Dirty Deeds

Bush is an idiot and nobody reports it because, ... well ... that's just Bush.

Karl Rove plays dirty and nobody reports it because, ... well, ... that's just Rove.

In an incredibly cynical, partisan move, the Pentagon is opening an official investigation into John Kerry's war record. No word yet on whether the investigation will report before or after November 2nd (does it matter?).

The Guardian today has a very good analysis of Karl Rove's dirty tricks campaign and the Kerry team's faltering responses. It seems Kerry is making some quick changes after a few weeks of downhill polling:

"Last week, Kerry and his campaign manager, Mary Beth Cahill, finally swooped. In came high-profile names from the Clinton era. Joe Lockhart, a former White House spokesman, will now join Kerry on his travels. Former Clinton adviser Joel Johnson will head a 'war room' to toughen up attacks. "

The article also points out that:

(a) there are still two months to go,

(b) new allegations against Bush are soon to air from Ben Barnes, the man who helped Bush get into the National Guard, and

(c) while the religious right were conspicuously absent from the GOP convention stage in NYC last week, they held their own rally at the Waldorf-Astoria. Reporters were banned while speakers debated such things as "trying to remove the separation between church and state in American life."

Further analysis of Karl Rove's dirty tricks campaigning comes from Paul Vitello at Newsday, who compares the recent GOP convention to a mugging.