Posted on 09/25/2004 6:55:14 AM PDT by jerod
WACO, Texas - President Bush (news - web sites) opened several new scathing lines of attack against Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites), charges that twisted his rival's words on Iraq (news - web sites) and made Kerry seem supportive of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).
It was not unlike the spin that Kerry and his forces sometimes place on Bush's words.
He stated flatly that Kerry had said earlier in the week "he would prefer the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to the situation in Iraq today." The line drew gasps of surprise from Bush's audience in a Racine, Wis., park. "I just strongly disagree," the president said.
But Kerry never said that. In a speech at New York University on Monday, he called Saddam "a brutal dictator who deserves his own special place in hell." He added, "The satisfaction we take in his downfall does not hide this fact: We have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure."
Bush attacked Kerry for calling "our alliance 'the alliance of the coerced and the bribed.'"
"You can't build alliances if you criticize the efforts of those who are working side by side with you," the president said in Janesville, Wis.
Kerry did use the phrase to describe the U.S.-led coalition of nations in Iraq, in a March 2003 speech in California. He was referring to the administration's willingness to offer aid to other nations to gain support for its Iraq policies.
But Bush mischaracterized Kerry's criticism, which has not been aimed at the countries that have contributed a relatively small number of troops and resources, but at the administration for not gaining more participation from other nations.
Bush also suggested Kerry was undercutting an ally in a time of need, and thus unfit to be president, when he "questioned the credibility" of Iraqi interim leader Ayad Allawi.
"This great man came to our country to talk about how he's risking his life for a free Iraq, which helps America," the president said in Janesville. "And Senator Kerry held a press conference and questioned Prime Minister Allawi's credibility. You can't lead this country if your ally in Iraq feels like you question his credibility."
Bush repeated the attack later in the day and Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) echoed the message in Lafayette, La. "I must say I was appalled at the complete lack of respect Senator Kerry showed for this man of courage," Cheney said.
Kerry's point was that the optimistic assessments of postwar Iraq from both Bush and Allawi didn't match previous statements by the Iraqi leader, nor the reality on the ground, and were designed to put the "best face" on failed policies.
"Facts can be stubborn things," said Kerry spokesman Phil Singer. "When there's a gap between the reality and the words coming out of the White House, we are going to point them out."
That's not to say Kerry hasn't been playing fast and loose with Bush's words.
Just Friday, the Kerry campaign sent an e-mail to supporters entitled "He said what?" citing Bush's remark that he had seen "a poll that said the right track/wrong track in Iraq was better than here in America."
The e-mail from campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill accused the president of having "no plan to get us out of Iraq" and thinking "the future of Iraq is brighter than the future of America."
Bush has a plan for Iraq — Kerry just disagrees that it is working. And the president wasn't comparing Iraq's future to that of the United States, only accurately reflecting one recent survey in Iraq and the latest trends in America that asked participants for their assessment of the direction their countries are going.
After campaigning in Wisconsin, Bush settled into his ranch in Crawford, Texas, which will be his base of operations for several days as he crams for the first debate of the presidential campaign, to be held Thursday in Coral Gables, Fla.
The first practice session was expected to take place Saturday night, with Sen. Judd Gregg (news, bio, voting record), R-N.H., playing the part of Kerry for a couple of hours and a slew of Bush's most senior White House aides and outside advisers on hand, spokesman Scott McClellan said.
AP - Jennifer Loven, White House Correspondent
jloven@ap.org
Phone: (202) 776-9400
Fax: (202) 776-9570
I missed the 'news' in this article. It was all twisted editorial.
Is this really Jennifer Loven's piece, or another fraudulent piece of Wisconsin reporting by Scott Lindlaw under Jennifer's name?
Ludicrous ... "the coerced and the bribed" is a direct shot at the countries fighting side by side with us.
If i tell a dude -- "your girlfriend is a sl-t" am I not insulting his girlfriend?
I guess Jen Loven is a mind reader, or maybe she should be on the op/ed page. Or in the Kerry camp.
5.56mm
That's why she's titled "Associated Press Writer" not "Associated Press Reporter".
That seems to mean Kerry prefers the brutal dictator (because America was more secure--unless Kerry thinks it's appropriate to reduce American security in order to fight "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time")
Jenny should look up the word "imply".
This is a good sign. The reporter wrote this because she saw firsthand in Wisconsin how effective Bush's attacks on Kerry were.
Is Jennifer Loven biased in her reporting? Well, consider this: Jennifer Loven is married to Roger Ballentine, who is president of Green Strategies, a consulting firm specializing in energy and environmental issues, and was previously deputy assistant to President Clinton for environmental initiatives and chairman of the White House Climate Change Task Force. He also sits on the board of directors of Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF)along with actors Ed Begley, Jr. and Larry Hagman. Jennifer Loven is a reporter for the Associated Press.
And this isn't twisting words?
The funny part was, she claims Kerry did not undercut Allawi, but conviently doesn't mention where Kerry called Allawi a Bus h puppet. And she thinks Bush is the one twisting things.
It was not unlike the spin that Kerry and his forces sometimes place on Bush's words.
... inside the article.
( / sarcasm )
Not really sure WHAT this sentence means ... I'm less secure because the Jihadists are being killed in Iraq?! Weird ...
I couldn't even tell what parts (of which side!) she was quoting came from a Kerry press release, what parts (of which side!) were actually spoken (of which side!), and what parts (of which side!) were "twisted" by which side!
"The satisfaction we take in his downfall does not hide this fact: We have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure."
How is that NOT saying we are less secure now that he is out of power?
It seems Kerry is say the world is a more dangerous place without Saddam in Power. Just last fall, Kerry said Dean was unfit to be President since he thought the world was not safer without Saddam. In essense, Kerry has come full circle and according to his own logic is unfit for command.
They do get bolder and bolder in their bias. How can you twist Kerry's words, if you can't figure out what he's saying in the first place? He's so heavily nuanced that you can take any meaning you like from what he says.
Unbelievable, this AP writer makes Dan Rather seem like Rush Limbaugh.
I'm surprised she didn't claim that Bush was trying to portray Kerry's single "Nuanced" position on Iraq as multiple contradictory positions.
Give me a break.
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