Mullings: An American Cyber-column By Rich Galen

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The Boston Bounce

Rich Galen

Monday August 2, 2004

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The early returns - a Newsweek poll - show about the only bounce the Edwards/Kerry ticket will be getting out of their convention in Boston will be some two to four points. Not enough.

Why? Because that's it for the Democratic campaign until the debates begin at the end of September. The GOP and the Bush/Cheney campaign are going to crank it up throughout August, leading to their convention in New York which ends on September 2.

John Kerry spent a hyperventilated 50 minutes or so excoriating President Bush and his administration during his acceptance speech and then did a Rodney-King-Can't-We-Just-All-Get-Along riff:

"I want to address these next words directly to president George W. Bush: In the weeks ahead, let's be optimists, not just opponents. Let's build unity in the American family, not angry division. Let's honor this nation's diversity; let's respect one another; and let's never misuse for political purposes the most precious document in American history, the Constitution of the United States."

The very next morning, the Edwards/Kerry troupe attended a post-convention rally (which was described by the AP as "surprisingly small for the hometown nominee, with no more than 500 people only half-filling a harbor-side park") and attacked President Bush, saying:

"Americans are playing by the rules while a whole group of people are writing the rules for themselves and leaving the rest of America out. We're going to change that around."

So much for the era of good feeling.

Kerry's speech which began with what the NY Times' Maureen Dowd wrote was a "hokey salute" and included many references to his desire to have other nations join us in the fight against terrorism.

In typical Kerry fashion he was on both sides of the issue:

First:

"We need a president who has the credibility to bring our allies to our side � so we don't have to go it alone in the world."

But then:

"I will never give any nation or international institution a veto over our national security."

So, Senator Kerry: Let's say, just for discussion purposes, that you had been faced with what every intelligence service on the planet said was an imminent danger from someone like, oh, Saddam Hussein and you went to the United Nations, and your pals Jacques Chirac and Gerhardt Schroeder - for their personal political purposes - (Schroeder, remember barely won re-election by running specifically against a war in Iraq) decided to leave you dangling but you nonetheless believed the US was at risk.

What would you do? Go it, as you put it, "alone in the world?" Or cede a part of our sovereignty to the French and the Germans?

New subject: Later on Day One of the campaign tour, the team stopped off at a Wendy's to celebrate the Edwards' anniversary. About a thousand reporters and the Heinz-Kerrys and the happy Edwards couple.

First mistake: Teresa Heinz Kerry, trying be a woman o' the people, didn't know what to order. She pointed at something and was told it was � chili.

Let's be fair. There's no reason why she should know chili when she sees it. It's one of the few places on the planet she doesn't own a plantation. I'll bet she knows what French Fries are.

Because Mullings strives to get to the bottom of things, I trotted out to the local Wendy's here in Old Town Alexandria, VA. To see the shocking results of that investigative visit go to the Secret Decoder Ring page.

Second Mistake: Kerry and Edwards - in full view of reporters - spotted some Marines sitting and having a bite to eat. The Marines were respectful but after the candidates left one told Washington Post reporters Lois Romano and Dan Balz, "He imposed on us and I disagree with him coming over here shaking our hands. I'm 100 percent against" Kerry, he said. "We support our commander in chief 100 percent."

Maybe, on the Heinz-Kerrys' anniversary, they should try Burger King. Or La Madeleine.

On the Secret Decoder Ring Page today: The actual photo of Kerry and the Marines, my visit to Wendy's, the link to the Washington Post piece, and some other stuff.

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