Posted on 12/07/2003 4:44:16 PM PST by PhiKapMom
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Dean Suggests “Interesting Theory” That President Knew 9/11 Attacks Were Coming And Didn’t Stop It. “The most interesting theory that I’ve heard so far – which is nothing more than a theory, I can’t think – it can’t be proved – is that [President Bush] was warned ahead of time [about the 9/11 attacks] by the Saudis.” (NPR’s “The Diane Rehm Show,” 12/1/03)
Then Tells Fox News Sunday He Doesn’t Believe Theory. FOX NEWS’ CHRIS WALLACE: “The most interesting theory is that the president was warned ahead of time by the Saudis? Why would you say that governor?” DEAN: “Because there are people who believe that. We don’t know what happened in 9/11. …” WALLACE: “Do you believe that?” DEAN: “No, I don t believe that. I can’t imagine the President of the United States doing that, but we don’t know and it would be a nice thing to know.” (Howard Dean On Fox News’ “Sunday,” 12/7/03)
Washington Post Columnist Suggests Dean’s Comment Shows His Shift To “Nutty” Left. “Now, I cannot testify to Howard Dean’s sanity before this campaign, but five terms as governor by a man with no visible tics and no history of involuntary confinement is pretty good evidence of a normal mental status. When he avers, however, that ‘the most interesting’ theory as to why the president is ‘suppressing’ the Sept. 11 report is that Bush knew about Sept. 11 in advance, it’s time to check on thorazine supplies. When Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) first broached this idea before the 2002 primary election, it was considered so nutty it helped make her former representative McKinney. Today the Democratic presidential front-runner professes agnosticism as to whether the president of the United States was tipped off about 9/11 by the Saudis, and it goes unnoticed. The virus is spreading.” (Charles Krauthammer, “The Delusional Dean,” The Washington Post, 12/5/03)
Sen. John Breaux (D-LA) Worries Dean Is Too Far To Left To Win General Election. “[Dean] wouldn’t be my first choice. … We can’t win just by running to the left. This election’s gonna be decided by the independents, the moderate people in the middle of the political spectrum. And unless you can address the concerns of mainstream moderate Americans, you’re not gonna be able to win in November.” (ABC’s “This Week,” 11/30/03)
Dean Repeats Claim President Tried To Cut Soldiers’ Imminent Danger Pay. “[The President] sends our troops to Iraq. He doubles their tour of duty because he underestimates the resistance of the Iraqis. And then, at the end of last summer, he says he’s going to cut combat pay, or dangerous pay, for the veterans [sic] … for our people over in Iraq. Now, the Congress reversed him and added a little money. But imagine the President sending people over, doubling their tour of duty and then trying to cut their pay.” (Howard Dean On Fox News’ “Sunday,” 12/7/03)
There Was Never Plan To Reduce Compensation For Troops Serving In Iraq. “I’d just like very quickly to put to rest what I understand has been a burgeoning rumor that somehow we are going to reduce compensation for those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. That is not true. We are not going to reduce their compensation. … What I’m saying on the record for Iraq and Afghanistan, absolutely yes, we are going to continue compensation for those folks.” (Undersecretary Of Defense For Personnel And Readiness David Chu, Department Of Defense, Press Conference, 8/15/03)
Even If Congress Had Allowed Temporary Allowance Provisions To Expire In September, Defense Department Was Prepared To Use Other Mechanisms To Continue Soldiers’ Level Of Compensation. “The department has a variety of pay and allowance powers already with which it plans to maintain the compensation of those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan should the current allowance provisions expire. … [W]e have some incentive pay with which we can compensate people in Iraq should these allowances fall back to levels prior to April of this year when Congress enacted new levels with which we can and will … maintain compensation in Iraq.” (Defense Undersecretary David Chu, Press Conference, 8/15/03)
President Bush Has Provided Historic Increases In Military Compensation. Under former President Clinton, military pay decreased an average of almost 2% per year relative to Consumer Price Index. Since President Bush took office, military pay increased an average of 5.2% per year relative to Consumer Price Index. (“Military Pay In Comparison With ECI And CPI,” Department Of Defense; “Defense Spending Highlights,” CQ Almanac, 2000, pp. 2-29 – 2-46)
Dean Hides Behind Legal Process To Keep Records Sealed. FOX NEWS’ CHRIS WALLACE: “Why not just open them up governor? I can’t believe that anybody in Vermont is going to prevent you. Why not just say, ‘They’re open. Reporters … ?’” DEAN: “Well, actually it’s a very complicated legal question and what we’re going to do, I suspect, is let the judge take a look at all these documents. … [T]here is a lawsuit over this … and what we think the best thing to do is to let the judge go through every single document and decide for himself what ought to be revealed and what not to be revealed …” (Fox News’ “Sunday,” 12/7/03)
And Falsely Claims Records Are Sealed To Protect Others’ Privacy. WALLACE: “[I]s anybody asking you to keep them closed?” DEAN: “Well, I think it’s very clear that there are some things in there that are really not fair to reveal – privacy concerns, people writing letters in to me that are private. I mean, everybody admits that if somebody writes a letter to me saying, you know, ‘Dear Governor, my wife has AIDS’ or something like that, that should not be revealed. …” WALLACE: “But, Governor, the Boston Herald – if I may, the Boston Herald this week looked at what is already open, and they found a lot of letters exactly like that that are already open, personal letters about medical conditions.” DEAN: “Right.” WALLACE: “So it doesn’t seem that that’s what’s being protected here.” (Fox News’ “Sunday,” 12/7/03)
Nowhere In Vermont Statutes Does It Say Records Must Be Sealed. “The official correspondence of the governor is the property of the state. Upon retiring from office he or she shall cause such correspondence and an itemized list thereof to be deposited with the secretary of state. The secretary of state shall preserve these records in accordance with professional archival practices recommended by the state archivist.”(Vermont Statutes, 3 V.S.A. § 4, 2003)
State Archivist: Sealing Records To Prevent Embarrassment Not Recognized By Law. “‘The open records law . . . declares “it is in the public interest to enable any person to review and criticize [the officers of government] decisions even though such examination may cause inconvenience or embarrassment.” So the scenario we were discussing - use of the gubernatorial records to embarrass a national campaign - is one not recognized by Vermont law,’ [State archivist Gregory] Sanford wrote in an Aug. 21, 2002 letter to Dean’s legal counsel.”(Sarah Schweitzer, “Official Files; Dean Feared A ‘Horton’ Scenario,” The Boston Globe, 10/9/03)
Clinton Claimed President Bush Has Made Us “Less Fair, Free, Strong, Smart.” “Hillary Clinton said the Democrats have plenty of message to run on against Bush. That message, according to Clinton, will be that Bush ‘is making America less fair, free, strong, smart than it deserves to be in a dangerous world and that we have to change directions before irreparable harm is done.’” (Ken Herman and Pamela LeBlanc, “Clinton Signs Books, Raps Bush,” Austin American-Statesman, 12/6/03)
But This Morning Clinton Had To Concede America Is Safer Now Than It Was On September 10, 2001. GEORGE WILL: “In your statement to the Houston paper, you said, ‘less free, less fair, less smart.’ How about … safe, however? …” CLINTON: “It’s a combination. And I have said repeatedly that we have made some real progress when it comes to homeland security, but we haven’t done nearly enough, according to any expert, any nonpartisan, independent observer who has looked at what we’ve done since 9/11. Have we made ourselves safer? Yes, we have. We’ve done some good work that needed to be done.” (ABC’s “This Week,” 127/03)
President Bush’s Positive Agenda Has Made America Safer, Stronger And Smarter:
* President Bush Created Department Of Homeland Security To Keep Us Safer. “Today, we are taking historic action to defend the United States and protect our citizens against the dangers of a new era. With my signature, this act of Congress will create a new Department of Homeland Security, ensuring that our efforts to defend this country are comprehensive and united. The new department will analyze threats, will guard our borders and airports, protect our critical infrastructure, and coordinate the response of our nation for future emergencies. The Department of Homeland Security will focus the full resources of the American government on the safety of the American people.” (President George W. Bush, Remarks At Signing Of H.R. 5005, Homeland Security Act Of 2002, 11/25/02)
* President Bush’s Tax Cuts Have Helped Make Economy Stronger. “The U.S. economy burst out of its doldrums in the third quarter, growing at an 8.2 percent annual rate, the fastest in nearly 20 years … The economy grew at a 3.3 percent rate in the second quarter and has now grown 3.5 percent in the past 12 months, the best year-over-year growth in three years. … [C]onsumer spending increased 6.4 percent, the most in six years. Tax cuts and tax rebate checks combined with low inflation, low interest rates and mortgage refinancing proceeds to give consumers both the means and the opportunity to go on a spending binge.” (Rex Nutting, “GDP Revised To 8.2% In Third Quarter,” CBSMarketWatch.com, 11/25/03)
* President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” Act Will Help Schools Perform Smarter. “Last year, I had the honor of signing into law some historic reforms. The No Child Left Behind Act sets a clear objective for American education. Every child in every school must be performing at grade level in the basic subjects that are key to all learning, reading and math. The ambitious goal is the most fundamental duty of every single school, and it must, and it will be fulfilled.” (President George W. Bush, Remarks On No Child Left Behind Act, 6/10/03)
Eloquent S.O.B., ain't he?...
Howard Dean = The Nutty Professor
No wonder the French love this guy
This calls for a bumper sticker...
When I heard Charles Krauthammer .. I thought, he nailed Dean and his groupies
Whats with this claim? I had heard some demwits claim it but as far as I know combat duty =$250 per mo extra. Not much but certainly not a cut.
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