No retreat, no surrender, no class

Bob Novak and William Safire both have articles today on the Mary Cheney flap. I find it ironic that the same crowd who daily lambastes Bush for “not admitting a mistake” won’t make a simple apology:

The only Kerry aide on the plane who wanted him to quickly issue an apology for any perceived insult was senior adviser Mike McCurry, the former Clinton spokesman who is a calm, cool voice among the overheated Kerryites. McCurry was alone. The Kerry brain trust argued that the Bush people were even nastier, and this was no time to be soft.

Instead of an apology, the rhetoric escalated. Democrats outside the campaign were stunned by the words that followed. Kerry's usually serene campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill referred to Mary Cheney as ''fair game.'' The peak in meanness was attained by Elizabeth Edwards, the motherly wife of vice presidential nominee John Edwards. She contended the outburst against Kerry by Mary's mother, Lynne, ''indicates a certain degree of shame'' toward her daughter. It is difficult to exaggerate Lynne Cheney's outrage over Elizabeth Edwards' suggestion.

The Kerry campaign is so immersed in their smash-mouth rhetoric (they’ve noted repeatedly that they’re not going to roll over like Dukakis) that they now have no capacity for contrition.