Is He Serious?
According to The Nashua Telegraph, John Edwards thinks that the President needs to discuss these newly-[discovered] National Guard memos dredged up by Dan Rather.

President Bush should have to explain newly released records that reveal his former Texas National Guard superior was asked to "sugar coat" performance records after finding Bush failed standards to be a trained pilot, Sen. John Edwards said Thursday.

"I think they are reasonable and legitimate questions the White House ought to answer," Edwards said during an interview with The Telegraph.

Is this guy serious? Does no one in the Kerry campaign read fucking blogs? Turns out, Breck Girl, your surrogates at CBS News have stepped in a gargantuan pile of dog shit. You could have known that before you opened your pie hole today.

But, then, the evidence of Edwards' delusions made itself clear:

Edwards said the American people have "moved on" and already dismissed attacks from a pro-Bush veterans group that Kerry didn't deserve combat medals he received during the Vietnam War and had endangered prisoners of war with his strident protest of the war upon his return.

"I think people now having heard so much about it have a sense about John Kerry, his service to the country and his patriotism and what he's done with the rest of his life," Edwards said.

Jesus Christ! Does this guy still believe in the tooth fairy, too?

Uh, well, anyway, back to the forgeries.

The only possible explanation ---besides ignorance--- for why Edwards would suggest that the President respond to the accusations implied in a stack of forgeries is that Edwards has been told to play it straight. That is to say, he would be expected to raise the issue of these memos because it is consistent with the Democrats' standard line, which is that Bush was AWOL or a deserter or whatever. So, to rely on the veracity of a story brought out by a putatively reputable (think, boy, think!) news organization is the safe way to play it. In doing so, he and the campaign can claim that they were simply trusting in Dan Rather and CBS News if it later turns out that CBS News acknowledges that they were pushing forged docs.

All good liars know this step in misdirection: it is the authenticating touch of the plausible misjudgement, the ring of truth inherent in human error.

And this will give the campaign some distance. But will it be enough distance to persuade voters to believe that the Kerrion had nothing to do with supplying those forgeries?

Courage.