Kerry Spot    [ jim geraghty reporting ]
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The guys at CrushKerry.com interview a GOP campaign operative - I think I know who they're talking to, and if I'm right, their description of his title and duties is accurate - and get a sense of an emerging strategy shift on the Bush campaign:

We recently expressed our frustration over the “flip-flop” narrative with a veteran GOP campaign operative in daily contact with, and in some cases working side by side with, high-level "Bush/Cheney 04" campaign officials, and asked them why, given all the evidence that this message had long since played itself out, did the campaign continue to hammer away on it, ala Bush v. Clinton, ‘92? When were Republicans going to pummel this clown with his own record ala Reagan v. Mondale, ’84 and Bush v. Dukakis, ’88?

“October,” the operative, who asked to remain nameless, told us. “We couldn’t stay quiet all year. And if we’d been hitting him [Kerry] on his liberal record all year, it would have grown stale and lost its punch, like the flip-flop stuff has. The plan was always to barrage him with his record and brand him a Massachusetts and Washington liberal during the crucial month of October.”

So the “flip-flop” stuff was just entertaining background noise?

“That’s exactly right,” we were told. “Look, we know we can beat John Kerry on his liberal voting record. But that decision is made in finality by most voters during the closing days of an election. We needed to give people something to talk about for the past year while Kerry has tried to slash the President down with his vicious, negative attacks.”

But now the campaign is on? We’re going to see and hear a more offensive posture from the President and his campaign?

“Absolutely. I think you could call it ‘Shock and Awe.’ You’ll know it when you see it,” our source said.

We can’t wait. And we urge the President to give us more of what he gave us yesterday.

Of course, I can't help but wonder why this new focus on Kerry's liberalism didn't start with the first debate. Or maybe it did start in the first debate, and I just missed it among all the "workin' hard... hard work" comments.

On the other hand, if this plan works - Kerry is defined as the epitome of Massachusetts liberalism, then it will be a much more effective and satisfying victory for conservatives if Kerry is rejected by the voters because of his liberalism instead of his indecisiveness or inability to stick to one position for a period of time.

On the other, other hand... if Kerry wins, then it is an unmitigated victory for liberalism.

[Posted 10/07 11:00 AM]