The Kerry Line: Kerry Demonstrates a Flawed Understanding of the War on Terror

George W. Bush ^ | April 16, 2004

[RWR8189]

"John Kerry's decision to attack the President as emphasizing terrorism too heavily on the same day that Osama bin Laden renewed his threat to attack America and our allies demonstrates a fundamentally flawed understanding of the War on Terror. John Kerry's downplaying of the terrorist threat as America is reminded of the enemy's murderous intent demonstrates a disturbing disregard for the real dangers facing our nation."
-Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman

Kerry Says The President Focuses Too Heavily On Terrorism
"'Home base for George Bush in this race, as you saw to the nth degree in his press conference, is terror. … Ask him a question and he's going to go to terror,' Kerry said." (Dan Balz, "Bush Uses 'Terror' as A Fallback, Kerry Says," The Washington Post, 4/16/04)

On The Same Day, Bin Laden Issues Threat To Attack America and Our Allies
"A man identifying himself as Osama bin Laden offered on Thursday to stop terrorist actions in European countries that ended military action in Muslim nations. … The man, speaking in Arabic, says, 'The door to a truce is open for three months,' adding that it could be extended. 'The truce will begin when the last soldier leaves our countries,' he says." (Richard Bernstein, "Tape, Probably bin Laden's, Offers 'Truce' to Europe," The New York Times, 4/16/04)

Kerry Denies Link Between Iraq And War On Terror
Kerry said: "And everything [President Bush] did in Iraq, he's going to try to persuade people it has to do with terror, even though everybody here knows that it has nothing whatsoever to do with al Qaeda and everything to do with an agenda that they had preset, determined. That's where they're going to go." (Dan Balz, "Bush Uses 'Terror' as A Fallback, Kerry Says," The Washington Post, 4/16/04)

But Bin Laden Threat Specifically Mentions Iraq
In his threat, bin Laden said: "What happened in September 11 and March 11 is your own merchandise coming back to you. We hereby advise you ... that your definition of us and of our actions as terrorism is nothing but a definition of yourselves by yourselves, since our reaction is of the same kind as your act. Our actions are a reaction to yours, which are destruction and killing of our people as is happening in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine." ("Full text: 'Bin Laden tape,'" BBC.com, 4/15/04, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3628069.stm)

And Kerry Included Saddam Hussein In War On Terror In December 2001
CNN’S LARRY KING: “What about enhancing this war, Senator Kerry. What are your thoughts on going further than Afghanistan, all terrorist places …” KERRY: “Oh, I think we clearly have to keep the pressure on terrorism globally. This doesn’t end with Afghanistan by any imagination. And I think the president has made that clear. I think we have made that clear. Terrorism is a global menace. It’s a scourge. And it is absolutely vital that we continue, for instance, Saddam Hussein.” (CNN’s “Larry King Live,” 12/14/01)

[El Gato]

Kerry Says The President Focuses Too Heavily On Terrorism

Protection from foreign threats is the main reason we have federal government. That is the first job of the President and Congress, that is to protect the United States. Most of the rest of what the federal government does today is usurpation of powers not granted by the Constitution.

[Heff]

Bump for later

[Jorge]

Kerry said: "And everything [President Bush] did in Iraq, he's going to try to persuade people it has to do with terror, even though everybody here knows that it has nothing whatsoever to do with al Qaeda...

Garbage. If anything Bush played down the Iraq-al Qaeda connection before the war...even though there is plenty of evidence that Saddam WAS supporting terrorism.

...and everything to do with an agenda that they had preset, determined. That's where they're going to go."

"Preset" and "determined"?

How about the fact that REGIME CHANGE was the OFFICIAL US POLICY toward IRAQ long BEFORE Bush ever became President? That this policy was established in the 1990s under CLINTON?

But somehow the fact that Bush decided to do something to enforce US policy is a sinister Bush plot?
Kerry sounds like CNN.