Leggo My Eggo

It turns out that John Kerry never owned what he said he owned and never said he owned what he claims he doesn't own. Rather, Senator Veracity of Taxachussets would now have us believe that the detailed and personal responses to the questionnaire provided by Outdoor Life for their interview with the candidates were instead filed out by a lowly, un-named junior campaign staffer.

Senator John Kerry's campaign said yesterday that Mr. Kerry did not own a Chinese assault rifle, as he was quoted as saying in Outdoor Life magazine, but a single-bolt-action military rifle, blaming aides who filled out the magazine's questionnaire on his behalf for the error.

Michael Meehan, a spokesman for the campaign, said Mr. Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, owns two guns, a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun and the rifle, which Mr. Meehan said Mr. Kerry "keeps as a relic" and had never fired. Mr. Meehan said the gun had no make or model markings on it and that Mr. Kerry "got it from a friend years ago," adding that such rifles were first manufactured in Russia more than 100 years ago and were used by the North Koreans and the Vietcong.

The clarification came in response to an article yesterday in The New York Times quoting Mr. Kerry's response to a question by Outdoor Life: "What is your favorite gun?"

"My favorite gun is the M-16 that saved my life and that of my crew in Vietnam," said Mr. Kerry, a veteran, according to the October issue. "I don't own one of those now, but one of my reminders of my service is a Communist Chinese assault rifle."

Though the comment was presented by Outdoor Life as part of an "exclusive interview with the two presidential candidates," four pages that included many long, conversational answers using first-person pronouns, Mr. Meehan said Mr. Kerry's portions were written by his staff. A public relations representative for Outdoor Life did not respond to a message seeking comment.

So, apparently, nothing the Senator says can be readily believed because while quoted to him, he would have us believe that it is actually the product of a run away campaign staff who failed to check with him and decides to fabricate exactly what kind of gun he has. When it blows up in his face, they then regroup and cite another, allegedly less scary but unknown weapon.

He Who Shall Not Be Named has the details on this new rifle.


All this, of course, has me wondering what other alternative realities Mr. Kerry's campaign staff create?

As a lifelong hunter and fisherman, I am proud to be among the millions of American sportsmen and sportswomen who are dedicated to conserving fish and wildlife and passing along the American hunting and fishing traditions to the next generation.

Did they make this up? Probably.

I started hunting and shooting with my family when I was 12 years old. It taught me responsibility and respect for the outdoors. As President I will make conservation of the outdoors and preservation of hunters’ rights a priority so that another generation of Americans can pass on these values to their children and grandchildren.

Did his staff pull this out of thin air or did they actually ask the candidate when he started hunting?

What about his favorite day in the field, is this nothing but a fiction created by campaign staffers?

The greatest day I ever had in the field was in South Carolina hunting with my cousins; though last year bagging two pheasants with two shots on my first hunt in Iowa was also a good day.

Sadly, the junior league reporters at the New York Times seem incapable of asking the tough questions. I guess that’s the fault of the pajamaheden?

Here's the Senator Kerry's staffer's response to the question "In your view, does the Second Amendment protect the individual’s right to own firearms? Why or why not?"

Yes. As a hunter and a gun owner, I believe that law-abiding American adults have the right to own firearms. As President, I will defend the Second Amendment right of law-abiding American adults to own firearms.

Did he make that up?

Well, this statement is his agreement that any firearm laws be subjected to a strict scrutiny review . For the non lawyers out there, that means a firearm law must be supported by not only a compelling state interest, but that the means chosen to address that interest are narrowly tailored and do not burden the Republic with an overbroad scheme. Wygant v. Jackson Board of Education, 476 U.S. 267, 274 (1986). (For those not familiar with standards of review, this web page provides a good general overview). The end result of course, is that nearly every gun control measure supported by Kerry is unconstitutional.

Is this another waffle?

Does he now oppose all gun control, even the ridiculously overbroad so called Assault Weapons ban?

I support extending the assault weapons ban.

That’s his response to the previous question.

Hmm, waffles within the same interview.

Obviously his unnamed staffers aren't speaking to the candidate or each other. Otherwise, his positions could never be so, so, so. . . . nuanced??

Naah, how about just full of it.


Crossposted at the Countertop Chronicles.