Chris Matthews on Hard ball went after Matthew Dowd. It’s seem the Bushies have been using an interview between Kerry and Matthews to launch another slanderous ad against Kerry. They accuse him of claiming that he is “THE anti-war” candidate.

Not a big deal you say. Only it’s just not true.

Actually Kerry was answering a very specific question from Matthews regarding whether he was “ONE OF” the anti war candidates.

MATTHEWS: "Do you think you belong in that category of candidates who more or less are unhappy with this war? The way it's been fought? Along with [then-Democratic presidential candidates] General [Wesley] Clark, along with [former Vermont governor] Howard Dean, and not necessarily in companionship politically on the issue of the war with people like [Senators Joseph] Lieberman, [John] Edwards, and [Richard] Gephardt? Are you one of the anti-war candidates?"

A good question since the war was going badly and the democrats were attacking Bush on it YET Kerry had voted for the war. Kerry answered,

KERRY: “I am. Yes. In the sense that I don't believe the president took to us war as he should have, yes. Absolutely. Do I think this president violated his promises to America? Yes, I do, Chris. Was there a way to hold Saddam Hussein accountable? You bet there was and we should have done it right.”

The Bushies used the interview in an ad and cut off everything AFTER “I am, yes”. They even added some pauses for good measure so it didn’t sound like it was edited.

Like I said in my earlier posts, this lets them use BOTH sides of the issue against Kerry. They can say to anti-Iraq war voters that Kerry voted for it and then say to pro-Iraq war voters that he claims to be “THE anti-war” candidate. Then also paint him as a flip flopper, some more.

GO TO MEDIA MATTERS for the full story AND to watch or listen to the interview between Chris Matthews and Republican National Committee (RNC) senior adviser Matthew Dowd.