Bush, Kerry Twisting Each Other's Words [AP twists facts]

Associated Press ^ | Sep 25, 2004 | JENNIFER LOVEN

[Mike Fieschko]

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.

Bush continued to insist on a mostly upbeat view of Iraq in his weekly radio address Saturday. "The enemies of freedom are using suicide bombings, beheading and other horrific acts to try to block progress. We are sickened by their atrocities, but we will never be intimidated, and freedom is winning," he said. "We're making steady progress."

"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.

[The_Victor]

Looks like AP has altered their title.

Same article posted here http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1226687/posts under a different title. FReepers have been emailing AP and Ms. Loven about the obvious bias in the headline and article since early this morning. Small change, but way to go FReepers! Let's keep the heat on AP about the rest of the article.

[Bonaventure]

This is just about the most disgraceful example of AP bias I can remember. I just sent a complaint to info@ap.org.

According to Polipundit and Power Line, the article's original title was "Bush Twists Kerry's Words on Iraq." But evidently even the AP found that title a little over the top, because they soon changed it to include Kerry as well. But they did not change the substance of the article, and that's what is really offensive.

[NYCVirago]

What an editorial! The author, not Bush, is the one doing the mischaracterizing here.

[AFPhys]

More "news" from this reporter...

Bush not able to dispel questions
Intelligence critics just won’t go away.

By JENNIFER LOVEN Associated Press Writer
Published Monday, July 21, 2003

WASHINGTON The White House defense of President George W. Bush’s now-disavowed claim that Iraq was seeking uranium in Africa has evolved over the last two weeks: blame others, stonewall, bury questions in irrelevant information and, above all, hope it will go away.

So far, none has worked.

In question: Sixteen words in Bush’s Jan. 28 State of the Union speech: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

At issue: The credibility of the president’s allegation that Saddam was rebuilding a nuclear weapons program. The assertion that Iraq was trying to buy uranium was a key component of that claim — and a key piece of Bush’s justification for war.

The flap started on July 6, when an envoy sent by the CIA to Africa last year to investigate the uranium claim contended that the Bush administration ignored — and possibly manipulated — his findings.

In a New York Times op-ed article, Joseph Wilson, former U.S. ambassador to Gabon, said it was highly doubtful that any transaction took place.

The next day, the White House acknowledged that Bush should not have made the claim because of concerns about the intelligence behind it. The documents allegedly showing an Iraq-Niger uranium connection turned out to be forgeries. ...

END OF QUOTE---
Of course, as the 9/11 Commission UNANIMOUSLY reported (as did the Senate Inigence Committee report and Lord Butler's report) the LIAR WAS JOE WILSON, and the yellowcake intel was not dependent on the forgeries at all.

Good ol' Jennifer based her FRAUDCAST report on FALSE information from a single source LIAR.

Sound familiar?

Puts this little hit piece in perspective, eh?

[AFPhys]

http://www.showmenews.com/2003/Jul/20030721News011.asp

Oops: source above...

[AFPhys]

See Post#6 for another example of "news" from this reporter...

[lasereye]

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."

If he's saying we are less secure then we were with him in power, how is he not saying he prefers that he was still in power over the current situation, which is exactly what Bush said?

[Mike Fieschko]

Looks like AP has altered their title.

Same article posted

Thanks. I searched on the title, and that one didn't show up.

[pangaea6]

Yeah they changed their title. I wonder how many people emailed the author? I know I did this morning. FR strikes again!

[ArmyBratCutie]

heres an email I wrote to PowerLine after I found that they too had noticed this article:

I use AOL and that story came up in my "ALERTS" to me today......I tried to find a place to email that woman and tell her OFF but I couldnt.....I am so glad to read here, today, that someone besides me saw this story........
thanks for calming me down

[htbreakers]

While I agree on the biased content of Ms. Loven's article, I want to tip my hat to FR. I just recently found FR and started reading. When I saw the Loven's headline this morning I was outraged. Congrats to the FReepers on getting AP to at least balance out the headline.

[htbreakers]

While I agree on the biased content of Ms. Loven's article, I want to tip my hat to FR. I just recently found FR and started reading. When I saw the Loven's headline this morning I was outraged. Congrats to the FReepers on getting AP to at least balance out the headline.

[ArmyBratCutie]

here is the AOL ALERT I got at 2:30am in my AOL email:

Bush Twists Kerry's Words on Iraq

WACO, Texas (AP) - President Bush opened several new scathing lines of attack against Democrat John Kerry, charges that twisted his rival's words on Iraq and made Kerry seem supportive of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein....

For the full text of this story, click here.

To edit your profile, go to keyword
NewsProfiles.
For all of today's news, go to keyword
News.

[ArmyBratCutie]

now when I click on it it says this:

Want to send this story to another AOL member? Click on the heart at the top of this window.

Bush, Kerry Twisting Each Other's Words

By JENNIFER LOVEN
.c The Associated Press

[ArmyBratCutie]

gosh Im gonna remember everything I wanted to say in a minute...sorry for the multiple posts... if anyone wants a copy of my original AOL email that has that topic, I kept it because I was trying to find somewhere to write to her