Sept. 11 attacks likely to shape Bush campaign [Reuters]

[truthisfreedom]

finally, an unbiased examination of bush.

http://www.reuters.com/locales/newsArticle.jsp?type=worldNews&locale=en_IN&storyID=4070099

Sept. 11 attacks likely to shape Bush campaign 


By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - George W. Bush's presidency was meandering along until the Sept. 11 attacks gave it a purpose, and his vigorous response drew world praise that fell apart over his invasion of Iraq.
Two wars after the attacks, Bush, 57, entered his re-election campaign facing a closely divided electorate, hopeful that signs of economic growth and his record in the war on terror would convince Americans to give him a second four-year term in November 2004.
Yet, he is leaving little to chance. His campaign plans to raise $170 million to defeat a Democratic rival. When asked how he would spend this staggering sum, he said, "Just watch!"

The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks created the most dramatic moments of the Bush presidency and put an everlasting mark on Bush, who walked and talked with a Texas swagger that belies his family's patrician East Coast roots.
Bush took office in January 2001 after a bitter, 36-day recount battle in Florida that was ultimately decided in his favor by the U.S. Supreme Court, even though Democrat Al Gore won the popular vote.
Americans, having seen Bush in action, were not all that impressed. He pushed through a big tax cut as promised but otherwise appeared to be coasting.
Caught out of town when the attacks brought down the World Trade Center twin towers and tore a gash from the Pentagon, killing about 3,000 people, Bush drew criticism for his initial, tentative response when he vowed "to hunt down and to find those folks who committed this act."
He then took a circuitous route back to Washington aboard Air Force One while Vice President Dick Cheney was making decisions in an underground bunker.

<snip>

The eldest son of George and Barbara Bush, George Walker Bush was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1946. The family moved to Midland, an oil town in West Texas, in 1950.
After gaining a bachelor's degree from Yale, where he was a boisterous president of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, Bush worked at several jobs, distinguishing himself in none.
He avoided service in Vietnam by enlisting in 1968 as a pilot in the Texas National Guard.
Bush gained an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1975. Two years later, he married Laura Welch, a librarian who became a steadying influence on him and an ally in his battle to quit alcohol. The couple have twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara.

[rumguy]

1. That's for pointing out the obvious Rueters...

but we have to find a way to flip the script on bushco and use 9/11 against him...

[goforit]

2. 911-where are the answers?

A President taking no immediate action on 911 is like not
having a president at all.

[w4rma]

11. Worst. Security. Failure. Ever. in the history of America (n/t)

[Stephanie]

12. That's it. You got it.

Worst Security Failure Ever.

And it happened on BUSH's watch. Nobody else.

This administration is a Miserable Failure. And it's cost thousands of lives.

[robbedvoter]

3. gee. ya think? So, RNC coming to NYC - part of this?

Well, we need the National security expert guy than rather than the guy with the worst record on it in his state...

[BeyondGeography]

4. And Howard can't say a thing about it

because his campaign is on the record as saying no one could have predicted 9/11 and hindsight is 20/20.

This quote was of course served up in defense of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant having the worst safety record in the country.

http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=31075

There's a critique to be made about the Bush Administration's preparedness for 9/11; Wes Clark has done it repeatedly. But since Howard's campaign made the unfortunate decision to offer a blanket pardon to all whom were unprepared, he's not the candidate to force Bush to play defense.

[shance]

6. Are you saying Clark has not made some inconsistent statements

regarding the Iraq War and 9-11?

What is yalls obsession over Governor Dean? Get a life, and start being positive about your candidate and get off our candidates back.

It is a major chip. Im assuming you really are a Clark supporter.

[BeyondGeography]

9. Clark has consistently challenged Bush on 9/11

He has mentioned over and over again that Sandy Berger, Clinton's head of the NSA, told Condoleeza Rice in Week 1 of the Bush Adminstration, that OBL and al Qaeda were the number one threat facing the country. And the Bush Administration didn't have an anti-terrorist plan until 9/10, because they were too busy debunking everything Clinton had done.

You didn't address the substance of my post. Vermont Yankee, and Dean's comments about it, are yet another point against him as a strong candidate in the post 9/11 era. You might explain to me how Dean is a more effective spokesman for us on foreign policy, the war on terror and national security than Clark.

Your post also assumes Howard is the nominee. We still have this little thing called the primary season coming up. The goal is to nominate someone who has the best chance to beat Bush. Many of us don't believe it's Howard. Until he's the nominee, we're going to make our case. Deal with it.

[Steven_S]

5. Well, that's pretty much a given..

9/11, 9/11, terr, terr, 9/11, terr, terrsts, terrsts, 9/11

That's all we hear anyway.

As plain as the gin-blossomed nose on his face, 9/11 is an utter failure to protect the nation. It is inconceivable that they didn't know it would happen.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. We need to hijack that mantra

and change it to 9-11, Bu$h did nothing, 9-11, Bu$h did nothing, 9-11, Bu$h did nothing, 9-11, Bu$h did nothing, 9-11, Bu$h did nothing, 9-11, Bu$h did nothing, 9-11, Bu$h did nothing, 9-11, Bu$h did nothing....

[neverforget]

8. Terror and tax cuts. That's all Bush knows.

[truthisfreedom]

10. terror for the masses,tax cuts for the rich,treasury becomes a credit-card

for his cronies.

[4dsc]

13. Here's what rightie says about 9/11

Its Clinton's fault!!