Here's the core exchange in the Malkin intervew. It's what the Kerry supporters have decided to hang their hat on:
MATTHEWS: I‘m asking a simple question. Are you saying that he shot himself on purpose.MALKIN: Have you tried to ask—have you tried ask John Kerry these questions?
MATTHEWS: If he shot himself on purpose. No. I have not asked him that.
MALKIN: Don‘t you wonder?
Now, assuming the transcript hasn't been doctored, as happens sometimes with Matthews, that's a pretty dumb response on the part of Malkin. A rather plausible interpretation of the exchange is that she was intent on making her point about a moral equivalence between gaming a minor wound and "shooting himself," and simply chose to ignore the option of a simple response. I think it's pretty clear that Malkin was gaming a bit. But Malkin's use of the phrase "self-inflicted" was an obvious reference to the shrapnel wound comment made by Brown. I'm not saying Malkin is blameless in this, but I also think the reason Matthews repeatedly interrupted her was that he simply didn't want her to make her point about moral equivalence, because to do so he'd have to get into the controversy over his depth. Now that I think of it, that was probably deliberate. Both were stubborn, but the conclusion that she was talking literally about Kerry "shooting himself" as opposed to a moral equivalence to that is simply wrong.
It's fair to say she was a stubborn jerk for not giving a straight answer (which doesn't relieve Matthews of his responsibility, btw), but let's at least acknowledge what the real controversy is about. There isn't a single swiftvet who claims that Kerry shot himself, and there never has been. They may very well make the case that what Kerry did is the moral equivalent of that, and its up to the public to draw their own conclusions. Personally I don't think they are morally equivalent. It's entirely acceptable to me that Kerry took advantage of a technicality to get out of service. BFD.
The core issue here is, as Armed Liberal has stated with some eloquence, whether Kerry was "gaming." I think it's fairly obvious that he was, and that's what I really derive from the swiftvet's testimony. But I don't want to impose my views on the public. I'd be content to have the facts laid out dispassionately and objectively and allow the public to draw it's own inferences.
Why does this strike such fear into the hearts of the Kerry supporters though? That's rhetorical, btw. I know the answer. It's because a human Kerry isn't "good enough." And a human George W. Bush isn't "bad enough." And that's one of the chief reasons I'm probably not going to vote for Kerry, even though I've been a Democrat all my life. I just think you guys are silly, and I'm not willing to hand you the keys to the Executive. It's like you're all still in Junior High, or something.
Posted by Demosophist at August 20, 2004 04:34 PM | TrackBackYou're an idiot. I saw the Chris Matthews show with Michelle Malkin & I saw her on Bill Maher's HBO show as well. She is so self serving & arrogant, it's pathetic. I also read the transcript of the CM show & it is correct - no altering. I'll agree that CM interrupts his guests too often; however, that's the way he plays. Although it can be a little annoying at times, it is called Hardball for a reason. As far as Malkin's intentions are concerned, there is no way for you to know for sure what she was trying to imply in trying to answer his questions. I will tell you what I got from it. During the exchange, Malkin was trying to make her point that, somewhere in that O'Neal book, there was speculation that one of Kerry's wounds was 'self-inflicted' - she took that literally instead of how it was intended & I believe CM was just trying to call her on it. I don't think she knows what 'self-inflicted' (militarily) totally means. In this context, the book talks about speculation (& only speculation) that John Kerry may have been injured by his own hand grenade after he threw it, & it bounced off a rock & went off too close to him. Technically, that would classify as 'self-inflicted' - not that he would have done it on purpose or even that it actually occurred at all - it's all speculation. Personally, I think CM gave Michelle Malkin exactly what she deserved. She needed to be knocked down a few pegs off that snobby, my shit don't stink pedestal of hers.
Posted by: Cheryl at August 22, 2004 03:56 PMI will tell you what I got from it.
Don't bother, until you learn a little civility. I don't generally respond to people who start the conversation by calling me an "idiot," especially when the medium they're using to do so is on my dime. I'll give you a day or two to issue some sort of apology, and if not I'll just ban you. I'm thinking about instituting typekey anyway, so that I don't have to put up with comment spam. You're helping me to make the decision.
Just for the record, however, the comment about "doctoring" the transcript refers to the John O"Neill interview, not the Malkin interview. He omitted from the transcript a nasty series of comments he made to O'Neill toward the end of the interview.
Posted by: Demosophist at August 23, 2004 03:29 AMTonight on his show Mathews in an exchange agout the segment admitted he had watched it twelve times since it was first aired. He must have got flack from somewhere.
Posted by: Jane at August 24, 2004 12:32 AMRe: Cheryl reply.
I was wondering if you (anyone!) was going to rebuke that.
"Idiot"....what is that? Pretty good evidence of the Ann Coulter accusation that when the dems have little intelligent thought about a subject, they resort to name calling.
RE: Cheryl
It is not "only speculation" that Kerry injured himself with his own hand grenade.
He says so himself in his diary, and its confirmed in his authorized biography.
In fact, his diaries confirm that two of his purple hearts are the result of
self-inflicted wounds.