Shrum: Big Dawg advised Kerry to back local gay marriage bans

[Perky]

Clintons Advice


Bob Shrum's book has already caused its share of trouble for John Edwards, in part from Shrum's recollection that Edwards wasn't comfortable with gay people in 1998.

But the book is really sort of a pile of unexploded ordnance, and the person who comes off as most indifferent to questions of gay rights isn't Edwards, but Bill Clinton.

A version of this story is already in print. In 2004, Newsweek reported, without a named source, that Bill Clinton had suggested Kerry "to back local bans on gay marriage."

Shrum has more, and different, detail:

"Clinton, Kerry reported at the time, did suggest blunting Bush's appeal to cultural conservatives with a reprise of Clinton's Sister Souljah moment in 1992 when he'd denounced her call for violence against whites — and done it as conspicuously as possible in front of Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition.

"Kerry, Clinton ventured, should consider defying Democratic interest groups by endorsing the Bush proposal for a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage."

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0507/Clintons_Advice.html

[misanthrope]

1. Am I supposed to be shocked at sheer political expedience?**nm

**

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Apparantly, the triangle in "triangulation" isn't pink.

Clinton is often portrayed as a great "politician". An appellation that I consider to be akin to "Master Criminal".

[Perky]

3. It will be interesting to see how Hillary responds on this.

Personally, I smell dirty tricks here. Shrum's invlusion of this little tidbit is really about '08

Is he working on any campaign?

God I hope not. He has beeen pretty much the Kiss of Death for years.

[Dogmudgeon]

4. Bill Clinton also rapes nuns, eats babies, and shops at Wal-Mart

If it's news that Bill Clinton is eeevil, there will be plenty of leftists who will believe it.

Strongly.

--p!

[Neecy]

5. yes, we knew this

Putting aside Clinton's callow advice, I guess that Shrum, with a long trail of failed candidacies behind him, has decided to cash in one last time since there's no one left stupid enough to hire him.

The only person who's really hurt by this book is Shrum himself.

[UTUSN]

6. & *I* advise ALL future Dem candidates to DUMP SHRUM!!1 n/t

[glitch]

10. People should listen to Shrum and do the exact opposite. nt

[Zenlitened]

7. Shrum. Who knows what to believe when this guy opens his mouth?

His credibility = 0 on just about any topic.

[fedupinBushcountry]

8. This is old news

and it is true that Clinton wanted Kerry to back the local bans on marriage, and Kerry outright refused. EOM

[BlooInBloo]

9. Shrum. Polotico. Drudge. The View. DU is jumping the shark.

[w13rd0]

11. We're not talking about...

...legitimate sources of news. Watching what "the enemy" is doing is one thing, but it seems far too many get their news exclusively from the font of wingnuttery.

[rox63]

12. I remember hearing about this near the end of the 2004 campaign

And I was very pleased that Kerry ignored Clinton's advice and refused to support the bans.