Posted on 08/23/2004 12:28:53 PM PDT by KQQL
Traitor KQQL ( as lots of people claim I am here) is always on SPOT....
:)
"Bush needs to shut up about it, or if he says anything at all, it should be that they are an independent group that is entitled to speak their minds"
That would be saying Moveon.org and Michael Moore, et al has the right to say whatever they want.
No, Reuters spinning the news again. It should be 'That ad AND every other ad" in the headline.
Is yOU'rE CaPS kEY GIvInG yOU pROBlEMS?
No "brainer" by Pres. Bush. First of the working week thus guaranteed to get attention from the MSM. Great play!
Yeah, limiting free speech sure is a great "strategery."
The GOP hates free speech as much as the left does.
There's no caving in by Bush's campaign here.
What they did is a form of inoculation. Bush is saying Please stop these ads". But he doesn't mean it!
But you know and I know that the Bush campaign wants these ads to continue. They just can't say so!
The Swift Boat veterans won't stop their ad blitz just because the President asked them to.
Everything's fine on this issue.
Did you read the damned statement???
"That means that ad and every other ad," Bush said
That has been Bush's position ever since the SBVT ad first ran.
Yes Moveon.org and Michael Moore have the right to say whatever they want... even how vile it might be.
THis is Smart move by W, since swift ads will not stop.
I was confused by this, too. First off, why should BUSH do ANYTHING to "stop the advertisements"? The law allows for these organizations to run such ads; furthermore, George Bush didn't create the environment in which 527s could be used for this or any other purpose.
Go ask 99% of all Congressional Democrats and John McCain what THEY intend to do to "stop the advertisements".
This may not be the last time GW speaks on this issue; in fact, I think he could be even more direct and assertive if he wants, since everyone from the Swifties to Americans Coming Together are just going to ignore him anyway.
There are quite a few cards that BC'04 have yet to play in this whole soap opera, ones that would be quite effective if/when they choose to play them.
For example, all this bleating by the Kerry camp about how folks around Bush smeared John McCain in 2000 (while true)are going to lose any sort of steam they may have when George Bush and John McCain spend a solid week campaigning together after the convention.
Kinda hard to assert that John "Staight Talk" McCain was greivously hurt by all that if he's at the President's side day in, day out.
This whole thing is proving to be a tar baby for Kerry. Best for the President to keep on keeping on with his intent to talk about what he wants to do in a second term.
Exactly. Kerry is desperate and he looks weak. He'd have to give up something and he's not going to. Checkmate.
By saying this, he's staying above the fray and avoiding being drawn into a direct comparison on this issue. He wins this round. If he were to engage in a "what were you doing in Vietnam" with Kerry, Kerry would win that fight.
MCPAIN IS A USELESS REPUBLICAN
BINGO !
Notice too, Bush hasn't said one negative thing specifically about the Swift Boat Vets for Truth. He's been denouncing "all 527 ads" but has wisely not even spoken the words "swift boat vets" or "vets" in any context, and he's not going to. Veterans are switching to his side rapidly and he won't say anything to offend them. He's cleverly making this a general issue of nasty 527 ads, not a specific issue with the Swift Vets group. (It's all a clever strategery.)
Bush is not a strong defender of the First Amendment. That's not new, since he signed CFR a while back. So his statement here is no surprise, though still very disappointing. I would like to hear him say something like "The right to criticize political candidates is a basic freedom enjoyed by all Americans, and I plan to protect and defend that right even when it is inconvenient for me to do so."
I understand the reality of the situation where somehow the GOP and Bush are responsible and Kerry gets a free pass.
I've read a majority of the threads about the Swiftee's since this all began. I find it curious that suddenly we have this flood of people that think he sold out the SBV's for stating the exact message most have had no problem with until it was heard in his voice.
Perhaps this new influx of opinion would hold greater weight if it had been supported in these numbers before today.
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