THE RAW DEAL: John Kerry vs. The Facts

George W. Bush ^ | October 26, 2004

[RWR8189]

"John Kerry demonstrated today that he is not going to let the facts get in the way of his political attacks. He is a candidate who will say and do anything if he perceives there to be an opportunity for political gain. The fact is that John Kerry does not have a plan or vision to fight and win the War on Terror, and he is resorting to a series of baseless attacks and distortions that have been proven false."

-Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman

Kerry Repeated False Story From New York Times For Second Day In A Row:

The New York Times Falsely Reported That 380 Tons Of Explosives Are Missing From An Iraqi Facility That Was Supposed To Be Guarded By The U.S. Military. “The Iraqi interim government has warned the United States and international nuclear inspectors that nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives -- used to demolish buildings, make missile warheads and detonate nuclear weapons -- are missing from one of Iraq's most sensitive former military installations. The huge facility, called Al Qaqaa, was supposed to be under American military control but is now a no man's land, still picked over by looters as recently as Sunday.” (James Glanz, William J. Broad And David E. Sanger, “Huge Cache Of Explosives Vanished From Site In Iraq,” The New York Times, 10/25/04)

However, NBC Nightly News Later Reported That On April 10, 2003, One Day After Iraq Was Liberated, US Troops Entered Al-Qaqaa And Did Not Find The Explosives. MIKLASZEWSKI: "April 10, 2003, only three weeks into the war, NBC News was embedded with troops from the Army's 101st Airborne as they temporarily take over the Al-Qaqaa weapons installation south of Baghdad. But these troops never found the nearly 380 tons of some of the most powerful conventional explosives, called HMX and RDX, which is now missing. The U.S. troops did find large stockpiles of more conventional weapons, but no HMX or RDX, so powerful less than a pound brought down Pan Am 103 in 1988, and can be used to trigger a nuclear weapon. In a letter this month, the Iraqi interim government told the International Atomic Energy Agency the high explosives were lost to theft and looting due to lack of security. Critics claim there were simply not enough U.S. troops to guard hundreds of weapons stockpiles, weapons now being used by insurgents and terrorists to wage a guerrilla war in Iraq." (NBC's "Nightly News," 10/25/04)

Kerry Repeated False Tora Bora Claim:

In December 2001, During Fighting At Tora Bora, Kerry Said: “I Think We Have Been Doing This Pretty Effectively And We Should Continue To Do It That Way.” CALLER: “Hello. Yes, I would like to ask the panel why they don't use napalm or flamethrowers on those tunnels and caves up there in Afghanistan?” KING: “Senator Kerry?” CALLER: “My golly, I think they could smoke him out.” KING: “Senator Kerry?” KERRY: “Well, I think it depends on where you are tactically. They may well be doing that at some point in time. But for the moment, what we are doing, I think, is having its impact and it is the best way to protect our troops and sort of minimalize the proximity, if you will. I think we have been doing this pretty effectively and we should continue to do it that way.” (CNN’s “Larry King Live,” 12/14/01)

Kerry Just 12 Days After Tora Bora Ended: “He Is Elusive. I Think They Are Doing The Maximum Amount Right Now Possible To Try To Track [Osama] Down.” KERRY: “The bottom line is that the closest we came [to bin Laden] was in Tora Bora. I do think some people have asked some questions about how that particular component of the mission sort of played out. But the fact is that it is a difficult place. He is elusive. I think they are doing the maximum amount right now possible to try to track [Osama] down. And it is an extraordinarily hard thing for him to hide somewhere. I mean, over a period of time, I think, he is in trouble.” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 1/20/02; “US Ends Bin Laden Hunt In Tora Bora,” The Guardian, 1/8/02)

• Just Four Days Before Tora Bora Ended, A U.S. Soldier Died In Hostile Action Near The Tora Bora Cave Complex. “January 4. The first US soldier to die in hostile action since the beginning of the US-led campaign in Afghanistan is killed in the east of the country. The special forces member died in a firefight, and an undetermined number of other US special forces were injured in the battle near the Tora Bora cave complex.” (Simon Jeffery, “Timeline: Terror And Its Aftermath (Part 7),” The Guardian, 1/17/02)
• Gen. Tommy Franks Said America’s Afghan Allies Were “Essential” At Tora Bora. “‘This is tough, inaccessible country,’ I continued. ‘The Mujahhedin hid from the Soviets in these mountains for years. That’s why our Afghan allies are essential. They know every cave and tunnel.’” (Gen. Tommy Franks, American Soldier, 2004, p. 369) 
• According To FactCheck.Org, Kerry “Overstated The Case” On Osama Bin Laden's Alleged Escape At Tora Bora. “Actually, it's never been clear whether bin Laden actually was at Tora Bora. It is true that military leaders strongly suspected bin Laden was there, and it is also true that the Pentagon relied heavily on Afghan forces to take on much of the fighting at Tora Bora in an effort to reduce US casualties. But Kerry overstates the case by stating flatly that ‘we had him surrounded.’” ("Distortions And Misstatements At First Presidential Debate," FactCheck.org, 10/1/04, http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docID=271, Accessed 10/1/04)

Kerry Repeated His False Statement On Container Security:

According To Newspaper Reports, Kerry "Went Too Far" With Claim That "95 Percent Of Our Containers Coming Into This Country Are Not Inspected." The Truth Is That "95 Percent Of Shipping Containers Are Not Hand Searched" But "Have Been Cleared By Port Security Before They Reached U.S. Ports" And "Officials Say 100 Percent Of Containers Deemed 'High Risk,'… Are Hand Searched." (Mark Matthews and Laura Sullivan, "In Volley Of Facts And Figures, Not All Fly," The Baltimore Sun, 10/9/04)

The President's 2005 Budget Increases Port Security 628 Percent Over 2001. (www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/02/20040205-5.html)

The President Initiated The Container Security Initiative (CSI) To Screen High-Risk Containers At Foreign Ports, Before They Ever Get To The United States. CSI is being implemented today at the top 20 foreign ports, which account for more than 2/3 of the cargo entering the United States. (http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/press_release/press_release_0178.xml; http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/02/20040205-5.html)

Kerry Repeated His False Statement That Gen. Shinseki Was Fired: 

• CNN's Wolf Blitzer: Kerry's Claim About Gen. Shinseki "Not A Correct Claim." (CNN's "Special Post-Debate Wrap-Up," 10/8/04)
• CNN's Bill Schneider: Kerry's Claims About General Shinseki Are "Inaccurate. He Served His Full Four-Year Term As Army Chief Of Staff And He Did Not Retire Early." (CNN's "Special Post-Debate Wrap-Up," 10/8/04)
• The Baltimore Sun: "But Shinseki Was Not Retired Early And Served Out The Remainder Of His Four-Year Term." (Mark Matthews And Laura Sullivan, "In Volley Of Facts And Figures, Not All Fly," The Baltimore Sun, 10/9/04)

The Facts On President Bush’s Homeland Security Record:

Since 2001, President Bush Has Nearly Tripled Homeland Security Funding. (www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2005/fiscal.html; www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/02/20040205-5.html)

President Bush's Budget Allocates $3.561 Billion For State And Local First Responders, A 680 Percent Increase Since Taking Office. (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2005/fiscal.html; http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/02/20040205-5.html)

President Bush Has Increased Funding For Firefighters By 400 Percent. (President's FY 2005 Budget Appendix, pg. 471; United States Fire Administration, Assistance to Firefighters Grant Awards FY 2001, at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/grants/afgp/awards/2001awards/01awards.shtm)

President Bush Called For $864 Million In FY 2005 To Fund Efforts To Identify And Protect The Nation’s Critical Infrastructure, Including Trains And Chemical Plants – An Increase Of More Than Seven Times The 2001 Levels. (March 2004 testimony of Under Secretary Frank Libutti, http://appropriations.senate.gov/hearmarkups/record.cfm?id=218572; Fact Sheet: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, February 2004, http://www.alec.org/meSWFiles/pdf/HSMemo.pdf; FY 2005 Budget)

[schaketo]

Just called and sent this via email to the following addresses at the NYT:

executive-editor@nytimes.com

managing-editor@nytimes.com

public@nytimes.com

---

The NYT needs to apologize to America, and you need to run a retraction regarding the Iraqi explosives story you ran yesterday.

Once again Dan Rather and CBS News and the New York Times are attempting to manipulate a false story to effect our nation’s elections.

The Iraqi explosives story CBS and the New York Times ran yesterday is a fraud. These weapons were not there when US troops went to this site in 2003. The IAEA and its head, the anti-American Mohammed El Baradei, leaked a false letter on this issue to the media to embarrass the Bush administration.

I’m going to ask the FCC to investigate CBS and the NYT continued egregious actions.

[Spok]

This is what Dan Rather tried to do. There's a mentality that even if your sources are discredited, run with the story. The problem is only the truly faithful will embrace it, like the DUer's; it's not going to sway any undecideds. Kerry will only get more desperate as the election nears and the lies will only get bigger and more transparent. All he may succeed in doing is motivating his core followers to acts more violent than burglaries, sign stealing, vandalism and drive-by shootings. We all, especially those who work at Bush/Republican campaign offices, need to be more vigilant and cautious.

[knuthom]

I heard a news blurb today of Kerry saying that the Bush administration is claiming the explosives were already missing without "a shred of evidence". That implies that the troops who went there and made that claim are liars and their word is worthless.

[EdReform]

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