Midday Note

John Kerry just said no one can swiftboat John Murtha because they haven't worn the uniform. He said so on the Senate dais. Ohhh, and he sounded a lot better than during his own campaign.

The knives are coming out...

Noteworthy.

It may annoy the few readers I have, but I read through the Note's introduction word for word. I will bold the parts that are of Note to me:

The Democrats thinking that saying "Look, America!!! An unpopular war and a rising wrong-track number!!! Vote for us!!!" is a winning electoral* strategy.

The Bush White House taking on the New York Times and David Gregory** by name for alleged factual inaccuracies.

An establishment media and 4/5 of the Gang of 500 totally against the war and thinking that the President is even more foolish to double down*** on betting his presidency on Iraq than he was in making the original wager.

A Bush White House — while waiting for facts on the ground in Iraq to improve and recognizing that wrong track is currently hideous*** — seeking to turn public debate into a choice between a "strong, resolute" Bush and a weak, lily-livered Democrat (DeanGorePelosiMooooooooooooooooooooooooooore) Party, rather than a referendum on Bush-Cheney.

AND:

While you were sleeping. . .

- NSA Hadley played coy with the press corps in Korea and strongly hinted that he is also not the source.

AND, AP:

WASHINGTON Nov 17, 2005 — Vice President Dick Cheney is not the unidentified source who told Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward about the CIA status of the wife of Bush administration critic Joseph Wilson, a person familiar with the investigation said Thursday.

*A negative policy (the war is bad, let's book it) is not as good in elections as a positive policy. But, 2006 is a mid-term election that is about 1. GOTV and 2. National issues only if compelling.

(A Bad, mismanaged) War is (very) compelling.

**David Gregory and Scott McClellan will have a wrestling match. McClellan will win, but only while the ref is distracted and a foreign object is used. Microphone?

*** Bush and the GOP may have to rely on matters well out of their hands.

OK, blogosphere. You like to speculate so much. Let's take this at face value. Not Cheney. Not Hadley. Those were the two big names everyone was throwing around. WSJ said it may have been the same source as Bob Novak, the No Partisan Gunslinger. It may have be a former aide, as Woodward's statement leaves that open. So.

And now for something completely similar...

This from CNN:

LONDON, England -- Former CIA director Stansfield Turner has labeled Dick Cheney a "vice president for torture."