From the "No, Really?" Department...

... comes this amusing headline: Dean Seeks Halt to Attack Politics.

Now, note that I do not comment one way or the other about how deserved/undeserved these attacks would be; I merely note that as news goes it's... well, not really news at all, is it? We already knew that Dean was being the subject of political attacks by fellow Democratic nominees: the fact that he objects to this sort of thing is only slightly more surprising than the revelation that most men quite loathe being kicked in the testicles. If he had said, "Bring it on, kiddies: I eat this stuff up! Without ketchup! It makes me grow chest hair and sweat pure sex-appeal!" - well, that would have been news.

Yes, yes, it's a slow election news weekend. I grok. Still...

Moe

PS: There's also the question of why it's the leadoff item of three separate stories, but that's another issue entirely, although probably not a very interesting one.

Comments

[Matthew Stinson]

Leave it to Dean to say, "Attack politics against Bush = good. Attack politics against me = bad." He already thinks he's the nominee, doesn't he?

[Stentor]

Considering the kinds of attacks Dean made on the other candidates to get to where he is, I don't think he has much room to criticize them for doing likewise.

The funny thing is, though, that being attacked really does seem to make him grow chest hair and sweat sex appeal. He's been the target of everything from half-baked hack jobs through to reasoned and devastating deconstructions of his fitness for office, and none of them have made much of a dent in his standing.

[Moe Lane]

"The funny thing is, though, that being attacked really does seem to make him grow chest hair and sweat sex appeal."

Apparently, one of Dean's most powerful selling points to his supporters is that, dammit, he fights back. I have my own opinions about the accuracy of that belief (and the long term utility of the strategy it implies), but we'll let the election prove/disprove them.

[Thorley Winston]

While I cannot say that the relative sex appeal of the presidential contenders is of particular interest to me, I can say that I wish that Republicans in general and Bush in particular would be half as nasty as their Democratic rivals.

However since the rope-a-dope strategy of Bush & Co seems to usually get the desired result, I cannot complain too much.

I am quite confident that Mr. Bush will be able to defeat which ever loser ends up running as the Democratic candidate, particularly one who appears to be insane and would clearly be bad for America. ;)

[Gary Farber]

"...I can say that I wish that Republicans in general and Bush in particular would be half as nasty as their Democratic rivals."

Might want to run that theory by John McCain. Or Ann Richards.

Darn that Karl Rove! If only he wasn't so ethical and gentle!

[Dave's not here]

Speaking of "ethical and gentle", Wes Clark displayed his prowess with words while on the campaign trail in New Hampshire.

Courtesy of the AP and the Houston Chronicle:
"DERRY, N.H. -- Moments after praising his opponents in the Democratic presidential race as worthy running mates, Wesley Clark said, in no uncertain terms, how he would respond if they or anyone else criticized his patriotism or military record.

"I'll beat the s--- out of them," Clark told a questioner as he walked through the crowd after a town hall meeting Saturday. "I hope that's not on television," he added.

It was, live, on C-SPAN."

Ya gotta love that delicate phraseology.

[Slartibartfast]

Props to Clark. Smartest thing I've ever heard him say, even secondhand.

[Joe]

To all of those that see Karl Rove as the spawn of Satan, I only wish that you were alive to see Lee Atwater do his thing. The man made Shrum and Coelho look like altar boys. He's the only reason Clinton got elected. Brain tumor kind of slowed him down a bit.

[Joe]

As to the story, it reminds me of the one I read every January. "Cold Spell Sweeps Region". Yeah, no shit. Thanks for that one. Where's the three parter on the wetness of water, the op-ed on what direction the sun rises and Pulitzer prize winning entry for investigative jounalism that finally settles where a bear sh*ts.