Karl Rove like to attacks an opponents strengths. That makes sense. But I like to attack an opponent’s weakness, too. Here are some examples.
Sen. Pete Domenici is in the hot seat for messing around with the Department of Justice in the attorneygate affair. So, I think it’d be perfect to run former US Attorney John Kelly against him. Kelly can talk about how bad Domenici’s actions were for the fair administration of the law. Who better to make the argument than a US attorney?
Sen. John Cornyn likes to be tough in the war on terror, but even though he likes to tout father’s service, Cornyn has never put his life on the line in our armed forces. Not so for State Representative Rick Noreiga, who did a tour in Afghanistan. Who better to point out Cornyn’s lack of credentials on national security than a man that went half way around the world to hunt Bin-Laden?
Sen. James Inhofe likes to portray himself as a champion of Christianity and a hawk on the war in Iraq. State Senator Andrew Rice is a Harvard divinity student who has worked with the poor in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. He lost his brother in the WTC on 9/11. Who better to point out the bankruptcy of Inhofe’s positions?
Different Republicans have different vulnerabilities. Sen. Ted Stevens has ethical problems. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell have problems with their own base. Senate recruitment is a tricky business. But, I believe, anywhere possible we should look to recruit people that are uniquely qualified to exploit those vulnerabilities.
