The CBS Thumbnail Profile of Kerry

Let's count the ways this profile subtly undermines Kerry, shall we?

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has spent 18 years in the U.S. Senate. He formally announced his candidacy for the White House on Sept. 2, 2003.

So far, so good.

Kerry, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, made his name in the early 1970s as a leading war protester. (Even then, his presidential ambitions were evident to cartoonist and fellow Yale grad Garry Trudeau, who parodied Kerry in a series of Doonesbury cartoons at the time.) Kerry went on to receive a law degree from Boston College, and served as an assistant district attorney from 1977 to 1982, and then lieutenant governor from 1983 until he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984. He lost a congressional race in 1972.

Ok, we throw in the Doonesbury parody in the sketch, and end by highlighting the one race he lost.

In the Senate, Kerry has focused on foreign affairs. A liberal, Kerry has backed bills on gun control, protection of abortion rights and is a vocal opponent of the death penalty. (That stance could become an issue in the 2004 race, as it has in almost every presidential campaign in recent memory.) He has also criticized President Bush's tax cut plans.

"Liberal" has a nice punch to it here. No mention of the SEVERAL historic investigations he led, nor that he chaired the Committees of both Small Business and Terrorism. Instead, they talk about how the dealth penalty could hurt him.

On Iraq, Kerry's record is a bit muddled. He voted against giving George H.W. Bush authority to use force in the first Gulf War, but backed the current President Bush in November 2002. In January, Kerry criticized Bush's foreign policy approach as overly unilateral – and questioned whether force, in the end, should be used against Saddam Hussein. He then came out in February and said force might have to be used.

The "muddled" term rears its head. Actually, he was pretty clear. He supported a different course of action, but felt it was his responsibility to authorize the use of force. He never questioned whether force should be used, only if it was necessary before diplomacy was truly exhausted. But I admit, I like the way they say "in the end," then add another point. Classy.

Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, could prove to be a double-edged political sword for his presidential campaign. The widow of late Pennsylvania Republican Sen. John Heinz, she is worth upwards of $600 million – and has not ruled out spending personal resources on Kerry's campaign. At the same time, Heinz Kerry is a famously independent-minded woman who has a habit of speaking her mind – particularly during media interviews – in a way that could prove difficult for Kerry's campaign.

Nothing like poisoning the well for outspoken women. I'm sure Oprah would approve.

In January, Kerry finally got the public backing of Massachusetts' senior senator, Ted Kennedy, who had flirted with backing John Edwards. In the end, Kennedy took the easy political road of backing a home state colleague. He said he expects Kerry to be a strong candidate who'll win the White House next fall.

This is a brilliant piece. Not only does Kerry get associated with Kennedy, but it's suggested that Kennedy didn't really want him and endorsed him out of laziness.

In the beginning of 2003, he was beginning to be viewed as the race's frontrunner. In addition, he had two surprises: he was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Dec. 24, 2002, and The Boston Globe reported that Kerry's grandfather was Jewish. He had his prostate removed on Feb. 12, 2003. Campaign aides, and his doctors, say the surgery should have no long-term effects on either his health or his campaign.

No suggestion that recovering from prostate surgery may have affected his front-runner status, but they do throw in the all-important fact that he has Jewish blood.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/politics/main250.shtml

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Great picture to use! Ghoulish enough for ya?

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Give em some feedback. Give em hell. Write a new bio, and tell them they missed a whole decade in their's.

Against liberals, that is.