AP analysis of the new Bush attack ad

[flpoljunkie]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A63973-2004Mar16?language=printer

ANALYSIS:

Bush uses the ad to try to counter John Kerry's record as a decorated Vietnam War veteran in West Virginia, which has more than 203,000 veterans, and to claim that Kerry is inconsistent in his positions. In this case, the topic is defense.

The ad points out Kerry's vote in 2002 to authorize the Iraq war. It then seizes on his vote against a subsequent $87 billion spending bill to support military operations and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ad uses that vote to claim that the Massachusetts senator voted against giving troops body armor and higher combat pay, and reservists better health care.

It's true all of those issues were included in the overall bill, and that Kerry voted against it. (His campaign says it was because the bill included no-bid contracts for companies.) However, voting against the bill is not the same as voting against the individual issues. Viewers are led to believe Kerry cast separate votes on each issue, which he did not.

Left out of the ad is the fact that, long before the $87 billion vote, the Pentagon had been struggling with delays in the production and distribution of the latest armor to troops in Iraq, among other supply problems.In October, when the vote was cast, nearly one-fourth of the 130,000 American troops in Iraq still had not been issued the newest body armor, several months after the war had started.

[HydroAddict]

1. Excuse my ignorance.

But can Kerry/Dems create a bill, like tomorrow, specifically for new body armor and vet benefits, w/o all the BS?

[blm]

2. Kerry already sent a bill up for body armor.

Will Frist schedule it? I doubt it.

[Democat]

3. Then Kerry needs to talk about that in his ads

The Republicans must be punished for lying.

[flpoljunkie]

5. Unfortunately, it takes money, and lots of it, to answer these attacks!

You know what to do!



https://contribute2.johnkerry.com/contribute.html?team=195

[flpoljunkie]

8. Why must we resort to running ads to respond to Bush's lies?

Because the lazy, feckless media do not do their job as watchdogs to power--instead they act as lapdogs and Bush royal stenographers!

[HydroAddict]

4. So Frist should be to blame!

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS! FRIST HATES THE TROOPS! REPUGS WEAK ON DEFENSE!

[mot78]

12. He also likes to kill kittens

[snippy]

7. The democrats had separate bills for this $87 billion.

One was for around $20 billion for expenses related to the troops in Iraq. The other was for the balance of around $67 billion which was for the reconstruction of Iraq. The republicans voted against each of these bills and defeated them and passed the combined bill.

At the time this bill was introduced, the public was shocked by the $87 billion price tag since they had been told by BUSH AND ALL THE OTHER LIARS IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION that the cost of invading and reconstructing Iraq would be much lower.

[mot78]

13. The majority of the public also opposed the bill

[snippy]

17. True.

[snippy]

6. Kerry needs to rip Bush a new asshole for his lies.

Kerry needs to have people in the party go public with straight out accusations of LYING by Bush and his toadies. Attempting to explain that Bush was not quite completely accurate in an ad will fail.

Kerry should chose specfic, easily provable, not open to debate, lies and have people ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK. The simpler and shallower the lie chosen to attack, the better. Like Racicot's recent lie that Bush volunteered to go to Viet Nam. Or Bush's lie about the "Mission Accomplished" banner. Put Bush on the defensive.

Bush is the most incessant and compulsive liar in the history of American politics. Attacking him will result in him telling more lies in his defense which Kerry should ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK again. Bold and brutal accusations and irrefutable proof of Bush's lies will result in lots of free media and will negate Bush's money advantage, especially if people become convinced that Bush will lie in his ads because Bush always, always, always lies about everything.

[napi21]

9. I'm sure the Kerry campaign already has an ad to explain, but

I'm very worried about MONEY! I hate to believe the media, but I keep hearing that Kerry only has $2 mill, and Bush has $150 mill.

I can contribute a little, but very little. Somehow we need to establish a campaign like Dean had. I was part of that too. I sent my $25.00 every month or so, but so did thousands of others.

I don't know how to get that foing, but if $$ is a real problem for Kerry, he, or we need to contact Dean and find out how to cure it NOW!

[flpoljunkie]

11. Here you go.

They have had in the past, an option to give monthly. Perhaps they will revive it.



https://contribute2.johnkerry.com/contribute.html?team=195

[rumguy]

10. This level of distortion CANNOT be allowed to stand

Kerry and the rest of our party better stand up to this garbage...

[slinkerwink]

14. I agree....

[TheStateChief]

15. Unfortunately, most Americans don't understand this is how it works

And they don't have the attention span to listen to the real reason why Kerry voted against the bill (I'm sorry, but saying it contained no-bid contracts isn't going to cut it IMO). The ad will unfortunately be effective unless Kerry responds with something that explains that he didn't have a choice between the good and the bad in this bill.

[ex_jew]

16. That $87 billion was the biggest waste of money in U.S. history

Bush can bring it up all he wants but it's only drawing attention to the incredible waste of taxpayer dollars.