For the Defense?

Nick Beaudrot writes in:

I'm inclined to believe Bob Kerrey was just freelancing, rather than trying to twist the knife, when he went off message yesterday. He used nearly identical language in an interview with the Economist on October 30th, a good six weeks before he endorsed Clinton. Occam's razor suggests that this is an honest "mistake" and not a semi-subtle dog-whistle attack on Obama. In the same way that people need to stop thinking that everything Karl Rove does is part of some triple indirection Jedi-mind trick, it's possible that even the hyper-disciplined Clinton campaign can make mistakes.

Of course they can make mistakes. Mistakes like . . . courting the support of Bob Kerrey! I'm not sure what the fact that he's repeating already-used language proves except that Bob Kerrey is kind of an ass. But we knew that already.

Comments

Would you mind explaining your distaste for Kerrey in slightly more detail?

Posted by Anti-Kerrey? | December 18, 2007 11:15 AM

It proves that Kerrey did not have a conversation with Howard Wolfson where Wolfson said "A lot of people think Obama is a Muslim. We know it's not true, and we don't think being a Muslim should disqualify you for the Presidency. But a lot of voters don't know it's not true, and for a lot of voters it does disqualify you. You play to win the game; we need someone to go out and push this meme." And Kerrey gave a wink and a nod.

Sometimes, they really are that stupid.

Posted by Nicholas Beaudrot | December 18, 2007 11:25 AM

Occam's razor isn't a real scientific concept. It's not a way to get to the truth, it's something simple people reference so that they never actually have to sort through facts.

In reality, the truth is rarely the simplest explanation. After all, Occams razor would indicate that the sun revolved around the earth and that the swift boat veterans for truth were being honest.

Posted by Soullite | December 18, 2007 11:28 AM

Bob Kerrey is kind of an ass. But we knew that already.

Can someone explain the general distaste for Kerrey to me, too? I know the bit about the Vietnam massacre. Is that the main reason people hate him?

Posted by Jasper | December 18, 2007 11:34 AM

Bob Kerrey is Joe Liberman on social issues.

Posted by Rob | December 18, 2007 11:38 AM

Your intense unexplained hatred for Bob Kerrey is Sullivanesque.

Posted by Patrick | December 18, 2007 11:41 AM

If you wish to understand the Kerrey hatred, refer to previous posts.

Posted by mpowell | December 18, 2007 11:53 AM

Jasper:
It's because Kerrey is HoJo-esque. Both DLC'ers who would go on Faux News and attack other Democrats.

Posted by Joe Klein's conscience | December 18, 2007 12:00 PM

So, the proof that it was an honest mistake is that Kerrey was already saying the same thing before he signed on with the Clintons? My personal Occam's Razor (disposable, four-bladed) is telling me that the first time was audition, the second performance.

Posted by Dave L | December 18, 2007 12:02 PM

It speaks of the general level of intelligence of Americans that going to a 'madrassa', which is just a generic word for school in many languages of middle-eastern origins, is somehow insulting.

All of you who can write a single sentence went to a 'madrassa'.

Posted by gregor | December 18, 2007 12:04 PM

Yes just like living on a commune can take on other forms besides a hippie love in. That doesn't change its conotation.

Posted by Rob | December 18, 2007 12:49 PM

And Hillary Clinton's well-organized whispering campaign against Obama continues to take shape. Sure, it's possible that all of these incidents are "mistakes," but the frequency and variety of these "mistakes" are increasing with each passing week.

Posted by LaFollette Progressive | December 18, 2007 12:57 PM

It's either an extremely devious plan or alternatively proof that even Obama's opponents speak highly of him. It seems he was honest and the substantive point is correct too.

This is what he said in a later interview:

"My answer was yes, but I finished third in the primary. Obama's smarter and more talented than I ever was, and he has two things which are connected to his life experience that give him special capacity," Kerrey recalled. "First, he is African American and can speak to underperforming Black youth in a way that no other candidate can. He gave a speech in Selma that was incredible (LINK), that no white person could ever give. No government program could ever do what Barack Obama can do.

"Second," Kerrey continued, "his name is Barack Hussein Obama. I know that middle name is seen as a weakness by Republicans, but I don't think it is. I think it enables him to speak to a billion Muslims around the world."

Kerrey said he's spoken to Obama and his staffers and told them to "lead with it as a strength. There's this nonsense out there about him being a Muslim Manchurian candidate. He should do a commercial, look the camera straight in the eye, and say, 'My wife Michelle and I are Christians, but my father was a Muslim and my paternal grandfather was a Muslim, and that fact and my name means I can speak to a billion people around the world" who need to hear from the United States.

In my experience, devious plans this elaborate just don't materialize in real life.

Posted by Nick Kaufman | December 18, 2007 1:15 PM

The fact that Kerrey had made an identical "Madrassa" comment in late October leads to a possibility that is just as damning for Hillary as the conspiratorial "secret Wolfson chat" hypothesis. Wolfson did not put Kerrey up to this comment, because Wolfson did not have to. Why buy someone off when you can have them for free?

Wolfson et al. know about The Google and Lexis/Nexis and they are skilled and experienced vetters of surrogates. They LOVED the fact that their research revealed an Economist interview in which Kerrey was under the impression that Obama attended a Madrassa and in which Kerrey was so enamored of the middle "Hussein" as to appear upset that he did not think of it for his own children. So they signed him up ... eagerly and gave him a prominent platform.

The perfect crime!

Posted by RaymondA | December 18, 2007 2:15 PM

Bob Kerrey is a major tool -- a serious prick with a major ego problem. What's worse: Kerrey cannot be trusted. You can always count on him to play the part of the phony centrist poser and you can always find him sniffing the butts of Republicans on the make.

Bob Kerrey: we liked him better when he was in retirements or wherever he is -- president of Long Island Community College or some such thing.

Posted by The Fool | December 19, 2007 2:30 AM

Bob Kerrey is a major tool -- a serious prick with a major ego problem. What's worse: Kerrey cannot be trusted. You can always count on him to play the part of the phony centrist poser and you can always find him sniffing the butts of Republicans on the make.

Bob Kerrey: we liked him better when he was in retirements or wherever he is -- president of Long Island Community College or some such thing.

Posted by The Fool | December 19, 2007 2:30 AM

Then why didn't he endorse Obama?

Posted by JC | December 19, 2007 2:56 AM