Posted on 09/25/2004 5:36:39 PM 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.
Campaigning by bus through hotly contested Wisconsin on Friday, Bush sought to counter recently sharpened criticism by Kerry about his Iraq policies:
_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.
Bush continued to insist on a mostly upbeat view of Iraq in his weekly radio address Saturday. "The enemies of freedom are using suicide bombings, beheading and other horrific acts to try to block progress. We are sickened by their atrocities, but we will never be intimidated, and freedom is winning," he said. "We're making steady progress."
"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.
Apparently nobody was readiing that at the AP site, so they made it sound as if this was an unbiased look at both campaigns. LOL
Apart from mentioning that Kerry does the same thing with Bush's words, where are the examples of Kerry's twisting??? These people are lame. They show their contempt for their readers by trying to pull one over their eyes on the very same day.
oops! I mispelled Kerry's name.
It should be Qerry.
when I got up in the middle of the night to let my pups out, I have an AOL ALERT Email with this story...it made me so mad because this is what it said:
AP 2:36am
Bush Twists Kerry's Words on Iraq
WACO, Texas (AP) - President Bush opened several new scathing lines of attack against Democrat John Kerry, charges that twisted his rival's words on Iraq and made Kerry seem supportive of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein....
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Isn't it awesome?!!
you know it REALLY IS!!.....its SO MUCH FUN to sit back now and get a LITTLE RESPECT.. we have been dogged for so long, and stood in the corner, because we had no way to fight them.....well we might have lost some battles back then but we're gonna win the WARS NOW!! woohoo
The Associated Press Pulls Out the Stops for Kerry
We have noted before that the Associated Press has become a part of the John Kerry campaign. This morning, many readers have directed our attention to this astonishing AP story titled "Bush Twists Kerry's Words on Iraq".
http://www.powerlineblog.com/
Please make sure you send letters of complaint about media bias. We have to flood their offices. I already sent mine. info@ap.org
MEG check out my post here....we all think alike and I LOVE IT..
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1227118/posts?page=4#4
I KNOW!!....slowly but surely in the last two weeks, they are starting to see we are OUT here and wont be lied too anymore!!
Fox just had debate expert on, and ask him what it would take for Kerry to win debates. The expert said Kerry would have to talk resolute, intelligent and convince the people he knew what he was talking about and this will take some pretty good "acting". For some reason I broke out laughing :)
I don't see how this is twisting Kerry's words.
Kerry is now saying that the Iraq war was WRONG.
If the war was wrong then Kerry MUST be saying it would be right for Saddam to still be in power.
Kerry can't have it both ways.
Bush is simply taking Kerry's word to their logical conclusion.
Done..Titled my subject"Twisting the Truth"
Kerry's twisting his own words. He not only changes his positions repeatedly, he attempts to hold two opposing positions at the same time and denies there is any contradiction.
Notice that in the beginning of his statement above he praises removing Saddam from power, but then he turns around and laments it as some sort of mistake that has made America less secure.
WHERE THEN does he stand on the Iraq war?
He's now saying the Iraq war was WRONG. If that is true then how can he at the same time claim defeating Saddam was right?
Kerry is the biggest flip-flopping moron I have ever seen. God help us if this coreless human being becomes President.
"Kerry can't have it both ways."
Has been his game plan for 35 years.
To follow MSM, they would have you think Kerry is a Vietnam hero poster boy. FR has a way of cutting through the BS.
Bush not able to dispel questions
Intelligence critics just won’t go away.
By JENNIFER LOVEN Associated Press Writer
Published Monday, July 21, 2003
WASHINGTON The White House defense of President George W. Bush’s now-disavowed claim that Iraq was seeking uranium in Africa has evolved over the last two weeks: blame others, stonewall, bury questions in irrelevant information and, above all, hope it will go away.
So far, none has worked.
In question: Sixteen words in Bush’s Jan. 28 State of the Union speech: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
At issue: The credibility of the president’s allegation that Saddam was rebuilding a nuclear weapons program. The assertion that Iraq was trying to buy uranium was a key component of that claim — and a key piece of Bush’s justification for war.
The flap started on July 6, when an envoy sent by the CIA to Africa last year to investigate the uranium claim contended that the Bush administration ignored — and possibly manipulated — his findings.
In a New York Times op-ed article, Joseph Wilson, former U.S. ambassador to Gabon, said it was highly doubtful that any transaction took place.
The next day, the White House acknowledged that Bush should not have made the claim because of concerns about the intelligence behind it. The documents allegedly showing an Iraq-Niger uranium connection turned out to be forgeries. ...
Sure does. Those who accuse Bush of being a liar ultimately turn out to be the real liars themselves.
Let's just pray the American electorate can see through the current "lair" accusations against Bush by the libs.
LOL....maybe a little balance like this will go a long way to hits at their site!
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