Posted on 09/25/2004 1:29:39 AM PDT by The_Victor
WACO, Texas - President Bush (news - web sites) opened several new scathing lines of attack against Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites), charges that twisted his rival's words on Iraq (news - web sites) and made Kerry seem supportive of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein (news - web sites). It was not unlike the spin that Kerry and his forces sometimes place on Bush's words.
Campaigning by bus through hotly contested Wisconsin on Friday, Bush sought to counter recently sharpened criticism by Kerry about his Iraq policies:
_He stated flatly that Kerry had said earlier in the week "he would prefer the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to the situation in Iraq today." The line drew gasps of surprise from Bush's audience in a Racine, Wis., park. "I just strongly disagree," the president said.
But Kerry never said that. In a speech at New York University on Monday, he called Saddam "a brutal dictator who deserves his own special place in hell." He added, "The satisfaction we take in his downfall does not hide this fact: We have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure."
_Bush attacked Kerry for calling "our alliance 'the alliance of the coerced and the bribed.'"
"You can't build alliances if you criticize the efforts of those who are working side by side with you," the president said in Janesville, Wis.
Kerry did use the phrase to describe the U.S.-led coalition of nations in Iraq, in a March 2003 speech in California. He was referring to the administration's willingness to offer aid to other nations to gain support for its Iraq policies.
But Bush mischaracterized Kerry's criticism, which has not been aimed at the countries that have contributed a relatively small number of troops and resources, but at the administration for not gaining more participation from other nations.
_Bush also suggested Kerry was undercutting an ally in a time of need, and thus unfit to be president, when he "questioned the credibility" of Iraqi interim leader Ayad Allawi.
"This great man came to our country to talk about how he's risking his life for a free Iraq, which helps America," the president said in Janesville. "And Senator Kerry held a press conference and questioned Prime Minister Allawi's credibility. You can't lead this country if your ally in Iraq feels like you question his credibility."
Bush repeated the attack later in the day and Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) echoed the message in Lafayette, La. "I must say I was appalled at the complete lack of respect Senator Kerry showed for this man of courage," Cheney said.
Kerry's point was that the optimistic assessments of postwar Iraq from both Bush and Allawi didn't match previous statements by the Iraqi leader, nor the reality on the ground, and were designed to put the "best face" on failed policies.
"Facts can be stubborn things," said Kerry spokesman Phil Singer. "When there's a gap between the reality and the words coming out of the White House, we are going to point them out."
That's not to say Kerry hasn't been playing fast and loose with Bush's words.
Just Friday, the Kerry campaign sent an e-mail to supporters entitled "He said what?" citing Bush's remark that he had seen "a poll that said the right track/wrong track in Iraq was better than here in America."
The e-mail from campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill accused the president of having "no plan to get us out of Iraq" and thinking "the future of Iraq is brighter than the future of America."
Bush has a plan for Iraq Kerry just disagrees that it is working. And the president wasn't comparing Iraq's future to that of the United States, only accurately reflecting one recent survey in Iraq and the latest trends in America that asked participants for their assessment of the direction their countries are going. After campaigning in Wisconsin, Bush settled into his ranch in Crawford, Texas, which will be his base of operations for several days as he crams for the first debate of the presidential campaign, to be held Thursday in Coral Gables, Fla. The first practice session was expected to take place Saturday night, with Sen. Judd Gregg (news, bio, voting record), R-N.H., playing the part of Kerry for a couple of hours and a slew of Bush's most senior White House aides and outside advisers on hand, spokesman Scott McClellan said.
That's what I thought.
I would have concentrated our power and resources on defeating global terrorism and capturing or killing Osama bin Laden. I would have tightened the noose and continued to pressure and isolate Saddam Hussein who was weak and getting weaker -- so that he would pose no threat to the region or America.
The president statement, 'Kerry had said earlier in the week "he would prefer the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to the situation in Iraq today,"' is correct.
http://www.erols.com/igoddard Tripping With the Secretary: Ron Brown's Foreign Trade Missions
When Ron Brown was simultaneously a partner at the preeminent Washington law and lobbying firm of Patton, Boggs and Blow and chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), he was renowned as the consummate deal-maker. By all appearances, Brown's Department of Commerce has continued to apply the art of the deal. As one Justice Department investigator put it, a corporation can "pay to play." ..
Freeper TexMex 12/13/98 observes ".Tommy Boggs, Cokie's [Cokie Roberts] brother, has been for many years the head of the most powerful PACs/law firm in Washington and is sometimes given credit for originating the concept of political activists committees as a vehicle to circumvent campaign contribution laws.."
April 14, 1997 - The White House released a list of donors and fund-raisers who were allowed to fly on Air Force One and Two with President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. In 1995 and 1996, the Clinton Administration allowed 56 contributors who donated $5,000 and more and fund-raisers raising $25,000 or more for the DNC or the Clinton-Gore campaign to fly on the taxpayer-financed Air Force jets. Among the contributors flying on Air Force One: New York businessman Maurice Templesman, labor leaders Lane Kirkland and John Sweeney, Washington lobbyist Tommy Boggs, and Washington lawyer Vernon Jordan. Numerous trips aboard Air Force One were taken by Clinton-Gore chief fund-raiser Terry McAuliffe and DNC fund-raisers Marvin Rosen, Laura Hartigan, Richard Sullivan and Scott Patrick. None of the contributors or fund-raisers were asked to pay for the costs of their airfare on Air Force One and Two for official trips.
The following article was excerpted from a private letter from Nicholas A. Guarino, former TV Host of Commodities Week, former Arkansas businessman, and editor of Wall Street Underground. .....[April 3, 1996] .....
7:20 Four hours and 20 minutes after the crash the first Croatian Special Forces search party arrives on the scene and finds only Ms. Kelly surviving...."
http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=87&subsecID=112&contentID=252136
http://www.washingtonlife.com/backissues/archives/03may/real_estate.htm (do a find on "loven")
Haven't found her bio yet--but she and wonky hubby can afford a ~800K house in Chevy Chase, so there's bucks coming from somewhere. I don't think they pay AP reporters that kind of dough.
Fundrace.org--- Jennifer Loven's husband, Roger Ballentine, donated $2000 to John Kerry.
Anyone who does not conclude that Kerry is saying he would prefer Saddam in power than the current situation in Iraq is smokin' some high-priced weed. President Bush didn't say he was quoting Kerry, but it's obvious he was summarizing Kerry's conclusions based on Kerry's own words.
The AP "story" is probably a copy & paste job from a DNC-KE04 press release or talking points memo.
I would like to see a website called MediaIncest where all of the relationships between media and Democrats, etc. are exposed. Even media and Republicans, but that would be a shorter list. Think novel vs. pamphlet.
Kerry said
"I think the prime minister is obviously contradicting his own statement of a few days ago, where he said the terrorists are pouring into the country,"
In reference to Allawis Earlier statement
Foreign terrorists are still pouring in, and they're trying to inflict damage on Iraq to undermine Iraq and to undermine the process, democratic process in Iraq, and, indeed, this is their last stand So they are putting a very severe fight on Iraq. We are winning. We will continue to win. We are going to prevail."
See here.
I think it is very clear who is contradicting whom. Kerry is desperate, and continues to show himself unfit to be president. The bias in this artical should surprise no one.
Send another one for me. My e-mail service is down today. I saw the headline on Iwon.com this morning and thought I had misread it. I thought surely it must have read "Kerry says Bush twists Kerry's words on Iraq." But I looked again and the headline is "Bush twists Kerry's Words on Iraq."
I noticed that little green footballs and powerline have picked up on this so maybe AP will feel the heat soon.
The writer of this article like most of the AP Rathers re GW has written a lot of pro gay articles or articles pushing the gay agenda. This seems to be a current profile of the bash GS hit writers from AP and the MSM. If they rather about GW in an appearance of really bash him, often they have written a lot of articles pushing the gay agenda.
Here is the search on Jennifer Loven, gay via Yahoo:
http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=JENNIFER%20LOVEN%20Gay
Thanks!
I have an article on this in
http://freedomsruth.blogspot.com
which links to powerline blogs AP bias exposes ...
this Jen Loven background shows she is consistent in her (biased) work!
This author conveniently misses that Kerry did tell David Letterman that if he were president in 2000, we would have never be in Iraq today. Hey, AP Writer, that means he would prefer Saddam to the situation today.
Sound familiar?
Puts this little hit piece in perspective, eh?
We're having to fight the MSM along with terrorists.
Shame, shame, shame.
"You can't build alliances if you criticize the efforts of those who are working side by side with you," the president said in Janesville, Wis.
Kerry did use the phrase to describe the U.S.-led coalition of nations in Iraq, in a March 2003 speech in California. He was referring to the administration's willingness to offer aid to other nations to gain support for its Iraq policies.
But Bush mischaracterized Kerry's criticism, which has not been aimed at the countries that have contributed a relatively small number of troops and resources, but at the administration for not gaining more participation from other nations.
Sorry, AP, but no amount of spin can make it that a reference to an "alliance of the coerced and the bribed" really was a reference to the administration not gaining more participation.
That is absurd.
_Bush also suggested Kerry was undercutting an ally in a time of need, and thus unfit to be president, when he "questioned the credibility" of Iraqi interim leader Ayad Allawi.
"This great man came to our country to talk about how he's risking his life for a free Iraq, which helps America," the president said in Janesville. "And Senator Kerry held a press conference and questioned Prime Minister Allawi's credibility. You can't lead this country if your ally in Iraq feels like you question his credibility."
Bush repeated the attack later in the day and Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) echoed the message in Lafayette, La. "I must say I was appalled at the complete lack of respect Senator Kerry showed for this man of courage," Cheney said.
Kerry's point was that the optimistic assessments of postwar Iraq from both Bush and Allawi didn't match previous statements by the Iraqi leader, nor the reality on the ground, and were designed to put the "best face" on failed policies.
Yes, Kerry's charge that assessments from Bush and Allawi didn't match previous statements (which is in itself a lie) is indeed undercutting and attacking Allawi. There is no other interpretation.
On the other hand, Kerry gave a speech yesterday where he referenced remarks by Donald Rumsfeld prefaced by "And I quote", then Kerry proceeded to misquote Rumsfeld and leave aside any and all context to what he had said.
The AP has been disgusting for months now.
Can't you change that? I have FR as my homepage and it opens right to Latest Posts.
Kerry covers both sides of every issue so AP says he is immune from question. A & B being opposite sides of each issue. Bush criticizes Kerry for saying A but AP says that is not fair because Kerry also said B. Brother...
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