Both Candidates Often Shift Positions (AP Extreme BARFARAMA)

WASHINGTON - While working relentlessly to portray Democratic Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) as a "flip-flopper," President Bush (news - web sites) has his own history of changing his position, from reversals on steel tariffs and "nation-building" to reasons for invading Iraq (news - web sites).

Most recently, Bush did an about-face on whether the proposed new director of national intelligence should have full budget-making powers as the bipartisan Sept. 11 commission recommended. Bush at first indicated no, then last week said yes.

Just as GOP efforts to question Kerry's military record in Vietnam helped revive nagging questions about Bush's service in the Air National Guard, the "flip flop" attacks on Kerry could boomerang against an incumbent running on his record and reputation as a straight talker.

"The guy who is the ultimate flip and flop is this sitting president," said Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden (news, bio, voting record) of Delaware.

Yet so far Democratic efforts to paint Bush as "Flip-Flopper-in-Chief," as one Democratic news release put it, have not seemed to have had much impact on the race.

Republicans have been driving home their depiction of Kerry as a flip-flopper for months, in campaign ads, speeches and interviews. And polls suggest this line of attack is working.

Far more voters give Bush high marks for being decisive than they do Kerry. Three-fourths, 75 percent, in the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll said the president is decisive, up 7 percentage points from August, while 37 percent said Kerry is decisive, down 7 percentage points from a month ago.

Republican audiences chant "flip-flopper" when Kerry is mentioned, some political novelty stores are carrying flip-flop sandals bearing Kerry's picture, and the theme is reinforced by late-night comedians.

"Gee, I wonder if Bush will say the 'F' in John F. Kerry stands for flip-flop," said NBC's Jay Leno after Kerry last week suggested the "W" in George W. Bush stood for "wrong."

_In 2000, Bush argued against new military entanglements and nation building. He's done both in Iraq.

_He opposed creation of an independent Sept. 11 commission, then supported it. He first refused to speak to its members, then agreed only if Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) came with him.

_Bush argued for free trade, then imposed three-year tariffs on steel imports in 2002, only to withdraw them after 21 months.

_Last month, he said he doubted the war on terror could be won, then reversed himself to say it could and would.

_A week after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Bush said he wanted Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) "dead or alive." But he told reporters six months later, "I truly am not that concerned about him." He did not mention bin Laden in his hour-long convention acceptance speech.

"I'm a war president," Bush told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Feb. 8. But in a July 20 speech in Iowa, he said: "Nobody wants to be the war president. I want to be the peace president."

Bush keeps revising his Iraq war rationale: The need to seize Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s weapons of mass destruction until none were found; liberating the Iraqi people from a brutal dictator; fighting terrorists in Iraq not at home; spreading democracy throughout the Middle East. Now it's a safer America and a safer world.

"No matter how many times Senator Kerry flip-flops, we were right to make America safer by removing Saddam Hussein from power," he said last week in Missouri.

Bush has changed his positions on new Clean Air Act restrictions, protecting the Social Security (news - web sites) surplus, tobacco subsidies, the level of assistance to help combat AIDs in Africa, campaign finance overhaul and whether to negotiate with North Korean officials.

But while Bush's policy shifts have been numerous and notable, Democrats haven't succeeded yet in tarring him as a flip flopper, said American University political scientist James Thurber.

"Kerry has made some statements about it, but he doesn't have a clear strategy for hammering back at the flip flops of the president," Thurber said.

The sustained Bush attack draws on Kerry's 20-year Senate record, with special emphasis on his votes to authorize force in Iraq in 2002 and against final passage last year of an $87 billion aid package for Iraq and Afghanistan (news - web sites).

Kerry didn't help himself by explaining that he first supported an amendment to provide the $87 billion by rolling back Bush's tax cuts. "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it," he said. The Bush campaign turned the quote into an ad.

Bush aides brush off suggestions by Democrats that the real flip-flopper is Bush, not Kerry.

"One moment they say the president's too stubborn and the next day accuse him of being a flip-flopper. It's generated to a point of incoherence," said Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt.

EDITOR'S NOTE — Tom Raum has covered Washington for The Associated Press since 1973, including five presidencies.

Yes, I certainly hated to hear that. Sounds like we may have a serial arsonist on our hands. Hopefully, they catch the monster who did this soon.

I see you are a Blue Jackets fan! My son in law worked for the organization as a client services manager before he left to go back to OSU fulltime to get his MBA. He and my daughter, son, and some friends were out after the Buckeye game, and ran into one of the Blue Jackets players. I guess the place stayed open until 3am in his honor.....LOL. When I called my daughter this morning, she was still a little groggy from the late night out....:)

_A week after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Bush said he wanted Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." But he told reporters six months later, "I truly am not that concerned about him." He did not mention bin Laden in his hour-long convention acceptance speech.

That's not a flip-flop. Bush still wants Usama dead or alive, he's just trying to tear down the rest of al-Qaida and work to stabilize Pakistan as best as one can.

"I'm a war president," Bush told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Feb. 8. But in a July 20 speech in Iowa, he said: "Nobody wants to be the war president. I want to be the peace president."

No flip-flop here either. Nobody wants to lead a nation into war. But some pea-brained reporter seems to have forgotten about 11 September 2001 and the significance of that day. I'll clue you into reality here: three thousand Americans perished, killed by terrorists. Of course Bush would prefer peace, but the terrorists shattered that peace, and Bush will commit to fight the war until the enemies cease to exist, at which time we shall have peace. Simple, pea-brain, simple.

Bush keeps revising his Iraq war rationale: The need to seize Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction until none were found; liberating the Iraqi people from a brutal dictator; fighting terrorists in Iraq not at home; spreading democracy throughout the Middle East. Now it's a safer America and a safer world.

More evidence that media personnel have pea-sized brains--and don't even engage them. Bush had several reasons for going to war in Iraq. None of the reasons given contradict any other reason. Just because Bush emphasized one reason or the other on one particular day didn't mean that he ever abandoned any previously-emphasized reason.

"Fighting terrorists in Iraq and not at home," makes "a safer America and a safer world" because it "liberates the Iraqi people from a brutal dictator," which in turn enables the "spreading [of] democracy in the Middle East" and would have enabled the "seizing [of] Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction," had they been found. See, I've just combined all of your reasons into one succinct, rational sentence that does not contradict itself.

Try doing that with John F. Kerry's positions on Iraq that he emphasizes on successive days this week. Once you've reduced them into a succinct, rational sentence that does not contradict itself or betray the candidate as a purveyor of sedition or cheerleader of traitors, then you can start whining. Meanwhile, I don't want to hear anymore from you, pea-brain.

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