...."I'm going to let those who were in Vietnam debate the facts of what happened there. I wasn't there, as John Kerry and his supporters so delightedly point out at every opportunity."".....
I like that approach Spok. Stick Kerry in the eye, and let him fight his own battle for the truth.
In Texas at his ranch, Bush said, "I don't think we ought to have 527s," a reference to the outside groups that have poured millions of dollars over the past year into attack ads. Bush himself has been a main target of ads costing some $60 million. Bush said all of the ads should be stopped.
"That means that ad," he said, referring to the anti-Kerry ad, "and every other ad."
The anti-Kerry ad, no longer running but much publicized in news accounts, says Kerry didn't deserve his Purple Hearts, lied to get his Bronze Star and Silver Star and unfairly branded all veterans with his 1971 congressional testimony about atrocities in Vietnam.
With polls suggesting Kerry's standing was beginning to slip — at least among veterans — the Democrat last week called on Bush to call for the attack ads to be pulled from the air. He also accused Bush of allowing front groups to "do his dirty work."
Kerry's vice presidential running mate, Sen. John Edwards (news - web sites) of North Carolina, said Bush's comments on Monday fell short of what was needed.
"The moment of truth came and went, and the president still couldn't bring himself to do the right thing," Edwards said. "Instead of hiding behind a front group, George Bush (news - web sites) needs to take responsibility and demand that the ad come off the air."