Posted on 10/27/2004 12:55:26 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
LITITZ, Pa. - President Bush returned Democrat John Kerry's fire on a missing Iraqi weapons cache Wednesday, accusing his rival of rushing to judgment before all the facts were known and "denigrating" U.S. forces and their commanders.
"A political candidate who jumps to conclusions without knowing the facts is not a person you want as your commander in chief," Bush told supporters at an airport rally
A debate over the theft of 350 tons of high explosives from a military depot near Baghdad has flashed into a major issue in the closing days of the campaign, with Kerry saying it demonstrates the administration's incompetence in managing postwar Iraq.
Although Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration officials had responded to Kerry's criticism, Wednesday was the first time Bush spoke directly on the issue. "The senator is making wild charges about missing explosives," Bush said.
The president told the crowd that there was no way to know when or how the explosives - last seen by U.N. weapons inspectors in early 2003 - vanished.
"The munitions may have been moved before our troops arrived," he said. "The senator is denigrating the action of our troops and commanders in the field without knowing the facts."
Joe Lockhart, a Kerry campaign spokesman, said that rather than taking the situation seriously, Bush "opted to give a political response and launched yet another negative attack."
"For a commander in chief to sidestep these important questions and somehow imply that John Kerry does anything less than fully support our troops is beneath contempt," Lockhart said.
Bush said the Massachusetts senator's own national security advisers can't say for sure when the cache of weapons vanished.
Military officials have said a U.S. unit that arrived at the depot in April 2003 on the march to Baghdad never had orders to look for the explosives, and that looting at the large complex was already under way.
Bush raised the subject as he visited three battleground states, first at the rally in south-central Pennsylvania, then in almost identical words at another airport rally on the outskirts of Youngstown, Ohio. Bush was ending his day in Michigan.
In mocking tones, Bush told several thousand supporters at the rally at Lancaster Airport, "Senator Kerry this week seemed shocked to learn that Iraq was a dangerous place, full of dangerous weapons. ... But after all, that's why we're there"
"If Senator Kerry had his way ... Saddam Hussein would still be in power, he would control all those weapons and explosives and could have shared them with our terrorist enemies," Bush said.
This so-called "growing scandal" re: weapons cache is just more Kerry campaign (and media friends) arm-waving. Besides, I think most of America now knows what Lynne has always known: Kerry is not a nice man.
Cripes! This is their exact same line from the forged National Guard documents. "Never mind if the charges are true. Answer the question!"
I think we can officially put the explosives story in the Fake But Accurate category.
What happened to the tons of explosives was Jerrold Nadler went to Iraq and got real hungry. He ate them.
NO they do not,otherwise this election would be a blow out.
Also, this:
Military officials have said a U.S. unit that arrived at the depot in April 2003 on the march to Baghdad never had orders to look for the explosives, and that looting at the large complex was already under way.
The depot WAS searched and I have not seen any reports that "looting at the large complex was already under way". If fact, there is no way that these weapons disappeared as a result of looting. 380 tons of explosives don't get "looted". The fact that the author used that word shows he is trying to perpetuate the NYT's and Kerry's lie.
"For a commander in chief to sidestep these important questions and somehow imply that John Kerry does anything less than fully support our troops is beneath contempt,"
Kerry calls Bush incompetent with a demonstrable lie, and when Bush responds, the Kerry handlers get haughty. The Kerry campaign is self-destructing.
BTTT
The survey released yesterday by the Washington-based Project for Excellence in Journalism found that 59 percent of the stories that were primarily about Bush from Oct. 1-14 were negative in tone, compared to only 25 percent of the stories about Kerry. And while 34 percent of the Kerry coverage was favorable, a mere 14 percent of the president's coverage put him in a positive light. The survey examined 817 stories from The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Columbus Dispatch, and The Miami Herald; the evening and morning news programs on ABC, CBS, and NBC; PBS's nightly newscast, CNN's ''NewsNight With Aaron Brown;" and the Fox News Channel's ''Special Report With Brit Hume….***
I heard the audio of the President's remarks... and the audio of Kerry's reaction. Kerry sounded like an absolute madman in comparison.
The explosives are in Sandy Bergler's pants.
Looting was already under way? No, they have reported no signs of looting. None.
But facts schmacts. Get Bush!
They actually dragged out the bumptious Ann Lewis today.
The face synonymous with running cover for dem scandals.
Talk about backfire.
I'm glad you caught the looting under way lie, too. I posted before seeing your reply.
When cornered they continue to just make it up.
It was time. Kerry is getting major coverage and it finally was time. Kerry is lying and screaming his lungs out about this and it was time to call him on it.
It isn't the real American's we have to worry about next Tuesday, it is those phony ones, the dead, the illegal, the three time voters that scare me. Fraud is the rats biggest voting block.
Like all dumbocraps he wants it both ways.
Kerry also should have to defend himself against the charge that he once again stabbed the troops in the back for political gain.
Love your tag line. Went to hear Zell Miller speak in Lewiston, Me yesterday. He was wonderful. Among his comments was one about Kerry going on a wild goose chase in his new togs. The crowd loved it.
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