And Reg, Exley is a key campaign Kerry staffer AND organizing director for moveon.org so no, I still see this as a double standard (including your issue with Reiff not being directly linked) -Marc
I'm not looking to have a prolonged debate on this particular issue because I think the whole thing stinks. The word you left out of your above statement is WAS an organizing director for moveon.org. Kerry's campaign hired him away. On the lawyer thing you really are off base.
If you want to say that the Kerry campaign likes what moveon.org is/was doing then I'd agree to that and I'd agree if you said hiring Exley was a very questionable move. Anybody would know that doing that in this sort of disgusting atmosphere is most certainly asking for trouble.
It still does not show a "double standard" because the SBV group is full of shady and slimy characters that are an obvious thrown together hit squad. They have been under investigation for some time now and have dozens of ties to the Bush administration...not just one. The leaders of the group all carry personal grudges against Kerry and are known to be hatchet men. Moveon.org, while being disliked by right wingers does not carry this reputation or baggage. I will admit I have not really followed the actions of Moveon.org so I don't know all of what they've thrown out there. The only ad I've seen was the one where they show all the children working various jobs. That ad was not slander or dirty, in my opinion, it was speculative and made some sense...due to its nature you could not call it "factual" but many people see the way this particular brand of Republican spends like a drunken sailor as a rather large issue for future generations.
The SBV ads are blatant lies and the Bush administration ties were kept hidden. Kerry's campaign hired Exley right out in the open...that's not to say I agree with the move but it was not devious.
The bottom line for me is that if you are running a campaign for president of this country I don't think you should get involved in anything that's going to make you look sneaky. Bushco has a major league problem in that area because every time you turn around they seem to be involved with something that doesn't look right. What that's done to them is lost them the benefit of the doubt with a lot of people...so if they look guilty people are gonna believe right off they are.
Now it's obvious both Democrats and Republicans are being sneaky in this campaign...there's no doubt about it...and everyone thinks the stakes in this election are so high it justifies bad behavior. It seems wrong for you and me to be arguing their bad behavior...we need change I believe that and I think you do too.
