Breaking news on Kerry

It was a bogus story and Matt Drudge is a hack with zero journalistic integrity. The truth finally comes out, and the major networks were right to keep a lid on the "story" until it was all the facts were known.

The story now is who actually started the rumors, and engaged in dirty politics and smear tactics.

Yes, I do think the whole "terrorism" thing is overblown when you compare it to the danger represented by the Soviet Union and/or China and the potential for global thermo-nuclear war. Certainly North Korea is a greater threat than Iraq ever was.

Are rogue countries with a couple of stolen nukes a danger? Sure, however they don't represent a threat to our existence the way the Soviets did or China may. We need not react with as much intense fear as we have with the terrorist act of 911.

I think history will clearly show how much we over-reacted, and how the administration seized on that issue to advance a pre-existing agenda.

The issue comes down to partnership with the world, or status as a rogue nation who is the only super power doing as they please because there is no one to stop us.

When the world lacks a balance of power there is a danger because terrorism is the only recourse for those people and countries to express their will and sense of powerlessness.

Would the US have gone into Iraq in the late 70's if the Soviets were against our doing so?

Quote from AAAintheBeltway:

The Buchanan commentary is probably pretty close to the mark. Let's not forget however that Saddam was very close to having nukes before Desert Storm. I've said this several times: I was somewhat dubious about this war, but I don't think it was totally unreasonable either, particularly in light of Saddam's confrontational behavior. Would we prefer a president who sat back passively like Clinton did after the first World Trade Center bombing, US Cole bombing and Khobar Towers bombing? Would you want to be the US president who allowed Saddam to get nuclear weapons, take over all the middle east oil fields and basically control the world economy? Or sell those nukes to terrorists?

Kerry and the Dem's have had a field day calling the president a liar, undermining our troops and encouraging Al Qaeda and Iraqi terrorists, much as Kerry and Jane Fonda encouraged the North Vietnamese to hang on until their supporters in Washington could win the war for them. At some point Kerry will be forced to answer the ultimate question--what would he be doing differently to ensure security? I doubt the voters will find his answer very impressive, except for those like ART who think the whole terrorism thing is overblown.

The Kerry intern story is a fascinating example of how the media controls the country. Every major paper has had numerous frontpage stories on a subject on which there is no evidence of misconduct whatsoever--the slander that Bush somehow had less than perfect Guard attendance. By contrast, they have avoided the Kerry scandal like poison, even though the woman's father had a juicy quote calling Kerry a sleazbag. Can you imagine the headlines if it had been Bush? Fortunately, foreign countries have an energetic press, even if we don't, and we have the alternative media, led by Matt Drudge. In the old days of JFK, the media would just refuse to touch this kind of story and , presto, it never happened. Apparently they still think they are in that world, even as they scratch their heads over declinging circulations.
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Woman Denies Rumors of Kerry Affair

Feb 16, 12:57 PM (ET)

By MATTHEW ROSENBERG

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - A woman who has been the subject of rumors linking her to Sen. John Kerry denied Monday that she ever had an affair with the Democratic presidential candidate.

Breaking her silence four days after the allegations surfaced on the Internet, Alexandra Polier issued a statement to The Associated Press, saying, "I have never had a relationship with Senator Kerry, and the rumors in the press are completely false."

Kerry already has denied reports that he had an extramarital affair. On Monday, his campaign said he would have no further comment.

Polier's statement was released to the AP in Nairobi, where the 27-year-old freelance journalist is visiting the parents of her fiance, Yaron Schwartzman, an Israeli who was raised in Kenya. She previously worked as an editorial assistant for the AP in New York.

"Whoever is spreading these rumors and allegations does not know me," Polier said, appealing to the media to respect her privacy and the privacy of her fiance and his family.

Polier also took issue with reports that referred to her as a former Kerry intern.

"I never interned or worked for John Kerry," she told AP over the phone.

In a separate statement, Polier's parents, Terry and Donna Polier of Malvern, Pa., dismissed the "completely false and unsubstantiated" allegations about their daughter.

"We love and support her 100 percent and these unfounded rumors are hurtful to our entire family," the statement said. "We appreciate the way Senator Kerry has handled the situation, and intend on voting for him for president of the United States."

The statement did not address purported quotes by Polier's parents in the British tabloid The Sun that were harshly critical of Kerry.

Kerry has won 14 of 16 Democratic primaries and caucuses, and is expected to be the Democratic challenger to President Bush in November.

Rumors of a relationship between Kerry and Polier first appeared Thursday on the Internet and were picked up by newspapers in several countries outside the United States. Few U.S. publications printed her name, however.

Asked Friday about the reports, Kerry told reporters: "I just deny it categorically. It's rumor. It's untrue. And that's the last time I intend" to respond to questions about it.

Regarding her silence until now, Polier said, "Because these stories were false, I assumed the media would ignore them. It seems that efforts to peddle these lies continue, so I feel compelled to address them."

By Monday, reporters and photographers were camped outside the Schwartzmans' Nairobi home, and at one point pursued the car of Yaron's mother, Hannah Schwartzman, as she left the walled compound.

Polier and Yaron Schwartzman met at Columbia University. They arrived in Kenya last October.

Polier graduated from Clark University in Worcester, Mass., in 1999. She received her master's in journalism from Columbia in 2003.
 
Statement from woman and parents about rumors linking her to Sen. John Kerry
The Associated Press
Monday, February 16, 2004
©2004 Associated Press

(02-16) 10:00 PST (AP) --

A statement released Monday by Alexandra Polier, who has been the subject of rumors linking her to Sen. John Kerry:

"For the last several days I have seen Internet and tabloid rumors relating to me and Senator John Kerry. Because these stories were false, I assumed the media would ignore them. It seems that efforts to peddle these lies continue, so I feel compelled to address them. I have never had a relationship with Senator Kerry, and the rumors in the press are completely false. Whoever is spreading these rumors and allegations does not know me, but should know the pain they have caused me and my family. I am in Kenya with my fiance visiting his family, and we ask that the press respect our privacy and leave all of us alone."


A statement by Terry and Donna Polier, the parents of Alexandra Polier:

"We have spoken to our daughter and the allegations that have been made regarding her are completely false and unsubstantiated. We love and support her 100 percent and these unfounded rumors are hurtful to our entire family. We appreciate the way Senator Kerry has handled the situation, and intend on voting for him for president of the United States."
 
Some people, including Limbaugh, Hannity, et. al are wondering why the major press organizations were silent during this "rumor" process and yet they covered the story of Bush's guard experiences and questions concerning his tour of duty.

Common sense.

Did we have any famous individuals, newsworthy individuals making the claim of infidelity by Kerry?

No.

We had rumors of some report that someone heard something off the record, yada, yada, yada.

Apparently Drudge doesn't understand the meaning of "off the record" which is why he would never get a legitimate story directly or gain the confidence of politicians.

Should the press cover rumors because Drudge deems them "newsworthy?"

In the case of Bush, if I had been making the claims of Bush having lied, would that be newsworthy?

However, if the Democratic National Chairman says so, or if Kerry says so, it is news because they are going on the record and taking the chances that they will be exposed for false claims.

There is a difference in what is worth reporting by the major press organizations, and what rumor mills and rags like Drudge's unsupported claims use to generate buzz, selling newspapers and generating hits on their web sites.
 
http://www.drudgereport.com/mattjk7.htm

KERRY MYSTERY WOMAN DATED CAMPAIGN FINANCE CHIEF

**Exclusive**

A woman at the center of John Kerry intrigue dated longtime Kerry Finance Director Peter Maroney, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.

When pressed by media outlets in recent week, the Kerry campaign confirmed the relationship, according to top sources.

Alex Polier on Monday denied "Internet and tabloid rumors relating to me and Senator John Kerry."

Rumors swirling around Polier ignited a behind-the-scenes campaign drama.

As first reported in this space, a serious investigation of the woman and the nature of her relationship with Sen. John Kerry has been underway at TIME magazine, ABC NEWS, the WASHINGTON POST, THE HILL and the ASSOCIATED PRESS, where the woman in question once worked.

TIME magazine's Tim Burger and ABC NEWS have developed intriguing elements to the case, sources reveal.

She would joke that she was dating the next president of the United States, says a source.

Polier's flippant remarks and flirtatious manner, according to friends, fueled the intrigue.

In an off-the-record conversation with a dozen reporters earlier this week, General Wesley Clark plainly stated: "Kerry will implode over an intern issue." [Three reporters in attendance confirm Clark made the startling comments. "This guy is going to blow up. Have you seen the NATIONAL ENQUIRER story" [on Kerry's womanizing].

The Kerry commotion is the key reason why Dean reversed his decision to drop out of the race after Wisconsin, campaign sources said.
 
Drudge reported that the story was being investigated by major news organizations, which was completely true. It is obvious that the Kerry campaign has made a decision to stonewall this and count on the press to drop it. The fact that it took four days to get the "denial" out says that a lot of back and forth went into it. Kerry's answers on Imus the other morning were clearly scripted and made me yearn for a good liar like Clinton.

The fact is that Kerry is a charming man who has a lot of friends on both sides of the isle. Even conservative journalists are conflicted about these infidelity stories, and many believe that what happens in DC should stay in DC.

This woman was no high school intern from Nebraska. She knew what she was getting into and knew the rules, and I give her credit for holding up her end. She was no doubt aware that her future in politics or journalism was over if she ratted Kerry out.

This story has a Gary Hart feel to it, and Kerry must be lying awake every night wondering if there is a picture of the two of them together somewhere.
 
Also, it is believed that this rumor leaked from the left and not the right. So stop blaming Matt Drudge. And and btw, Drudge was the guy that broke the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal months before anyone in the mainstream press got wind of it.
 
Someone heard someone say that Clark said something "off the record" and that is news?

Nope, that is rumor mongering and bad journalism.

Off the record means "DO NOT PRINT THIS AND DO NOT QUOTE ME!"
 
Quote from ARogueTrader:

Someone heard someone say that Clark said something "off the record" and that is news?

Nope, that is rumor mongering and bad journalism.

Off the record means "DO NOT PRINT THIS AND DO NOT QUOTE ME!"
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Wrong, when Clark made the statement he did it was after the fact. Somebody from the left leaked out the story to try to derail Kerry. Could that somebody be Howard Dean? Very well could be. Afterall, it was Dean who was refusing to drop out of the race before this hit newswire and then after it hit, Dean, against the wishes of all his advisors, said he wil not drop out of the race after Wisconsin. All Drudge did was post the chatter that was going on within the democratic party.
 
This from Drudge's website:

http://www.drudgereportarchives.com/data/2004/02/12/20040212_234803_mattjk1.htm

In an off-the-record conversation with a dozen reporters earlier this week, General Wesley Clark plainly stated: "Kerry will implode over an intern issue." [Three reporters in attendance confirm Clark made the startling comments.]

Off the record. It was wrong for some reporter to tell anyone what was "off the record" and it was wrong for Drudge to post "off the record" comments and rumors.

That is not news, that is rumor mongering. That is the kind of shit you read in the National Enquirer.
 
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