Bush campaign starts treating Zell like the plague

[CShine 0]

After gauging the harsh reaction from Democrats and Republicans alike to Sen. Zell Miller’s keynote address at the Republican National Convention, the Bush campaign — led by the first lady — backed away Thursday from Miller’s savage attack on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, insisting that the estranged Democrat was speaking only for himself.

Late Thursday, Miller and his wife were removed from the list of dignitaries who would be sitting in the first family’s box during the president’s acceptance speech later in the evening. Scott Stanzel, a spokesman for the Bush campaign, said Miller was not in the box because the campaign had scheduled him to do too many television interviews.

There was no explanation, however, for why Miller would be giving multiple interviews during Bush’s acceptance speech, or what channels would snub the president in favor of Miller. Nor was it made clear why Miller’s wife also was not allowed to take her place in the president’s box 24 hours after his deeply personal denunciation of his own party’s nominee.

The change was made only a few hours after Laura Bush, asked about Miller’s speech, said in an interview with NBC News that “I don’t know that we share that point of view.” Aides to President Bush and his campaign said Miller was not speaking for all Republicans.

.......

The Bush campaign stepped backed from Miller’s comments Thursday after it was received with almost immediate criticism, including complaints from prominent Republicans like Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

“Well, Zell Miller is a very experienced politician,” McCain, who spoke earlier at the convention, told NBC News on Wednesday night.

“I’m sure he knew exactly what he was talking about. [but] I just don’t agree with the fact that the Democrats are unpatriotic or the assertion that the Democrats are unpatriotic,” he said. “I don’t think they are.”

In an interview Thursday, Laura Bush told NBC News’ Tom Brokaw: “I don’t know that we share that point of view. I mean, I think Zell Miller has a very interesting viewpoint, just like I had the personal viewpoint to talk about the president when I spoke on Tuesday night. ...

“But, I mean, his voice is one with a lot,” the first lady said. “You also heard Senator McCain. You also heard Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Governor [Arnold] Schwarzenegger.”

A senior White House official, speaking to reporters before Bush’s address Thursday night, said, “Senator Miller was speaking on behalf of himself and obviously on behalf of himself.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5897622/

[DKW 86 7,431]

So you are criticizing The Prez for having an open mind and a little class?

[LegalEagle 22]

So you are criticizing The Prez for having an open mind and a little class?

Uh, if you are speaking in reference to President Bush, he has a "little mind" and "no class." I'm sorry if you were confused. *grin*

[AURainman 6]

So you are criticizing The Prez for having an open mind and a little class?

Uh, if you are speaking in reference to President Bush, he has a "little mind" and "no class." I'm sorry if you were confused. *grin*

broken record. broken record. broken record. broken record. broken record.

[TitanTiger 20,499]

The Dems really need some new material.

[AUloggerhead 2,241]

Did Zell Miller do something wrong? I happened to catch his speech on TV and I thought the audience was receptive to everything he said. If Miller doesn't speak for all Republicans then there sure were a lot of non-Republicans in that crowd cheering him on.

Btw, I don't get all of this "Miller savaged Kerry" talk. Miller was as plain spoken as can be -- and dead-on target from what I could tell. (Apparently when a politician is this blunt and politically incorrect nowadays, this is considered a bad thing.) If he lied in any part of his speech then please, ... somebody point out the specifics. It's kind of a shame Miller's not running for any national office. I could easily find myself voting for him regardless of his political affiliation.

[Ranger12 46]

What I am getting sick of is how the mainstream media keeps saying the republicans keep attacking Kerry's Vietnam service and supposedly attacked him during the RNC. Where are they getting this bs? They seem to confuse what the SBVT and POWs are saying to their words that are actually coming from republican leaders. Not once have I heard Bush or Cheney question Kerry's service, as Kerry has questioned Bush and Cheney's service. Then they try to attack Miller's character by calling him a former segregest by linking him to that Maddox guy instead of actually debating the points he made in his speech about Kerry. Seems that Miller's past was just a-okay when he was a speaker at the DNC when Clinton was running, but now all of a sudden that is an issue because he is dogging his own party. Sorry my fellow board liberals, but if you can't see the duplicity in that, then you guys are truly blinded by your party.

[CarolinaTiger 0]

i think the hysterial over Zell's speech comes from their (the dems) not knowing how to deal with the following:

a) an older politician that doesn't care about reelection, and therefore is unencumbered by the new PC rules of politics

someone from their own party that doesn't follow the points

c) a guy that said a lot of things that struck too near the truth for their comfort

primarily, they haven't questioned what he said, only how he said it. well, chris matthews questioned whether he really meant that kerry would defend the US w/ spitballs...he's becoming more moronic every day, IMO.

ct

[tiger88 934]

From the little I've seen on the subject, I'm guessing that they are just backing away some because of the attacks on kerry's patriotism. I have a feeling that all republicans thoroughly enjoyed the huge majority of the speech, which was an awesome speech by the way.

I wish zell coulda toned it down just a hair and not given libbies the chance to discredit part of the speech.

[Ranger12 46]

They only discredit themselves when complaining about Zell's tone. He used the same tone and demeanor when he spoke at the DNC for Clinton and they had not problem with it then. To complain about Zell's attituded and past now is only going to hurt them more. So I say let them keep running their mouths because polls keep showing that voters are starting to get better at educating themselves instead of relying on the mainstream media to do it for them.