Positive Campaign Watch

Courtesy, of Instapundit, two prime examples of "fear and smear" in action:

-A press release from John Kerry's own campaign Web site, dated April 27 of this year, questioning George W. Bush's National Guard service.

-Jeff Goldstein at Protein Wisdom notes the following display of sophisticated political debate from a Kerry surrogate on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh, speaking moments ago on “Hannity and Colmes”: “George Bush betrayed his country by sending us to war on false pretenses, and George Bush betrayed his country by not fighting in Vietnam.”

Yes. You read that right. “George Bush betrayed his country by not fighting in Vietnam.”

"George Bush betrayed his country by not fighting in Vietnam."

Given an opportunity to correct this rather incredible statement, Ms. Marsh declined, arguing that she had nothing to correct—that it was a fact that George Bush betrayed his country by not fighting in Vietnam.

Betrayed his country. By not fighting in Vietnam.


Just two examples of why I find John Kerry's calls for a "positive campaign" to be nauseatingly hypocritical.

Update: Via Power Line, an example of the positive, future-oriented campaign many Democrats are running:

A state Democratic Party effort to sign up new voters mixes images of a military draft (search) notice with a voter registration (search) form, calling on people to make a choice between the two.

The first page of the mailing shows a draft notice with orders to report to a military induction center. The next shows a helicopter with troops in the foreground beneath a headline that says "Officials in Washington are calling for more troops in Iraq." Below, the mailing asks "Which form would you rather fill out?"

As Power Line's Hindrocket puts it:

It is hard to think of a more despicable campaign tactic. It hardly needs to be said that neither the Bush administration nor any other foreseeable administration has the slightest desire to re-institute the draft. The thought sends shudders down the spines of professional military men; America's all-volunteer army is without a doubt the best military force ever assembled. No one I know of supports the draft, except for Fritz Hollings, the Democratic Senator from--ironically enough--South Carolina. He introduced a bill to that effect. Not only did the Hollings proposal go nowhere; he couldn't even find a co-sponsor.


There's really nothing else I can add.