Does It Have Legs?

The blogosphere has been running with stories about the Swiftboat veterans anti-Kerry book and Kerry's own misstatements about his Christmas in Cambodia. To start, check out Hugh's roundup and hit all the links.

Hugh wonders if this story will move out of the blogosphere and into the mainstream. Hopefully, Robert Novak's column on the book will drive the call for Kerry to answer some of these questions:

"I have read the book and found it is neither the political propaganda nor the urban legend that its detractors claim. It is a passionate but meticulously researched account of how Kerry went to war, what he did in the war and how he conducted himself after the war. The very serious charges by former comrades deserve answers but so far have produced only ad hominem counterattacks.

Why should details of what Kerry did more than 30 years ago be part of this election campaign? Only because the senator has made them integral to his strategy. Kerry as war hero received more attention at the Democratic National Convention than plans for the future. Thus, what he did in his shortened four months of combat becomes a valid campaign issue."