Bush on offensive as Kerry stumbles

Washington Times ^ | 3/18/04 | Bill Sammon

[kattracks]

President Bush's re-election campaign has kept Sen. John Kerry on the defensive for days by employing an aggressive communications strategy that was largely absent just weeks ago.

The hard-charging approach entails simultaneous attacks on Mr. Kerry by the Bush campaign team, the Republican National Committee, the White House and the president. An abundance of Bush surrogates and well-financed TV ads round out the strategy.

[PhiKapMom]

Feels great to be seeing the offensive from Bush-Cheney '04, RNC, and everyone else! Kerry is not going to know what hit him before this is all over!

[doug from upland]

We took it from them for months. We truly are at war --- with both al Qaeda and the RATS. We must defeat both.

[Rightone]

Good.

[Reagan Man]

President Bush's re-election campaign has kept Sen. John Kerry on the defensive for days by employing an aggressive communications strategy that was largely absent just weeks ago.

Good! Let's hope they don't run out of either cash or stamina. Both are needed in abundance for the next 7-1/2 months.

[Lando Lincoln]

kat.............you are one of the best!

Lando

[squidly]

He already had to take a vacation.... he's ragged.

[BradyLS]

C'mon. Senator John "Freeze Mizer" Kerry has met with such prestigious personages as Governor Howard "Heat Mizer" Dean, Mr. and Mrs. Claus, Mother Nature, numerous elfin dignataries and labor union officials from the North Pole, and the greatest goodwill ambassador of all time: Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer!

[Political Junkie Too]

It must be working, because Kerry fled to Sun Valley and forgot all about the St. Patrick's Day Breakfast in Boston this morning!

-PJ

[Jeff Chandler]

We took it from them for months.

And doesn't it feel good to witness return fire?

[Fledermaus]

I keep loving this false "conventional wisdom" that Bush is "finally" responding.

Bush planned on responding on his timetable, not that of the press. He only let loose, as they planned, once a Dem nominee was clear. Even two weeks ago Bush didn't even say, "Sen. Kerry" and instead gave that speech on the Dems running that were left and mentioned, "and that's just the Sen. from Massachusetts".

So now that Kerry is the obvious nominee, they opened up their offensive game plan...not a defensive game the press wants to claim is happening.

[John Lenin]

You're going to see us continue to be more aggressive," said a senior Bush campaign official. "I mean, everywhere Kerry goes, he's not only rebutted, but 'pre-butted.'"

Yea baby, bring it on!

[nopardons]

Cheney was FANTASTIC today!

All of Soros' money will NOT buy this election for Kerry. But I hope he spends ALL he has. LOL

[Jeff Chandler]

Imaginary friends!

(source)

[Saundra Duffy]

Go, GWB!

[FairOpinion]

The giant awakens!

[nopardons]

I agree with you, but..........

They brilliantly waited, until Kerry had ALL of the delegates he needs to make him the OFFICIAL Dem presidential candidate.The Bush team, unlike some FREEPERS, knew that garnering the full amount of delegates, negates a brokered convention in Boston;which completely does away with Hillary being anointed there. :-)

[Just mythoughts]

There is no one in the lying crooked liberal party that can speak in a "clear still quiet voice" like Vice President Cheney.

To hear JFKerry speak after listening to Vice President Cheney was like hearing a voice of "dark" despair filled with bitterness and hate. Not one bit inspiring.

[doug from upland]

It feels great. The RATS have tried to drive down the economy and have hurt this nation in time of war. They are shameless.

[Political Junkie Too]

Do you mean that Kerry has the endorsement of the leader of Watership Down?

-PJ

[goldstategop]

The point is that it feels good to go over on the offensive. Baron John F. Munchausen still can't tell the American people what foreign leaders he's met and he took the cowardly way out by mentioning he voted both FOR and AGAINST $87 billion worth of assistance to our troops in Iraq. Let's face it, the Democrats' new presidential aspirant does not have the qualities needed to lead America during a dangerous time in her history.

[nutmeg]

ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my infrequent ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.

[Clemenza]

Thanks for the ping. JForbesK is looked really weak this week. I can't wait for the debates.

My co-workers are divided between those who are excited about Kerry and those who find him lackluster, but will vote for him anyway.

[NRA2BFree]

Kerry has flip flopped so much on issues that he can't even remember from day to day what his own stance is. He's confused, but nothing like he's going to be now that the grownups are in charge of the campaign. ;-)

[Utah Girl]

This makes me smile. The Republicans are prepared this time, Kerry is not going to know what hit him. He is in absolute disarray after that 'mean, negative' West Virginia commercial. I can't wait until the going gets tough. President Bush has responded magnificently after the pummeling he has taken. Will Kerry have the character to do that too? I don't think so...

[Nick Danger]

Well, this is the Washington Times. I assume that when the same story appears in the Post, it will titled something like "Republican Attack Machine Goes Into Overdrive," and it will talk about how the noble and elegant Senator Kerry — the next President of the United States! — is dishearted that those lying, crooked Republicans his honorable opponents have stooped so low.

[teletech]

He already had to take a vacation.... he's ragged.

He probably going to use his vacation to go in search of the mythical leaders that support him. :)

[BigSkyFreeper]

It's refreshing to see Kerry playing defense for a change.

[faithincowboys]

You know what sickens me though, Bush and co. are portrayed as the attackers, while Kerry is portrayed as the unfairly attacked. It is such a dishonest representation of reality--the emedia sickens me.

[nopardons]

I adore your reference,but doubt that many here will get it. LOL

[Fledermaus]

Well, the so-called mainstream media is on Kerry's side. So any point of fact made by Bush is a "negative attack" and they throw out their war terms they couldn't seem to remember when talking about terrorist.

[Musket]

Kerry fled to Sun Valley ...

Well isn't that special. When the goin' gets tough....So what's he gonna do now? He can't change his record, and they've gone over and over any spec of dirt they could find - and nothing stuck. Dare I say - this guy's done already.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Foreign Leaders Who Kerry Is Probably Talking To
Bashar Assad of Syria	Kim Jong-Il of North Korea

[teletech]

Oh I think they are probably on his list of must see leaders. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Is this guy Kerry a useful idiot or what!?

[squidly]

I wouldn't sweat it. Most folks can see through the bs, and the latest polls reflect that.

[PhilDragoo]

"I mean, everywhere Kerry goes, he's not only rebutted, but 'pre-butted.'"

Which is appropriate for an insufferable ass.

[faithincowboys]

Are we the only ones who see that the media is so in the tank for Kerry? Who are the people that don't know this--r they all watching American Idol to the exclusion of all else? I don't get how Kerry even has five voters in his camp!

[faithincowboys]

Not to my satisfaction-- I'm in the mood for 1984, not 2000 or 92. I want the Left to be destroyed in this election. They can't have their "terrible, divisive, playing to our enemies" behavior rewarded. The country's future depends on them getting swamped in this election.

[faithincowboys]

This won't die--Kerry will carry this for the rest of his life. Like Dean willl carry the scream.

[GOPrincess]

I agree, this week I'm feeling a lot better than I have in recent weeks. I wish we'd been seeing this at least a couple weeks back, i.e., a quicker response to the bogus 9/11 commercial "protests." Maybe they learned from that and decided now is the time to let loose?

Cheney's speech today was *amazing*, I was sitting by my radio cheering!

[BigSkyFreeper]

Taking advice from and siding with criminals and thugs has been Kerry's beast of burden ever since he left Vietnam.

[lainde]

Yes! BTW just read Vice President Cheney's speech on the WSJ Online...It was superb! Can't wait for him to debate the unlucky Rat VP candidate!

[GOPrincess]

Well, I do think the Bush team should have been more nimble handling the response to the 9/11 "commercials" protests, which took place after Kerry was the presumptive nominee...The commercials were *wonderful* but the response to the protest malarkey was too slow coming.

On the other hand, I am VERY pleased with what I'm seeing this week, especially V-P Cheney's speech. It caused me to think back to his convention speech when he said "Help is on the way!" He is such a great guy. My family went to see Cheney and Powell at a rally in CA two days before the 2000 election and it was a thrill to listen to the future V.P. and Secretary of State give speeches! :) (Of course, we never dreamed that Sunday how loooong it would take to know they were the V.P. and Secretary of State, LOL.)

[Capriole]

Within the United States, he has had the chance to meet with only one foreign leader since the beginning of last year, according to a review of Mr. Kerry's travel records by The Washington Times.

And which foreign leader would that be? Who has visited here in the past year? Tony Blair? Ariel Sharon? Vicente Fox? Vlad Putin? Who else? I can imagine the latter two musing that it might be nice to have the manipulable Kerry in office, but it's hard to envision Vicente Fox actually wanting such a thing since he is already able to make Bush dance to his tune. As for Putin--is it likely that he, an adult man, would say such an undiplomatic thing to such a foolish man? I think he is a better judge of character than that, even if he might wish Kerry to be the president.

And it is that which most bemuses me about Kerry's public confession. It's one thing for a little senator to speak nonsense; that's of no import, and the world pays no attention to something a minor political figure says. But Kerry is now in line to be the most powerful man in the world, and the world attends to what he says. A man who must lead the free peoples of the world should have some tact, discretion, self-control, and sense of diplomacy. He does not go around shooting his mouth off senselessly. George Bush, for all the accusations of bluster and unmeasured speech, has never once said anything inappropriate or undiplomatic. Kerry has regularly committed gaffes of this sort. This is not the behavior of a person of intelligence, a person suited to high office. The stress of a campaign is no excuse, since the stress of being president is much greater than the stress of campaigning.

I say this not as a Republican or Democrat (though of course I am a lifelong Republican) but as a political observer: I am now beginning to question Kerry's basic intelligence.

[Fledermaus]

If I was them, I'd never have even resonded to the whiners about the 9/11 ads. I'd have just said, "we stand by the ads, next question?"

[GOPrincess]

"To hear JFKerry speak after listening to Vice President Cheney was like hearing a voice of "dark" despair filled with bitterness and hate. Not one bit inspiring."

It's a stark contrast, and one I hope becomes abundantly clear to Mr. and Mrs. Sort-of-Uninvolved Voters as the year progresses.

As Rush pointed out today, when Kerry heckled the gentleman at the town hall meeting who wanted to know which foreign leaders, Kerry was showing he did NOT want to be President of all the people. Instead of using it as an opportunity to try to win a convert (and many more listening), Kerry delighted not only in harrassing the gentleman about his voting record and arrogantly claiming it wasn't a taxpayer or voter's business to know which foreign leaders endorsed him, Kerry also seemed to enjoy the crowd booing the guy. Based on what I heard on several radio shows over the last couple days (including Larry Elder's show), I think even some Democrats were left unsettled by this.

[Just mythoughts]

"If I was them, I'd never have even resonded to the whiners about the 9/11 ads. I'd have just said, "we stand by the ads, next question?""


One does have to wonder now if the Bush/Cheney campaign were aware that the whiners were paid political hacks by Mrs. Heinz, and that is why they responded as they did.

[tonyinv]

We all know that in the end, Kerry will be seen as a bigtime loser by the party faithful (only slightly less of loser than Gore is considered). And they will blame Karl Rove for somehow picking Kerry as the nominee of the party. They'll piss and moan about how unfair it was for the Bush camp not to show their hand before they got stuck with Kerry.

As for Hillary, dont believe that she couldn't muscle her way into being the nominee if she really thought she could beat President Bush. The dems dont care about well established election law, what makes you think they'll give a crap about the nomination process?

[Uncle Miltie]

When your enemy is intent on destroying himself (i.e. Democrat Primaries) do not interrupt him.

- Paraphrasing Sun Tzu

"Hold your fire until you see the whites of their eyes."

This day was coming, and the Bush team played it perfectly. The day Kerry became the presumptive nominee, the plan went into effect. Kerry may be destroyed by the end of March. You know there are hundreds of talking points lined up to spring a couple of real zingers every day from now 'til the election.

This is going to be fun. Pull up a chair and some popcorn!

[Just mythoughts]

"Based on what I heard on several radio shows over the last couple days (including Larry Elder's show), I think even some Democrats were left unsettled by this."


JFKerry does like to brag that he was a prosecutor and that is exactly how he treated "joe" citizen.