Bush Campaign Drafted Patterson Letter

Was just watching CNN. Jerry Patterson, the Texas Land Commissioner, is trying to deliver a letter to Senator Max Cleland, in which he and other vets are saying that the Kerry campaign "can't have it both ways."

This letter, by Patterson's explicit testimony, was drafted by the Bush Campaign for the vets to sign. I don't know the contents of it yet, and it may amount to nothing, but I wanted to make a record of it.

The chicanery continues. The standard that 527s should be held accountable to is one of truth. If a 527 lies and distorts the truth, they should be held accountable. The Smear Boat campaign is a primary example of this. 527s are not the problem - the problem is lies being given a veneer of credibility.

Also, Patterson repeated the idiocy that Bush thought he was getting rid of 527s when he signed McCain-Feingold. Is Bush really trying to claim that he didn't know what he was signing? Did he really think that he was closing that loophole? Is he that much of a chump?

UPDATE: Okay, got some background from CNN. Max Cleland today attempted to deliver a letter to President Bush in Crawford, in which he and other vets plead with Bush to specifically denounce the Smear Boat ads because of content. Evidently, not only were they rebuffed, but someone in the Bush campaign got together a few vets of their own to deliver a letter to Cleland. Patterson is trying to deliver that letter to Cleland.

The Kerry campaign will and has denounced ads from 527s that expressed objectionable content. Bush refuses to denounce specific ads, holding out to completely neuter 527s. The President wonders how much clearer he has to be, because he states that Kerry served honorably. This would help your clarity level, Mr. Bush; say this - "I denounce the Swift Boat Veterans ads that smear John Kerry's honorable service record."

If you want to go on and say, "Any ad from any organization that doesn't tell the truth is something we need to regulate in this country," then go right ahead. But don't have your attack dogs piss on John Kerry's legs and tell us it's raining. Your inability to denounce these specific ads is transparent.

Sidenote: Patterson hasn't spoken to Bush since the last campaign (2000). Evidently, Bush called him personally to thank him for agreeing to deliver the letter and asked about his newborn twins, something at which Patterson expressed mild surprise. How's that for legwork from the Bush campaign? That's the way Rove likes it.