Karl Rove and the Swift Boat smear campaign

Kerry has accused the Bush campaign of links to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. While the U.S. press has exposed minor players, the key player is Karl Rove, who is far too experienced to leave fingerprints that would link him to these smear tactics. But his history is well known, and the U.K. newspaper, The Guardian is less reluctant than U.S. sources to link Rove with the Swift Boat smear campaign.

In today's Guardian, Paul Harris writes ("Why Bush's Man is Fighting Dirty") that "Rove's plan is simple: a mass mobilisation of the Republican base, coupled with a brutal media operation that has gone after Democratic nominee John Kerry's Vietnam record, seeking to portray the decorated veteran as a weak-willed liar." The article also reminds us of Rove's early training with the Nixon crew: "One of [Rove's] first political experiences on a national level was in 1973, when he was accused of holding seminars for college Republicans on dirty tricks techniques."

In last Friday's Guardian, Howard Raines ("It's the IQ, Stupid") was even more direct in linking Rove and the Swift Boat smear campaign: "This year, wealthy Bush supporters close to Rove have funded a front organisation called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth to carry out an "independent" attack on Kerry's well-documented record as a decorated battle commander in Vietnam." Raines reminds readers of Rove's mentor, Lee Atwater, and his successful attacks on Michael Dukakis.

In contrast, U.S. media has been much more tentative. This points to another reason to read foreign papers--to see ourselves as others see us AND to see where the U.S. megalo-media outlets fear to tread.

Be well, Lynn