The Troubles.

Surely, John Kerry is to the dems what England is to Ireland - an interloper, a squatter, something claiming rank without privilege. I think it is most appropriate, then, to refer to John Kerry euphemistically as The Troubles.

The Troubles are making the dems act outside their God-given intellect. The first paragraph of an MSNBC article promises much: “A newspaper investigation into the veterans' group behind the controversial TV ads about Sen. John Kerry's Vietnam war record has found a "web of connections" to the president and his family and many inconsistencies in the veterans' public statements on the matter.”

Unfortunately for them, the article goes nowhere. It never explains the “web” or points out the “inconsistencies.” Interestingly, it never touches the inconsistencies in Kerry’s statements.

This irresponsible journalism echoes what I listened to today on Rush. He played tapes of Chris Matthews becoming unglued on his show last night. He equated a “self-inflicted wound” with one that could only be done on purpose with the intent to avoid service. He badgered the poor woman being “interviewed” and got nowhere.

The issue, of course, is the circumstances surrounding Kerry’s first Purple Heart. The Swift Guys say Kerry tossed injudiciously a grenade and ate some shrapnel as a result. Hence, “self-inflicted.” Kerry said it was enemy fire. But a couple of weeks later he wrote in his diary that he and his men were “cocky” because they had yet to receive enemy fire. Forgive me for guessing, but I would venture that having grenades tossed at me by the enemy would register – for it was shrapnel from a grenade that was removed from Kerry and a band-aid (literally) applied.

What Matthews missed is that to be self-inflicted, the predicate could have been purposeful, knowing, reckless, or negligent – a standard view of mental states in law. Matthews rides the “purposeful” train and comes off looking like a fool. My understanding is that Kerry was reckless – he was trained and must have perceived the risk, he merely tossed it irrespective of the risk.

The other layer to this story is that the liberal media is jumping ugly by saying that another Swift Boat soldier wrote at the time that enemy fire was taken. That proves, so the Uglies claim, that the Swift Guys are lying.

The Troubles cannot be ignored so easily. First, Kerry said he received enemy fire to support his Purple Heart, and then Kerry said no enemy fire was received in his diary. Which time was he lying? Second, Kerry's supporters say the Swift Guys who didn't serve on his boat with him do not deserve to be heard, and then Kerry's supporters say another person "who served with" Kerry (but no claim of being on his boat) recalls enemy fire and must be listened to. Either those off the boat can be heard or not, eh?

The treatment by Matthews is similar to what Laney Davis and that junkyard dog that worked for Clinton (I forget his name. Bald. A weight problem waiting to blossom. Tries always to win through force of personality rather than intellect – just playing into his strong hand, I guess.). They had a Swift Guy on and would ask a question, and then not let him answer. Then accuse him of being afraid to answer. It was pure theatre. Rather humorous actually. And in that way it was different than Matthews: I think Chris seriously needs to take a break. An MRI may be advised, too.

Humorously, the Uglies are trying to tie the Swift Guys to W through serpentine avenues such as one financial backer is a Trustee on the George the Elder's presidential library. Another was an associate of Karl Rove. Yet they leave alone the Moore film with all of its lies, and the ratification of them by allowing Moore to sit with former president Carter at the convention.

So, all of the above begets a question or two or three: Why are the dems so painfully afraid? Why are they acting so seemingly out of control? What do they know, and when did they know it?

I suggest that they are afraid because they are watching Kerry closely and know that he is not ready for prime time. He continues to make the mistakes of an amateur. And Edwards is an animated squeezebox. And Kerry’s wife is a loose cannon. At least Hillary thought of political calculations – her math wasn’t always the best, but she tried.

The dems are acting out of control because that is exactly what they are going to be post-November – and for a long, long time. If Kerry tanks – and remember that it is pre-Labor Day, pre-Pub Convention, and he is in serious trouble – then W spends October supporting Thune and in other states pumping the legislative votes. The dem exposure in this Senate class spirals out of control. Close to or exceeding 60 pubs comes into focus. The House margin expands. It will take the dems a decade to get their footing back.

They knew this was coming, I suspect, two seconds into Kerry’s convention speech. When he decided to carry his Vietnam record forward, to make it post-Convention fodder, then they knew it was over. Kerry had the chance to ride the issue through mid-summer, and then abandon it. To let him address today’s issues of Swift Guys as “old news.”

I think they were reminded of the depth of their problem yesterday when Kerry “took on” the Swift Guys by using the dem Talking Points word-for-word. How pathetic. Those words are meant for the troops, not the leader. The leader is supposed to gloss over the Points, is supposed to interpret them and apply his own nuance. No, Kerry repeated them word-for-word.

I have watched a lot of elections and studied even more. I place Kerry in the class of the weakest candidates this century. The dems are in serious, serious trouble.

These days may be revisited for generations. It was when The Troubles began.