anything Kerry says about terrorism than what he doesn't say about gay marriage.
Sullivan seems to have discovered that the relationship between political incoherence and donations is much like the relationship between bisexuality and dating: It doubles your odds of getting lucky.
PS, Liberal Readers: I voted for Clinton in 1992. 'S true.
That's gotta be worth something.