McAulliffe: Hey Kerry...you sucked.

[Drbio]

http://news.bostonherald.com/politic...01&format=text

WASHINGTON - Former Democratic Party boss and Clinton friend Terry McAuliffe is lambasting John Kerry’s unsuccessful presidential campaign, calling his effort to unseat President Bush "one of the biggest acts of political malpractice in the history of American politics."

In his scrappy memoir, McAuliffe criticizes the 2004 campaign that he was responsible for defending but ultimately lost to what he describes as a more organized Republican machine. McAuliffe calls the Kerry campaign gun-shy, distracted and incompetent.
McAuliffe is close to Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton and will support her presidential bid if the New York senator runs in 2008. McAuliffe’s book, published by Thomas Dunne Books, could serve as the opening salvo against a potential Clinton rival as Kerry weighs another bid. However, McAuliffe has kind words for other possible candidates, such as Sens. Barack Obama and Chris Dodd and Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack.

The book, "What a Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals," goes on sale Jan. 23, but copies have already shown up in some bookstores.
McAuliffe plans a 25-city tour to promote the memoir and parties to celebrate its publication Feb. 8 in Washington hosted by Mrs. Clinton and Jan. 22 in New York City hosted by former President Clinton.
The book is full of revelations from McAuliffe’s years among the power elite getting a startling leg rub from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at a dinner, watching movie stars Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow smooching during a showing of "Good Will Hunting" at Camp David and being chastised by former President George H.W. Bush during the 2000 election for treating his son with such "disgrace."
He had an insider’s look at the Clintons’ marriage during the Monica Lewinsky scandal going along on a chilly Clinton family vacation to Utah a month after the impeachment vote and watching Mrs. Clinton silently click through channel after channel reporting on her husband’s infidelities before settling on ESPN. He wrote that the president described the period to him as "an absolute living hell."
McAuliffe served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005, although he says Kerry’s aides wanted to oust him once the Massachusetts senator secured the nomination. He said he was never invited to a single meeting at Kerry headquarters.
Kerry spokesman David Wade said although many people wish the outcome of the 2004 election had been different, Kerry is proud of the hard work of his campaign staff and McAuliffe’s efforts as party chairman. "It’s time to look forward, not backwards," Wade said.
McAuliffe said Kerry’s camp was so afraid of offending swing voters that it didn’t defend his record or criticize Bush. He said he was muzzled by Kerry’s aides from assailing Bush’s military record.
He said the campaign also ordered speeches at the Democratic National Convention to be scrubbed of any mention of Bush’s name or his record although McAuliffe privately encouraged firebrand Al Sharpton to go ahead with his attacks on the president in his crowd-pleasing speech.

"I thought the decision of the Kerry campaign to back off any real criticism of Bush was one of the biggest acts of political malpractice in the history of American politics," he said.
Meanwhile, Republicans went on a sharp tirade against Kerry at their convention. But when Bush said in an interview on the first day that he didn’t think the U.S. could win the war on terror, Kerry did not respond. The Massachusetts senator was windsurfing off Nantucket, unaware of the president’s comments.
McAuliffe said Kerry later told him that was one of the biggest mistakes of his campaign. "I should have gotten off the island," McAuliffe quotes Kerry as saying.

McAuliffe said he was "flabbergasted" to learn after the election that Kerry had $15 million left that he could have spent in the final push. "It was gross incompetence to hoard that money when the race was bound to be so close," McAuliffe said.
McAuliffe said Republicans told him they were shocked that Kerry just took the attacks on his military record, but also overjoyed. He said Bush called President Clinton while he was recovering from his heart attack in September 2004 and said, "The Kerry campaign is the most inept group I have ever seen in politics. Don’t let them ruin your reputation."
He said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., asked him why Kerry wasn’t fighting back more. "My guy (Bush) is no great shakes, but your guy (Kerry) looks like a wimp," McAuliffe quotes McCain as saying.
Kerry’s former running mate, John Edwards, also was frustrated with the campaign, according to McAuliffe. McAuliffe said Edwards was angered that the campaign wouldn’t let him go after Bush, but Kerry disputed Edwards’ claim and said he was frustrated his vice presidential pick wasn’t campaigning harder.

[Mavdog]

and this is news?

inept, a wimp, incompetent...yep, that pretty much says it.

[Darth Ape]

Yep, Kerry is terrible. As unpopular Bush is right now, I think we as a country can still look back and say with confidence that we chose the right person for the job... at least out of the two we were tasked with choosing between. Kerry was a terrible presidential candidate and he would have been an even worse president.

[dude1394]

Maybe mcAullifee can explain all of those dem congress pickups while he's at it.

[Drbio]

Originally Posted by Mavdog

and this is news?

inept, a wimp, incompetent...yep, that pretty much says it.

I figured this would be your type of response. Although you describe sKerry to a "T", it is newsworthy. Why?

1. McAulliffe, a Clintoon devotee, is clearly running this up the flagpole to discourage sKerry from competing against the Hildabeast.

2. If a repub had gone against one of their own you would be hailing it left and lefter and asking for front page coverage. Typical hypocrit lib excercise.

3. See #1.

[MavKikiNYC]

Originally Posted by Darth Ape

Yep, Kerry is terrible. As unpopular Bush is right now, I think we as a country can still look back and say with confidence that we chose the right person for the job... at least out of the two we were tasked with choosing between. Kerry was a terrible presidential candidate and he would have been an even worse president.

I never get the feeling that Bush gets any big, personal ego-boosting self-validation from being President.

I get the feeling that that was all a John Kerry presidency would ever be.

[Drbio]

Originally Posted by MavKikiNYC

I never get the feeling that Bush gets any big, personal ego-boosting self-validation from being President.

I get the feeling that that was all a John Kerry presidency would ever be.

Very solid observation.

[Mavdog]

Originally Posted by Drbio

I figured this would be your type of response. Although you describe sKerry to a "T", it is newsworthy. Why?

1. McAulliffe, a Clintoon devotee, is clearly running this up the flagpole to discourage sKerry from competing against the Hildabeast.

2. If a repub had gone against one of their own you would be hailing it left and lefter and asking for front page coverage. Typical hypocrit lib excercise.

3. See #1.

1. even kerry knows how poorly he is viewed. the bruhaha over his "if they were smart.." remark was the last nail in the coffin of his possible candidacy. I realize that as a partisan republican you're very disappointed to hear this, it really was easy in 2004 wasn't it?

2. more bio as a psychic...or psychotic. more likely the latter.

[Drbio]

1. Spin it however you wish but it is newsworthy because some dems obviously see sKerry as a possible candidate and McAulliffe and the Clintoon team are heading that off at the pass.

2. More dipshat from our resident libidiot.

[dude1394]

Doc is probably correct about McAuliffe doing much of this to help the clintoons. However I think he's also trying to do a little revisionist history on his own pathetic attempt at running the party. Since losing wasn't his fault but Kerry's "incompetence", where were all of the winning democrat candidates.

[Mavdog]

Originally Posted by Drbio

1. Spin it however you wish but it is newsworthy because some dems obviously see sKerry as a possible candidate and McAulliffe and the Clintoon team are heading that off at the pass.

2. More dipshat from our resident libidiot.

yeah, according to bio those polls showing kerry with a measley 7% support among democrats don't mean a thing.

face it, you don't want to give up a good thing, and who can blame you. but kerry is yesterday, and he has no tomorrow as a national candidate.

ironic actually, as the same can be said of his opponent dubya...

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Mavdog

yeah, according to bio those polls showing kerry with a measley 7% support among democrats don't mean a thing.

face it, you don't want to give up a good thing, and who can blame you. but kerry is yesterday, and he has no tomorrow as a national candidate.

ironic actually, as the same can be said of his opponent dubya...

Well excuse me but dubya just looks up and says SCOREBOARD. What do you want him to do be a supreme court justice or maybe he could jet around fondling dictators like jimmah does.

[dude1394]

And you know what's funny...At the end of the day (imo) dubya's legacy will be 10x of bubba's.

[Mavdog]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Well excuse me but dubya just looks up and says SCOREBOARD. What do you want him to do be a supreme court justice or maybe he could jet around fondling dictators like jimmah does.

"scoreboard"?? wake up...you've slept through the new democratic majority.

the point I am making is the approval/disapproval ratings are very negative for george bush. it is unlikely that he could win a national election today.

[Drbio]

Originally Posted by dude1394

And you know what's funny...At the end of the day (imo) dubya's legacy will be 10x of bubba's.

Damn straight....SCOREBOARD!


It's funny to watch libidiots bail out on sKerry so fast when he was their poster child in the most recent election. They are running skeered and all of them have sacrificed their former poster child to make themselves look good.

[Mavdog]

Originally Posted by Drbio

Damn straight....SCOREBOARD!

It's funny to watch libidiots bail out on sKerry so fast when he was their poster child in the most recent election. They are running skeered and all of them have sacrificed their former poster child to make themselves look good.

odd, but I do not recall seeing any republican candidates this past november running with their "poster boy" dubya. seems the candidates went out of their way to NOT appear as a bush booster.

[Drbio]

*yawn*

Scoreboard. Nuff said pissant.

[Mavdog]

is that the "scoreboard" that says 233-202, or the "scoreboard" that says 51-49?

yeah, nuff said.

[Drbio]

Scoreboard that say 8 years of greatness. Yep....nuff said bitch.

You sound like a pissy spurts fan.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Mavdog

yeah, according to bio those polls showing kerry with a measley 7% support among democrats don't mean a thing.

face it, you don't want to give up a good thing, and who can blame you. but kerry is yesterday, and he has no tomorrow as a national candidate.

ironic actually, as the same can be said of his opponent dubya...

Yes mavie... Dubya has no tommorrow as a national candidate becuase he's already achieved all that can be achiever...ergo the scoreboard.
It's also quite common-place for congress to have a very large turnover after year 6, what's UNCOMMON is for the party to grow in the FIRST 6.

[Mavdog]

Originally Posted by Drbio

Scoreboard that say 8 years of greatness. Yep....nuff said bitch.

You sound like a pissy spurts fan.

"bitch"? yeah, that's not "pissy" is it?

hmmm...let's see. the spurs fan lives in acheivements of years past, ignoring their decline while the competition moves past them in supremacy.

those who proclaim "scoreboard" as a reference to the 2004 elections are doing the same. that's you btw...

[Drbio]

The scoreboard is still active today unlike the spurts fans of the past. You know....the end of one of the greatest eras in US history led by Hero Bush.

Scoreboard bitch.