Bush Campaign Asks Kerry To Elevate The Negative Tone Of His Campaign

The Associated Press reports that Marc Racicot, Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign chairman, asked Kerry "to elevate the remarkably negative tone" of his campaign and the Democratic party over the past year.

President Bush's presidential campaign also told Kerry that the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign "does not condone" any effort to impugn Kerry's patriotism but that senator's voting record on national security and defense issues is a valid target of political scrutiny:

In his reply letter Sunday, Racicot said, "Our campaign does not condone any effort to impugn your patriotism. Your letter claims that supporters of our campaign questioned your service and patriotism. In fact, that simply wasn't the case."

"Our campaign is not questioning your patriotism or military service, but your votes and statements on issues now facing our country," said Racicot, former governor of Montana. "Senator Chambliss addressed your Senate record of voting against the weapons systems that are winning the war on terror."

Kerry was upset by Senator Saxby Chambliss predicting trouble for Kerry in Georgia's primary because of a "32-year history of voting to cut defense programs and cut defense systems:"

"Saxby Chambliss, on the part of the president and his henchmen, decided today to question my commitment to the defense of our nation," Kerry said while campaigning in Georgia, one of 10 states choosing electoral delegates on March 2.

In another article, the Associated Press reports that in a letter to Bush on Saturday, Kerry wrote:

"As you well know, Vietnam was a very difficult and painful period in our nation's history, and the struggle for our veterans continues. So, it has been hard to believe that you would choose to reopen these wounds for your personal political gain."

Kerry's letter is available here.

Kerry's strange letter reveals that kerry can't take fair criticism of his senatorial record. Kerry can't take the heat even though the Democrats have mounted a slanderous and extremely negative campaign against Presiden Bush.

Three weeks ago Matthew Stinson predicted that any criticism of any Democrat for any issue related to national defense, intelligence, or homeland security will be met with the charge that Republicans are “questioning the patriotism” of said Democrat. Stinson's prediction was inferred from comments Terry McAuliffe made on This Week "asserting that criticizing John Kerry’s votes on national security is questioning his patriotism."

Kerry's letter is additional evidence that the Democrats are attempting to stiffle any meaningful debate about national security. These attempts to prevent attacks on Kerry's national security voting record brings to mind Samuel Johnson's statement:

Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.