If it's done honestly. That's the whole problem with this process and this is where politicians tell blatant lies. What Zell and the Republicans are saying about Kerry's "killing" all these defense projects is ridiculous and they know it. They know how the system works and how these bills were presented. They know that lots of people were opposed to a variety of issues in the bill and that voting against one of them was not a specific vote against any single project. They know prominent Republicans like Cheney and Bush1 were specifically against certain items that they are now twisting Kerry's record to say he was also against. This is why they have spent so little time on his Senate record...there's no meat there unless you distort and lie about it.
Makes you wanna puke don't it? It's easier to score political points by using smears about Viet Nam than it is by discussing voting records. They have to distort the record and then try and simplify it to something people can understand and easily remember...hence the "flipflopper" label...it's meaningless but it sticks...
Fact is they figure they'd bore the hell out of folks and confuse them if they tried to make an honest assessment. Plus it wouldn't make Kerry look bad. So they want to hang four labels on Kerry:
1. Flipflopper - Fact is Cheney and Bush 1 were specifically against the items they say Kerry was against.
2. Traitor - They want you to believe Kerry's testimony sold out his fellow soldiers and his country.
3. Pompous Coward - They want you to believe Kerry was really a coward and invented his time in Viet Nam.
4. Tax-the-hell-out-of-you-Liberal - This is the same old battle cry the Republicans always use but in this case it's pretty damn funny because no one could out spend these guys.
Notice that not a single one of these items is true and they have nothing to do with where this country is headed or the issues at hand. They are all personal attacks on Kerry. Hhmm...anyone that can add 2+2 might deduce that the Bush campaign does not want a discussion of where this country is headed to take place...wonder why?
