Posted on 08/03/2004 3:05:58 PM PDT by quantim
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats rolled out a "Bush truth squad" Tuesday to state the facts as they see them and challenge the president's assertions at every turn of the campaign.
Nearly 20 members of Congress, a retired general supporting John Kerry and other partisans joined in a pledge to "tell the whole truth" when President Bush doesn't. The facts they brought forward at their launch, however, were selective.
"For George Bush, the truth hurts," said Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, the former presidential candidate and a member of the squad. He accused the president of demeaning Kerry's record in Congress and misrepresenting the reality on jobs, health care, the deficit and more.
Each party routinely dogs the other's candidate with "opposition research" quietly fed to the news media that offers practically point-by-point rebuttal to the claims of the day. In forming its squad, the Democratic National Committee was putting prominent faces behind the effort.
The Democrats said they will challenge Bush wherever he goes, whether they appear in the same city or say something from afar. A contingent plans to set up shop in New York for the GOP convention at the end of this month, just as Republicans got in their digs from Boston during last week's Democratic convention.
Bush "says one thing and does another," Texas Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said at the squad's introduction. "He's not been a person of his word."
Retired Gen. Merrill A. McPeak, a Kerry supporter and squad member who was Air Force chief of staff during the first Persian Gulf War, said he wants to hold Bush accountable for his record in the Iraq and terrorism wars, including the president's "premature claims of mission accomplished" in Iraq.
"Truth is on our side," Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee asserted repeatedly.
But some of the facts presented Tuesday were highly one-sided.
The squad's case against Bush included a "Tale of Two Lives" video juxtaposing flattering statements and pictures of Kerry's past with a Bush history sprinkled with phrases such as, "Avoids Vietnam," "Absent from Duty," "Is Investigated for Insider Trading."
The video tells viewers that Bush lost a race for Congress while ignoring that Kerry did, too.
Asked how that conveys "the whole truth," DNC spokesman Jano Cabrera said, "the whole truth is in the backup," meaning supporting papers that viewers don't see. The background papers acknowledge Kerry narrowly lost a 1972 race for Congress.
Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, issued an indictment of Bush's economic record at the squad's news conference but didn't have all his numbers right.
He blamed Bush for losing 3 million jobs. Although jobs in the manufacturing sector are down by about 2.7 million since Bush took office, employment overall has fallen by 1.1 million in Bush's time.
Jim Dyke, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, dismissed the Democratic effort, arguing that Kerry has been inconsistent on Iraq and intelligence issues and the squad's "mission has everything to do with politics and nothing to do with the truth."
Wasn't she the one who asserted we had landed men on Mars?
They're going negative. So much for taking the high road in the campaign.
Bush Truth Squad, how lame... I wouldn't believe a damn thing that "Missouri Dick" (even though he lives in Washington), says. Plus I love how they trump up the fact that G.W. was 'avoiding vietnam' I suppose its worse to avoid the war than to protest it, eh Kerry?
They wouldn't know the truth if it hit them in the face
Let me see if I have this right.
Kerry steals the Cheney line "Help is on the way."
The press doesn't comment on it.
The DNC steals the GOP idea of a "truth squad".
The press doesn't comment on it.
calling bush a flip flopper and is BS. If one thing about bush is for sure you know what to expect, check Kerry voting record and look at his DNC (too long) speech, Kerry is the KING OF FLIPPERS
Here is a message to the Dems, THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUTH AND NOT DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF IT IE MICHAEL MOORE
unusually hard on the Dems for an AP article
None other.
ROTFLOL. I am constantly amazed at what these people say.
They don't even cite Bush "lies". They can't. This ought to be fun to follow.
Yup, that's her all right... Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Mars)
McPeak was the most hated Chief of Staff of the USAF in history...well, what history the USAF has!
He ruined everything he touched - so maybe it's a good thing he's on Kerry's side.
They are already starting to get sick of Kerry...
"What is truth?" -- Pontius Pilate, and pretty much every liberal in America.
Somebody better get McPeak a copy of Tommy Franks' book -- Franks says it was his suggestion to say "mission accomplished".
Kerry taking the "high road." This claim would never have survived the scrutiny of a "truth squad."
And, of course, the mission was to topple Saddam. The mission was indeed accomplished.
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