American Politics Journal -- Pundit Pap

Flush twice... it's a long way to Sally Quinn's place...

Pundit Pap Epilogue
for November 17, 2002
Someone dared say AWOL!
by JJ Balzer

Nov. 18, 2002 -- NEW YORK (APJP) -- My gratitude to Eschaton for posting this choice morsel of panel pap from CNN Late Edition:

[ROBERT] GEORGE [New York Post columnist]: The question is,
whenever you have candidates like that, though, such as like Bob
Kerry in the past and so forth, can they make it through a
Democrat primary, and I'm skeptical.
[WOLF] BLITZER: He's a very smart guy.
[RYAN] LIZZA [of The New Republic]: He's a very smart guy. He's a
Rhodes scholar, obviously he's a Vietnam vet. The interesting
thing is what I've seen him say on Iraq is not the hawkish
position, he's not taking the hard-line position, he's actually
worried that what we're doing in Iraq might harm the war on
terrorism.
BLITZER: He's been dovish. He's been much along the lines of
Colin Powell on this whole issue.
LIZZA: But could be a great vice presidential candidate for a
Democratic nominee who doesn't have national security bona fides.
BLITZER: He spent a little time in the last few weeks in New
Hampshire. I know that because I've had him on my shows and
we've interviewed him from New Hampshire.
[JULIANNE] MALVEAUX [syndicated columnist]: We've got a president
who has not served, and you can't contest a president who has not
served with someone who...
BLITZER: Bush was in the guard.
MALVEAUX: That doesn't count.
BLITZER: What do you mean?
MALVEAUX: Well, he went AWOL.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Let's move on, let's move on.
Crosstalk was Wolf desperately trying to shut her up.

We will not move on, Wolf. We will not sit down, we will not shut up. Chimpy McSmirkster DESERTED the National Guard. OUR taxpayer money was paying his salary while he turned his back on his military duty in Texas to play losing politics in Alabama!

And Julianne -- you go, girl!

JJ Balzer is a former television news producer. He lives in New York City.