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The Forsyth County News Opinion This is a page of opinions ours, yours and others. Signed columns and cartoons are the opinions of the writers and artists and may not reflect our views. Looking back on a bad performance by Kerry WASHINGTON To be an effective president or an effective presidential candidate, you have to be able to perform well in public. As Lewis L. Gould, author of "The Modern American Presidency," writes, "Over the past 50 years, the institution of the presidency has evolved into a mixture of celebrity and con tinuous campaigning." So it is fair to evaluate the performance abilities of our presidents and presidential can didates (yes, even down to what kind of ties they wear on TV'). In the last week, the public has been treated to two major performances: George W. Bush held a formal press conference in the East Room of the White House last Tuesday, and John Kerry was interviewed on "Meet the Press" for the full hour on Sunday. Both events were fraught with peril for the performers. Both events required prepara tion. which is to say rehearsal. The campaigns can guess at what their performers will be asked, but they cannot know with certainty. Since the Bush press con ference has been much written about, however, let me leave that for a future column in order to evaluate Kerry's inter view by Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" Sunday. While I thought Kerry per formed well when he was attacking Bush. I thought he did less well when he was defending his own past words and positions. The worst moment came when Russert played a video tape of Kerry 's first appearance on "Meet the Press" on April 18. 1971, in which a 27-year old. bushy-haired Kerry admits that he committed (sort of) atrocities in Vietnam: "There are all kinds of atrocities," Kerry says on the tape, "and I would have to say that, yes, yes. I committed the same kind of atrocities as thou sands of other soldiers have committed in that I took part in shootings in free-fire zones. I conducted harassment and interdiction fire. I used 50-cal iber machine guns which we were granted and ordered to use. which were our only weapon against people. I took part in search-and-destroy mis sions. in the burning of vil lages. All of this is contrary to the laws of warfare." The clip ends, and Russert On your payroll CITY COUNCIL NATIONAL LEGISLATORS Sen. Renee Unterman, 45th District > I Jhfc J Mavrv M Fnrd C rauH* ■’’"‘’""2Bl * U S® o ’ 26,1 M ' ller (770) 466-1507 Mayor,H.Ford Gravitt FB| Russe| , Senateßuj|dj Roomc _ 3 ' 00 PO. Box 3177, Cumming, GA 30028; (770) 887-4342 I Washington, DC. 20510 Office (404) 463-1368 Mayor Pro-Tern, Lewis Ledbetter IL (202) 224-3643; Fax: (202) 228-2090 » < Rep. Tom Knox, 14th District e 205 Mountain Brook Dr., Cumming, GA30040; (770) 887-3019 11 Legislative Office Building, Room 504 ■A Raloh Perrv ■d w L J—- 18 Capitol Square, Atlanta, GA 30334 1420 Pilgrim Rd., Cumming, GA 30040; (770) 887-7474 Washington, DC. 20515 Ul k (404) 6566188, or (770) 887-0400, law office Quincy Holton (202)224-3521 Rep. Jan Jones, 38th District > J 103 Hickory Ridge Dr., Cumming, GA 30040; (770) 887-5279 _ < U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, 10th District 412 Le 9 islative Office Building, Rupert Sexton 2437 Rayburn House Office Building, Atlanta GA 30334 < - ffl| 705 Pine Lake Dr., Cumming, GA 30040; (770) 887-4332 F J Washington, D.C. 20515 (404) 656-0137 „ u f* « Gainesville: P.O. Box 1015, Gainesville, GA 30503 Oft JB k Gainesville, (770) 535-2592; Washington: (202) 225- < Rep. Jack Murphy, 14th District 10813th St. Cummrug. GA 30040: (770) 887-3342 5211: Fax: (202) 225-8272 legislative otffce Building, II q Ran Inhn i inri ar - HUBNB <*». J Room 612, Atlanta GA 30334 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS " F*M V 47 (404) 656-0325: (770) 781-9319, home nhArioa i aiinhinnhml Washington, D.C. 20515*1011 I SKSeDr GA 30040 Washington: (202) 225-4272; Fax: (202) 2234696 [ . J BOARD OF EDUCATION (770) 886-7937; office, (770) 886-2810 STATE LEGISLATORS |L_J 96 GA 30040 ■™lXXT Bf ’**’ DteWC ' (404) 392-6983; office, (770) 886-2809 Atlanta, GA 30334 9810 Kings Rd., Gainesville, GA 30506 John A “Jack” Conway, Post 3 K (404)651-7738 (770) 889-9971: pkreager@forsyth.kl2.ga.us 6130 Polo Club Dr., Cumming, GA 30040 Nancy Roche (770) 886-9226; (770) 886-2807 ■Lajß S®* l - Caß ®y C^ l ®’ 49th Dißtrict > 7840 Chestnut HiN Rd ' Cumming, GA 30041 Marcie Kreager Post 4 421 State Ca P rto1 ’ Atenta > 30334 R•’ JIl f 77 0) 889-0229; nroche@forsyth.kl2.ga.us 9810KingsRd.,Gainesville,GA30506 g-—-. Te1eph0ne:(404)6566578; (tax)(4o4) z J RebeccaK.Dowell office, (770) 886-2806 | 6516768 2030 Commonwealth Place, Cumming, GA 30041 dl e .1 (770)844-0830;rdowell@fofsyth.k12.gaus Eddie Taylor, Post 5 M «'I7I * S®* l - 08,1 27th District Chairman Jeffrey Stephens 4195 Morningside Dr., Cumming, GA 30041 (770)495-3127; P.O. Box 169, Cumming, GA 30028 (770)886-2802 Office (404) 463-8055 (770) 889-1470; jstephens@fofsyth.kl2.ga.us . ijTf Roger Simon says to Kerry: "You committed atrocities." To which Kerry replies lightheartedly: "Where did all that dark hair go, Tim? That's a big question for me.” I think that when humor is used well, it can be a powerful tool. Humor is a good way to divert a tough question to safer ground. But after you have just admitted to blowing people apart with 50-caliber machine gun rounds, humor is not going to get you anything except winces and groans. Kerry went on to a serious reply, but the damage was done. It was a bad moment. (Inexplicably, since Kerry had a transcript of his 1971 perform ance and should have been pre pared for questions about it.) And it had been preceded by a missed moment: Russert asked Kerry about his now-famous assertion in March that "I have met more (foreign) leaders who can't go out and say it publicly but. boy. they look at you and say. You gotta win this, you gotta beat this guy. we need a new policy.'" Russert asked Kerry to name the leaders and quoted a Washington Times story stating that Kerry "has made no offi cial trips abroad in the past two years. Within the United States, he has had the chance to meet with only one foreign leader since the beginning of last year, according to a review of his travel schedule." Kerry’ replied to Russert that "you can go to New York City and you can be in a restaurant and you can meet a foreign leader." This is no doubt true, but it was a missed opportunity. What Kerry should have said is: "I'll tell you one foreign leader I did not meet with. Tim. I did not meet with Saudi Prince Bandar and collude to fix oil prices like President Bush did!" Am I using 20-20 hindsight on all these points? You bet. It always has been easier to be a critic than to be a per former. Which is why we have so many critics. Roger Simon is a national ly syndicated columnist. J* rartw Hope x FA “...You know, I’m really going to miss those eggs!" Bush backing left-wing-supported Specter WASHINGTON George W. Bush's journey to Pittsburgh Monday to stand with Sen. Arlen Specter in the political battle of his life puts the president in unusual com pany. Specter’s supporters, as he faces conservative Rep. Pat Toomey's challenge in the April 27 Pennsylvania Republican primary, have included George Soros. Harold Ickes Jr.. Ron Carey. Arthur Coia. Richard Ben- Veniste, Alan Dershowitz. Barbara Kennelly and the International Association of Fire Fighters. That's a left-wing all-star team, validating Specter's long career as a political broken field runner. He will become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee next year as a Republican in good stand ing who is also a favorite sen ator in liberal-labor circles. When organized labor has needed a vote. Specter has been there, explaining why many of Bush's enemies are Specter's friends. Why then has President Bush not only endorsed Specter but gone to Pennsyl vania to campaign for him? While Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 blundered when he tried to purge anti-New Deal members of Congress, Bush backs any lawmaker with an "R" beside his name. Simultaneously. Democratic activists and financial contrib utors support Specter despite his party designation. —— Robert Novak yr Heading the list is billion aire investor George Soros, who so far has spent $15.5 million to defeat George W. Bush. Soros has plenty left for Specter, contributing $50,000 to the Republican Mainstream Partnership as part of its ear marked $200,000 against Toomey. In the 1998 election cycle. Soros and his wife gave Specter the $4,000 legal maxi mum. With a Republican primary approaching. Specter does not want public association with Bush-bashers. When Rush Limbaugh reported the Soros contribution on his radio pro gram. Specter telephoned the conservative talker last Wednesday to stress that he is "very, very strongly support ing" Bush. The senator said he has "nothing to do" with the Republican Mainstream Partnership or Soros's dona tion. though he is listed on the organization's Web site as a member. There are many other sources of Specter support who despise Bush: The fire fighters union contributed $2,500 to Specter last September, the same month in which it became the first labor union to endorse Kerry for president. Specter FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS-Thur»d«y, April 22,2004 - has received contributions from two big left-leaning unions, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and the Pennsylvania State Education Association also have endorsed him. ln the last election cycle. Specter was given SIO,OOO by the Teamsters under the leadership of Ron Carey (whose election to the presidency was voided by court order). He received SB,OOO from the Laborers Union under President Arthur Coia, who then was under investigation for ties with organized crime and later was barred from active union lead ership. The National Comm ittee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, head ed by Democratic former Rep. Barbara Kennelly of Connecticut, gave Specter SI,OOO last fall. The organiza tion fights Bush's plan for pri vate investment accounts. Harvard Law Prof. Alan Dershowitz, a fierce critic of the way Bush was elected, has contributed to Specter in the current and previous election cycles. Harold Ickes Jr., the for mer Clinton White House aide who runs the Media Fund put ting anti-Bush advertising on television, gave Specter PAGE 11A SI,OOO last year. Richard Ben-Veniste, the high-powered Washington lawyer serving on the inde pendent 9/11 Commission, is a Specter backer. He con tributed to Specter in 1997 when Ben-Veniste was repre senting Terry McAuliffe, now the Democratic national chair man, in connection with the Teamsters scandal. Ben- Veniste is generous to Democrats, but Specter is the only Republican on record as being helped by him. "Arlen is with us on votes that matter," conservative Sen. Rick Santorum, the other Pennsylvania senator, says in a television ad for Specter. Specter did vigorously support Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's confirma tion. But he was not "with us" in opposing Robert Bork for the Supreme Court, in failing to support the full Bush tax cut and in voting against President Bill Clinton's removal from office. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, a leader in estab lishing a liberal litmus test on judicial opponents, last year wrote Bush listing Specter among desirable Supreme Court nominees. If the presi dent can accept George Soros's choice for the Senate, could he go along with Chuck Schumer's suggestion for the Supreme Court? Robert Novak is a nation ally syndicated columnist and a television commentator.