Bush campaign to revolve around the trauma of September 11, 2001

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1520&ncid=1520&e=1&u=/afp/20040304/pl_afp/us_vote_themes_040304172447

Bush-Kerry campaign debates leadership versus credibility

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The marathon White House battle between George W. Bush and John Kerry (news - web sites) has barely begun, but a main theme is clear: leadership versus credibility, revolving around the trauma of September 11, 2001.


The Republican Bush, running as a "war president," quickly went on the attack Wednesday, on the first day of an eight-month campaign, branding his newly anointed Democratic challenger as vacillating and weak on terrorism.


"Some are skeptical the war on terror is a war at all," Bush said in Los Angeles. "My opponent says the war on terror is far less a military operation and far more an intelligence-gathering, law-enforcement operation. I disagree."


Bush also accused the veteran Massachusetts senator of a history of waffling on major questions. "Since John Kerry has been in Washington, he has taken both sides on every single issue," the president said.

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[molly]

1. He's doing himself in - this will bring back the pain AND

the QUESTIONS - this is a good thing in disguise.

[HFishbine]

Hell: Cloudy, 0 degrees

I'm agreeing with Molly.

[BL_Zebub]

10. Unholy shit! Where's my coat?

Brrrr :scared:

[wryter2000]

2. The waffling "issue"

I don't really see how Kerry's supposed "waffling" is going to be a credible tool for Bush. I'm sure he can find places where on the surface one action or vote of Kerry's might appear to contradict another action or vote, but by the time you can lay out that kind of argument, the average Murikan's eyes will have glazed over.

[molly]

5. I saw the speech he gave last week when he first

accused Kerry of "waffling". If you see it, watch his mouth - especially at the end. He looks like a cat about to catch a fly.

[papau]

12. Where the hell is the Kerry rapid response speech!

Where is Kerry rapid response - yesterday was all Bush all the time


A dozen broadcasts yesterday of "been in Washington long enough to take both sides on just about every issue", "Washington insider who wants to raise your taxes and hasn't offered strategies to keep you safer", "flip-flopping and not supporting the invasion to remove Saddam Hussein", and "President Bush's steady leadership in times of change, as we look at the reality of 911 (what does that mean?), and how it forever changed our nation's public policy - we must look at how the two candidates will approach the war against terror (is it a war or a police action that is being allowed to destroy our civil liberties)"

And of course the story line that Kerry lacks "message clarity" and Bush's directness is being developed quickly, as is the storyline Bush positive - country is getting back on its feet under the leadership of Mr. Bush after he inherited the problems - a rewrite of history that the media does not seem to want to correct.

Granted I wanted a Clinton Team rapid response - but some response would have been nice - or is Kerry making a response, and not just getting airtime?

Then there were the commentators that wondered if Kerry would let the Jewish vote stew for a few months - and possibly lose a part of it - before he says the required by US Politics statement that "He has no fundamental disagreement with Bush on Israel, that there can be no peace without a Palestinian partner who wants peace."

Having Donna saying the response "The Bush campaign will do anything to rewrite the reality that they've lost jobs, that they have not been good at keeping their campaign promises to grow the economy. It's a sign of desperation that this president is already using images of September 11." is not enough - Kerry has to say it!

Kerry has to fight the Bush "I am one of you and we must remember all we've been through together in the last three years - remember my great leadership and strength after 911", and point out the Bush non-denial that after 3 years the US is less well off than when he took office, and inherited tough times and 911 are untrue, and that the America 'safer, stronger' than last year is a just a way of saying it could be worse - but if he's so good at protecting us, why aren't we safe!

Besides where are the Bush proposals for a second Bush term - there is no plan under Bush to do better. Bush is trying to change the words used to “empathetic to the jobless and forceful on the economy” from the truth of Bush being indifferent and ineffective -so

Where the hell is the Kerry rapid response speech!

[Westegg]

14. I somewhat agree. Kerry rapid response would be nice...

...but he's still getting his act together, so Bush (and by that I mean his brain trust) is landing a quick, early jab. Predictable. Hell, that's all they've got: sucker-punches. The true heavyweight champ is the one who can go the distance.

[DinahMoeHum]

16. Kerry can very easily counter the waffling issue. . .

by hammering home the fact that * is "President Bait-And-Switch"


:kick:

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Didn't he promise NOT TO DO THIS?

Oh well another broken promise, what is ROVE THINKING?

Still this will be fun to watch as many who have seen this story already are just rolling their eyes.

[yardwork]

4. Bush lied

That's the best response to any talk about the war on terrorism. Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction.

Bush lied. Simple. Easy to remember. A lot of people don't pay much attention, but once they get the idea that somebody is untrustworthy, it sticks.

Bush lied. Keep repeating it.

[lovedems]

9. That is why Kerry is hammering home the credibility issue.

I think he will have a great deal of success. The chimp has no credibility with the war, job creation, you name it.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[BL_Zebub]

6. Junior as a "war president" really speaks volumes, if you think about it..

His war is fictional as his pResidency, after all.

[in_cog_ni_to]

7. THIS is why we need Wes Clark as the VP....

HE is the ONLY candidate who took it to this administration for NOT DOING EVERYTHING IT COULD TO PREVENT 911. Wes Clark can do that. He wasn't in the Senate. He didn't vote for the IWR or the Patriot Act. HE is the PERFECT VP choice.....they aren't going to call Wes Clark "weak on terrorism." They aren't going to be able to talk about terrorism being a military operation without Wes Clark telling them differently OR telling them how it SHOULD be done. Wesley Clark is the VP for this election. No doubt about it.

on edit.....Wes Clark also has INSIDE information from being in the Pentagon. He's "in the know." He had conversations with Rumsfeld. The WH knows he knows what kind of crap they have pulled. They know he knows more than they want him to know. They fear him and THAT is another reason he should be VP.

[molly]

8. There is no doubt in my mind that Wes will have a cabinet

position.

[BootinUp]

11. I hope no one is surprised

Maybe its time to overcompensate the ticket:

[NewYorkerfromMass]

13. 3,000 dead Americans would trade all the military we could spare

for just a little more intelligence on Sep. 10.

Fuck you Bush. You are a contemptible pig.

[molly]

18. We did have the intelligence

we had it for over a week before. I'm not a tin-foil hat person. This was a PLAN - they needed to invade Iraq and this was part of the plan. They really thought they could get away with tying Osama to Saddam. We now have all the maudlin religious let's pray feel good crap with the 9-11 ads.

[ChiefJoseph]

15. In other words...

...we were lucky enough to have 9/11 occur on our watch, so we're going to take full advantage of it, baby! Yeah!

What a bunch of scumbags.

[Armstead]

17. This should like fish in a barrell

After 9-11 what the US needed was to harness the unified support we had throughout the world, and the political unity at home.

But Bush did the exact opposite. Instead of supporting us, most of the world is mad at us. And here at home, Amerricans are fighting each otehr rather than working together to fight terrorism.

I don;t think Bush has a leg to stand on with this issue.