Kerry Aide: Daschle just saying what he has to say in a close race

Last night on CNN's Crossfire, Jamie Rubin, a policy adviser to John Kerry, suggested Daschle's criticism Of Kerry's Iraq vote during Sunday's Meet the Press debate wasn't genuine. Below is the relevant portion of the transcript from Crossfire:

CARLSON: Now, Jamie Rubin, kind of a remarkable exchange between Tim Russert and Tom Daschle, Senator Tom Daschle yesterday on "Meet the Press" -- I'm sure you were watching very carefully -- and kind of devastating to John Kerry.

Here's what it was. Here's the exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "MEET THE PRESS")

TIM RUSSERT, HOST: Didn't Senator Kerry vote against $87 million for aid to the troops?

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MINORITY LEADER: He did. I disagree with that. When I was over there, that was one of the most important things we could do, was to send the message, I think, that these members of the Guard and the Reserves, our active duty personnel, need the support, need the equipment they've got to have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARLSON: So that's Tom Daschle saying what a lot of Republicans have been saying, not even as strongly as Tom Daschle just said, and that is that the message Senator Kerry sent to the troops when he voted against that 87 million dollars -- billion dollars, was devastating, that it was a lack of confidence in them. That was the message that it sent to them.

JAMIE RUBIN, ADVISER TO SENATOR JOHN KERRY: Well, Tom Daschle is in a close race in South Dakota. And there are certain things he has to say during that race.

Even Daschle's allies see Daschle's cynicism for what it is.