RUSH: John Kerry, after <a target=new href=”http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2007/01/25/BL2007012500416.html”>”droning”</a> on for half an hour yesterday on the Senate floor — and that is a great way to describe Senator Kerry’s speech pattern. He drones. Sounds like he’s practically meditating out loud. He ended up tearing up over his lost dream of being president. Now, contrast this vain, self-centered Brahman — you know, he’s the exact opposite of most men. He got where he is by hitching his wagon to a wealthy divorcee. Most men get there on their own. But that’s another story. He’s up there crying on the Senate floor, he’s so sensitive and he’s so sad. Contrast that with Bush, got the weight of the world on his shoulders, remains confident, centered, optimistic. Here’s Senator Kerry yesterday at the big moment.
KERRY: We came close, Mr. President, certainly close enough to being tempted to try again. There are powerful reasons to want to continue that fight now. But I’ve concluded this isn’t the time for me to mount a presidential campaign. The people of Massachusetts have given me an incredible privilege to serve, and I intend to work here to change a policy in Iraq that threatens all that I’ve cared about and fought for since I came home from Vietnam. The fact is —
RUSH: Sobbing there.
KERRY: — that what happens here in the next two years may irrevocably shape or terribly distort the administration of whichever candidate is next elected president.
RUSH: Yeah, it might, but it could also — this is total doom and gloom and pessimism and defeatism. I think the deal they made with him, ?Senator, look ?? this is Democrats ?– get out of this and we’ll see to it that you get elected in Massachusetts as long as you want. You can wreck Massachusetts all you want, you come crying on the Senate floor, do whatever you want to do, go windsurf, go skiing, whatever, just don’t run for president again. We’ll let you have Massachusetts.? Senator Kennedy then talked about his fallen comrade as if he had died.
KENNEDY: I know how difficult decision this is for Senator Kerry. And I say to the people of the country how proud we are of John Kerry. I think all of us in Massachusetts know what an outstanding senator he has been for our state —
RUSH: Really?
KENNEDY: — and for our country. He’s been a true hero in every sense of the word.
RUSH: Does it sound like he believes this?
KENNEDY: And he’s been my colleague who I?ve valued the opportunity to work with. And most of all, he’s been my friend.
RUSH: You know, this sounds like somebody faking sadness, wanting to come across as though they’re really impacted by this, but just can’t quite pull it off. In fact, it was Senator Kennedy recently who said, ?Look, if he doesn’t make up his mind soon I’m not supporting him in ’08, I’ve gotta move on.? Believe me, folks, there’s always stuff that we don’t know in addition to what we’re shown, and I guarantee you, the fact that the advisors are saying it was the botched joke means that the riot act was read to this guy behind closed doors. ?Look, we got too big a chance here to win ?? well, it was a joke. Nobody had to do anything with the joke. The joke was what it was, it reverberated all the way to the green zone in Baghdad on its own, got there its own wings, didn’t even need a prayer to get there. Dingy Harry then gives a very creepy farewell to Kerry, saying that Bush stole the presidency from him.
REID: He’s a war hero, a war hero. John Kerry was my nominee —
RUSH: Stop the tape. John Kerry is alive, folks, in case you’re wondering. These are not eulogies. These are just two guys going to the floor of the Senate to react to Kerry saying he’s not going to run for president!
REID: — for president of the United States. I believed in John Kerry. John Kerry came within a few votes of being president of the United States, in one of the dirtiest, most negative, unfair campaigns I have ever witnessed. To try to take away from this man his gallantry as a war fighter was beyond the pale, but they did it. John Kerry and I have shared heartache together.
RUSH: Well, here’s to much more.
REID: So I say to John Kerry, I love you, John Kerry, and I am so sorry that things didn’t work out for our country. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that I will always care about you greatly and remember the times that we’ve spent together.
RUSH: Could we maybe have a reframe here of the Requiem for the Common Man? Things didn’t work out for the country — that’s what he said. I’m so sorry things didn’t work out for our country, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I will always care about you greatly and remember the times that we have spent together. Are they not going to spend any more time together? They’re going to both still be in the Senate. Things didn’t work out for the country. I think this is just one of these collegial tributes, because these two guys are probably instrumental in telling him, ?You are not running and embarrassing this party again,? and this is the payback. Oh, I watched a little bit of it yesterday on C-SPAN2 and they had the camera on Kerry, but they don’t pan so you don’t know who else was in there. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Kennedy and Reid were the only two guys in there when this was all happening, but that’s irrelevant. Anyway, just funny stuff, funny stuff, mind-boggling.