Wild Goose Chase

Field & Stream poster boy John Kerry's foul fowl photo op.
by Tom Swart
10/22/2004 5:28pm

Let's get this straight, politics is a dirty game. That's why John Kerry had to head off to the duck blind with a trio of real hunters to fire off another round of make-believe in an attempt to spiff up his image with the supporters of the second amendment. Unfortunately for him, his voting record on gun owner rights blasts buckshot holes right through this pretty picture. Believe me, he wouldn't have been there if there were not a Presidential election looming 12 days away.

A real hunter, who truly enjoys the sport, would carry the goose he'd bagged. But for Kerry that wouldn't play well with the animal rights activists in his base, so he had another fellow in the hunting party carry the bird with his explanation that he's "too lazy" and "still giddy over the Red Sox. It was hard to focus". What does the Red Sox victory have to do with carrying what you've shot? Ah, politics is a dirty game, but don't expect Kerry to get his hands dirty. I see through this; it tells me that he wants to be seen as a hunter for the camera, the shotgun in the crook of his arm, the camouflage, the buddies, all of the appearances, but he's disassociated from the results, He doesn't carry his kill nor clean it. The result is a hygienic, staged hunt where he flips the bird to one of his hunting partners. Personally, I'd have flipped the bird right back at him.

What's more, I don't believe he shot that goose. Maybe if you threw a loin cloth on it he might've plugged it in the back. But it is an interesting snapshot after all because the photo does capture something. It shows someone who's as phony as an orange-skin tan. One thing that Americans are usually quite good at sniffing out is a fake and nothing will blow an election for you faster. There have been exceptions to that, but only for those most polished at it, such as the last Democrat to live in the White House. But this photo is so transparent, it speaks to the essence of John Kerry. And it screams of the reasons why this guy shouldn't be leader of the free world.

I'm not naïve about photo ops; I know all politicians do them as a necessary evil. But I recommend going with something that you really are. John Kerry is no more a hunter than he is a Radio City Music Hall Rockette. Now there's a photo op for you, but the press would have to check local obscenity laws before running that one.

Contrast this photo with the one of George W. Bush embracing Ashley Faulkner upon learning that her mother was a World Trade Center victim. It was snapped by Ashley's father. Could this have been staged as well? Perhaps, but I think not. It's not a particularly good picture of Bush, and it looks like an amateur photo. The father took the picture with his digital camera without looking through the view because he didn't want to disrupt the moment being shared by his daughter and the President. Again, this photo captures something as well. It shows the genuine pain and concern written across the face of Bush - it tells you that he's not a phony. He's sincere and that's really him.

So Kerry's on a wild goose chase, trying to shake the liberal label enough to pick up some sportsmen votes. But don't fall for this decoy, he's off target again. I guess we can be grateful that he finished the hunting trip without collecting another purple heart.