The Boston Globe front page reports today on a new book by Robert Shrum, John Kerry’s 2004 campaign master strategist. Shrum is deeply revered by Republicans for his valuable service during 8 losing Democratic presidential campaigns: The book by veteran Democratic Party strategist Robert Shrum, titled “No Excuses”, paints a portrait of an often-dysfunctional Kerry presidential campaign in which senior strategists clashed with each other. It also quotes e-mails from Kerry's former campaign manager that are highly critical of the behavior of Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry. An advance copy of the memoir of Shrum's years in politics, slated for release in early June, was provided to the Globe.
During the campaign the Boston Globe provided obligatory coverage of Heinz Kerry’s various apologies, but either did not report on her gaffes or papered over them as they occurred ("...in a moment that quietly delighted some on Kerry's press staff, she told an antagonistic newspaperman to 'shove it' when he challenged her statement that some 'un-American traits' were sullying national politics"). Nor did the Globe inform its readers that the Kerry campaign organization decided to keep Teresa in a low profile role for the last month of the campaign. There is also not much reporting about the content of this book in today’s Globe story.
One new fable about the Swift Boat story does emerge. Shrum is blamed for advising silence as a response to the Swift Boat charges. Today’s Globe article reports:
Shrum said that the decision was forced, in part, by the campaign's need to conserve money for the fall.
Globe reporter Michael Kranish did not ask why it would have required cash for the campaign simply to explain where Kerry actually was during Christmas in 1968.
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