HIDING FROM YOUR BIOGRAPHY:

Kerry ads lead with life story: A $25 million ad blitz stresses biography and Vietnam - a tactic with mixed past results. (Liz Marlantes and Linda Feldmann, 5/05/04, CS Monitor)

[P]olls show many voters don't even know that Kerry is a veteran... [...]

Of course, the story Kerry puts forward in his ads is a selective one. The ads note that he was born in Colorado - a state where the spots will be aired - but say nothing about his years in Massachusetts. Although they do highlight certain elements of his Senate years, such as his vote for the Clinton economic plan, the overall focus is clearly Vietnam.

Republicans argue that Kerry's Vietnam service is less important to voters than his more recent biographical details such as his Senate career and the votes he's cast on matters like defense.

"What [candidates] were doing 30 years ago is nowhere near as relevant as what they were doing three years ago," says Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster. "John Kerry's 19-year voting record on defense issues remains far more relevant to the choice voters face in November than what he did 30 years ago, because it's a far better indicator of his position on defense issues and his likely actions as a potential president."

Mr. Bush's biographical tale essentially starts when he was born again in the mid-80s and quit drinking in 1986. Mr. Kerry's official biography basically ends when he left the Navy in 1970.

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 5, 2004 8:07 AM