Posted on 08/14/2004 6:16:31 AM PDT by veronica
AMERICA was reintroduced this week to one of its most charming, gifted, relaxed, wily, plainspoken and ruthless politicians: George W Bush, the candidate.
If the US president loses his re-election bid on November 2 - a fate that is a real possibility - it will not be because he lacks the skills needed on the stump. Love him or loathe him, the past ten days have reminded voters and political journalists just what an effective campaigner Mr Bush is.
As he and John Kerry, his Democratic opponent, have engaged in the first intensive round of election-year combat, sparring with each other as they criss-crossed the country's battleground states, even Senator John Kerry's friends admit that Mr Bush has run rings around him.
At the same time, Mr Bush has donned a persona with crowds that has proved disarmingly effective all his political life: funny, down to earth, slightly humble, with an artfully simple message delivered in skilfully crafted short sentences. It is an image that deliberately hides a man with formidable political gifts and instinct.
Just 11 weeks before polling day, Mr Bush does not have the strongest of electoral hands. His job-approval rating remains stuck below 50pc, a perilous position for an incumbent president.
More than half the country is now unhappy with events in Iraq. Last week delivered disappointing employment figures, with only 32,000 jobs created in July.
Yet Mr Kerry's messages on the economy and Iraq were drowned out by a president who, helped by Vice President Dick Cheney and his attack-dog-in-chief, outsmarted and out-joked him.
Mr Kerry's problems began when Mr Bush challenged him for a yes-or-no answer on a critical campaign issue: if he knew last year before the invasion that no weapons of mass destruction would be found in Iraq, would he still have voted for the war?
Mr Bush, whose own answer is an unequivocal yes, knew that Mr Kerry's position on Iraq is by necessity more complicated, not least because he voted against Mr Bush's later request for $87bn (€70bn) in post-war reconstruction funds, at a time when he needed to appease the anti-war tide dominating the Democratic primary race.
In a sign that Mr Kerry is still struggling to crystalise a clear message on Iraq that convinces a majority of voters, he had to debate with his aides on how to respond to Mr Bush.
On Monday, he declared that he still would have voted for the war, but handled the lead-up to war and the post-combat phase differently. Then Mr Kerry surprised aides by declaring that he could begin to reduce US troops in Iraq significantly within the first six months of his presidency.
On Tuesday, at a rally in Florida, Mr Bush pounced: "My opponent has found a new nuance. He now agrees it was the right decision to go into Iraq. But just remember, there are 83 days left in the campaign, time enough to change his mind again."
Over troop reduction, he accused Mr Kerry of sending "mixed signals" on Iraq and giving succour to Iraqi militants. The senator's aides were forced to issue "clarifications".
Jo Biden, the veteran Democrat senator, conceded that the first round went to Mr Bush, despite the renewed insurgency in Iraq and poor job figures, which abruptly forced Mr Bush to drop the claim that the US was "turning the corner" on the economy.
On Thursday, Mr Cheney ridiculed Mr Kerry for saying that he would fight a "more sensitive" War on Terror, ignoring the fact that Mr Bush used similar language last year.
Yesterday, as he ended his 15-day, 22-state cross-country tour in Oregon, Mr Kerry began what his aides said would be a two-week offensive on the economy. But that message was overshadowed largely by Mr Bush's success in focusing on Mr Kerry's position on Iraq and terrorism.
Mr Bush is in the fight of his political life. He is running neck-and-neck with Mr Kerry, himself a veteran campaigner.The President is largely at the mercy of events in Iraq, and on the economy.
Bush will be reelected.
I'm so confused....
God Help the US , if Bush is not re-elected.
And even if he is. Amen.
Some of the best, non-biased reporting on the American election campaign comes from the overseas press.
I'm not even sure God can help us that much.
Yep and by a wider margin than expected.
When did Bush say we would fight a "more sensitive" war on terror?
Out of curiosity... Did John Edward's suspend his campaigning to check on his State? He is their senator... And there are those storms...
Hmm..
God will help us... But Kerry might kill us.
John "The Old War Horse" Kerry should be put out to pasture.
Edwards is senator from North Carolina, not Florida, and the hurricane is nowhere near there at the moment.
I'm so confused....
It's very simple. Bush is a dumb, drunken, frat boy, evil genius, chimp, master puppeteer, too dumb to tie his own shoes, manipulator of all world events, stooge of the neocons, ruler of the world.
There, now do you understand?
We survived Clinton, we'd survive Kerry. But we can't afford now to dither and just survive, what with the Islamofascists trying to kill us all. The times call for a strong, assured, consistant leader.
Let's face it, outsmarting and out-joking Kerry isn't exactly the hardest thing in the world to accomplish.
Bush is a lot smarter than his critics.
I have had the pleasure of listening to him.
My observations are:
1. He is in total command of the issues.
2. He has an incredible force of character. He is a leader.
3. He is totally sincere. There is no flip-flopping or weasling about the issues
4. He is easy-going and very likeable, the kind of neighbor you would want.
I know what state he is from, but the storms are tracked to head up the east coast. There will be coastal damage along those states. Possibly worse.
It's a lie. Bush said something on this order during the 2000 campaign - not AFTER 9/11. Never expect anti-Bush media to tell the truth..never.
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