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Bush Defends Iraq War in Second Debate (posted AP at 9:33pm EST)
AP ^ | Oct. 08, 2004 | NEDRA PICKLER

Posted on 10/08/2004 6:34:33 PM PDT by Former Military Chick

ST. LOUIS - In a debate rematch, President Bush defended his invasion of Iraq and said "I wasn't happy when we found there weren't weapons" that prompted his administration to go to war against Saddam Hussein. Democratic challenger John Kerry responded that Bush had made the world more dangerous "because the president didn't make the right judgments."

The commander in chief insisted that Saddam posed a unique threat and the world was safer without him in power. But Kerry answered that Bush's handling of the war had left Iraq in chaos.

Twenty-five days before the election, Bush and Kerry confronted each other aggressively in a town-hall session before an audience of 140 likely voters. Perched on stools, the candidates were quizzed in the gymnasium at Washington University in St. Louis.

Unlike last week's first debate, which focused on national security issues, Friday's faceoff was open to all subjects.

Criticizing the president's decision to invade Iraq, Kerry said, "If we'd use smart diplomacy, we could have saved $200 billion and an invasion of Iraq and right now Osama bin Laden might be in jail or dead. That's the war on terror."

The debate came a day after the chief U.S. arms inspector reported that Saddam did not have illicit weapons nor the means to make them. Bush said, "We didn't find out he didn't have weapons till we got there."

The debate - the second of three - opened with a question to Kerry about whether he was too wishy-washy. Kerry turned that question into an attack against Bush, saying that the president had turned his campaign "into a weapon of mass deception," claiming that the four-term Massachusetts senator had changed his mind when he had not.

"I can see why people think he changes a lot," Bush retorted, "because he does." He pointed out that Kerry had said he had voted for an $87 billion appropriation for Iraq and Afghanistan before he voted against it.

Kerry used the opportunity to point out that the nation has suffered a net job loss under Bush.


TOPICS: Front Page News
KEYWORDS: elections; iraq; seconddebate
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To: piasa

Now Kerry's lying about co-pays...


21 posted on 10/08/2004 7:06:31 PM PDT by piasa (Attitude Adjustments Offered Here Free of Charge)
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Watch what you wish for Kerry- if you graduate more students in the sciences and engineering your liberal-breeding journalist schools won't have as many new kids to keep you neck deep in propagandists.


22 posted on 10/08/2004 7:08:38 PM PDT by piasa (Attitude Adjustments Offered Here Free of Charge)
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To: Former Military Chick

"I own a timber company"? heh


23 posted on 10/08/2004 7:10:48 PM PDT by ShayAllen
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To: piasa

The big Kahuna that said he was going to stop all outsourcing, when questioned by the moderator, how he was going to do this with tax cuts, that tax cuts won't get it when a programer is paid $12.00 in China and $56.00 in America. Kerry said you can't stop all outsourcing.

Well, do I detect yet another Flip-flop?


24 posted on 10/08/2004 7:12:30 PM PDT by eagle mama (If Kerry wins the election will he flip-flop on Edwards and ask Saddam to be VP?)
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To: ShayAllen

Yeah, ha. Want some free wood?


25 posted on 10/08/2004 7:13:00 PM PDT by eagle mama (If Kerry wins the election will he flip-flop on Edwards and ask Saddam to be VP?)
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To: eagle mama

I'll have two Belgian Waffles, please.


26 posted on 10/08/2004 7:13:13 PM PDT by ShayAllen
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To: ShayAllen

DAMN, Bush is sooo good tonite, watch the msm call it a draw


27 posted on 10/08/2004 7:13:42 PM PDT by hipaatwo
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To: ShayAllen

Would you like some butter with that waffle to make it easier to slide from side to side? Ha.


28 posted on 10/08/2004 7:14:30 PM PDT by eagle mama (If Kerry wins the election will he flip-flop on Edwards and ask Saddam to be VP?)
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To: hipaatwo

Kerry's not so articulate tonight, a lot of uh, uh, well, uh, uh.


29 posted on 10/08/2004 7:16:36 PM PDT by eagle mama (If Kerry wins the election will he flip-flop on Edwards and ask Saddam to be VP?)
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To: eagle mama

Bush is getting taller as the debate goes on.


30 posted on 10/08/2004 7:21:31 PM PDT by ShayAllen
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To: ShayAllen

Yes he is and Kerry is stammering more.


31 posted on 10/08/2004 7:24:43 PM PDT by eagle mama (If Kerry wins the election will he flip-flop on Edwards and ask Saddam to be VP?)
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To: piasa

Something about if you're a Red Sox fan you probably love the environment. It was when they were discussing the environment. It didn't make sense to me, but then most of what Kerry says doesn't make sense.


32 posted on 10/08/2004 7:27:54 PM PDT by eagle mama (If Kerry wins the election will he flip-flop on Edwards and ask Saddam to be VP?)
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To: hipaatwo

I wasn't aware that giving Iraq 12 years to comply was rushing into war as Kerry says.


33 posted on 10/08/2004 7:32:50 PM PDT by eagle mama (If Kerry wins the election will he flip-flop on Edwards and ask Saddam to be VP?)
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To: All

For someone who is big on solving everthing with diplomacy instead of force, Kerry says as president he will hunt down and kill the terrorists. Can someone tell me if being killed by use of diplomacy is a painful death?


34 posted on 10/08/2004 7:36:54 PM PDT by eagle mama (If Kerry wins the election will he flip-flop on Edwards and ask Saddam to be VP?)
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To: GoldHorde
Bush should nail him with "Kerry's wisom is ONLY in hindsight"

Bush should have told him that he was confused again...football doesn't come on until Monday night (arm chair quarterback reference), but there probably is a baseball game on ESPN if he wants to talk about spitballs.

35 posted on 10/08/2004 8:36:36 PM PDT by ravingnutter
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To: eagle mama
Can someone tell me if being killed by use of diplomacy is a painful death?

Yeah...that's the ticket...we'll kill them with kindness...r-i-i-i-ght!

36 posted on 10/08/2004 8:40:03 PM PDT by ravingnutter
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To: Former Military Chick

NEDRA PICKLER bump.


37 posted on 10/08/2004 9:23:06 PM PDT by Max Combined (I gave back, I can't remember, six, seven, eight, nine...)
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To: Former Military Chick
In past tense, it is still going on folks AP!

This was written for the bulldog editions of Saturday newspapers. It's better for them to have a story about the first third of the debate than to not mention it at all.

38 posted on 10/08/2004 9:34:05 PM PDT by Dont Mention the War (How important a Senator can you be if Dick Cheney's never told you to "go [bleep] yourself"?)
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