John Kerry's Lost Winter

"Meet the Press" viewers must have been as disappointed as I was to see that John Kerry was Tim Russert's guest this past Sunday. Mostly because he's apparently still campaigning for President. Especially with quotes like this:

"I won more votes than any candidate on the Democratic side has ever won in history. I lost, Tim, to an incumbent president by a closer margin than an incumbent president has ever won re-election before in the history of the country, and if you add up the popular vote in the battleground states, I won the popular vote in the battleground states by two percentage points. We just didn't distribute it correctly in Ohio." So if you add New Jersey to New Mexico, subtract Dade county and then redistribute the Ohio vote, the French would love us. Right and I'm going to be named Secretary of Aggie-culture sometime before Friday. There are some other rich quotes as well, such as the epiphany that ALL of John Kerry's military records have been released, a non Christmas visit to Cambodia, and an ad hominem suggestion about his critics:

"Yes, I did go into Cambodia on a mission. Was it on that night? No, it was not on that night. But we were right on the Cambodian border that night. We were ambushed there, as a matter of fact. And that is a matter of record, and we went into the rec-- you know, it's part of the Navy records. It's been documented by the other guys who were on my boat. And Steve Gardner, frankly, doesn't know where we were. It wasn't his job, and, you know, he wasn't involved in that. But we did go five miles into Cambodia. It was on another day. I jumbled the two together, but we were five miles into Cambodia. We went up on a mission with CIA agents--I believe they were CIA agents--CIA Special Ops guys. I even have some photographs of it, and I can document it."

"SEN. KERRY: I'd be happy to put the records out. We put all the records out that I had been sent by the military. Then at the last moment, they sent some more stuff, which had some things that weren't even relevant to the record. So when we get--I'm going to sit down with them and make sure that they are clear and I am clear as to what is in the record and what isn't in the record and we'll put it out. I have no problem with that.

MR. RUSSERT: Would you sign Form 180?

SEN. KERRY: But everything, Tim...

MR. RUSSERT: Would you sign Form 180?

SEN. KERRY: Yes, I will. But everything that we put in it, Tim--everything we put in--I mean, everything that was out was a full documentation of all of the medical records, all of the fitness reports. And I'd call on those who have challenged me, let's see their records. I want to see the records of each of those people who have put up a challenge, because some of them have some serious questions in them, and it hasn't been appropriate...

MR. RUSSERT: So they should sign Form 180s for themselves as well?

SEN. KERRY: You bet."

It seems odd that Kerry continues to cut himself short on the subject of his military records. (I know, the election is over- it shouldn't matter, I just happen to take hypocricy seriously.) He says that "Yes, I will" sign Form 180, which suggests that he hadn't previously. Then he moves over to what his people put into his records, which contradicts his claim that his records have been released by the Navy rather than doctored by his own flacks.. I think the real problem here is that John Kerry has never really been called to accountability in a public forum. Sure he's had debates with John O'Neill 30-some years ago, but as long as the questions don't involve Master Kerry himself, you're sure to get the truth. At every instance he's managed to weasel out of it by directing certain claims to his subordinates who then create a circular flow of misdirection. "If you'd check my website you can see the documentation for yourself" Or you could ask the reporter who got denied on a Freedom of Information act request for Kerry's Naval Records and original discharge (not the updated Jimmy Carter version) at the Pentagon. Okay enough of me ranting about a windbag who lost.

Here's the transcript link if you want to look for yourself:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6886726/