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A Rough Week For President Bush
CBS News Web site ^ | October 29, 2004 | By David Paul Kuhn,

Posted on 10/29/2004 6:44:11 PM PDT by RecallMoran

The airing of a tape of Osama bin Laden capped a week of bad news for President Bush that threatened to derail his candidacy in the final days of the presidential election.

For Mr. Bush, it was one piece of bad news after another – reporting of hundreds of tons of explosives looted in Iraq, tens of billions more for the war. And late this afternoon, a tape of bin Laden airing nationwide, where America’s chief adversary appears in good health and secure.

Even before the latest bin Laden tape, Sen. John Kerry had put President Bush on the defensive in the final week of the presidential election.

Outside of there being an “October Surprise,” the frenzied week did underline Kerry’s indictment of Mr. Bush: that the president mismanaged the war in Iraq and took the eye off the “real threat ” -- al Qaeda. Meanwhile, it seemingly undermined Mr. Bush’s message that the war effort was proceeding as planned and that the invasion of Iraq did not siphon resources from the Afghan war on al Qaeda and its leader bin Laden.

“I can’t believe the president or his campaign would have wanted to spend the last week of the election playing defense, answering questions for his mismanagement of the war in Iraq, having to deal with the serious facts on the ground of what happened there,” said Kerry's chief strategist Tad Devine, in a conference call with reporters Friday.

Speaking prior to the release of the bin Laden tape, Devine said the week’s events have hurt the Bush-Cheney campaign because it supported the Democratic nominee’s criticism that Mr. Bush did “rush recklessly into war with no plan to win the peace.”

On Monday, The New York Times and CBS News reported that 377 tons of highly explosive material was looted from a munitions complex apparently left unguarded by U.S. troops.

After days of back-and-forth between the two campaigns, Mr. Bush fired back Wednesday, saying that Kerry was “denigrating the action of our troops and commanders in the field without knowing the facts.” Vice President Dick Cheney insisted the explosives were gone by the time U.S. troops reached the weapons site. The Pentagon attempted to substantiate the claim.

But after a Minneapolis ABC affiliate broadcasted a time-stamped video Wednesday night showing U.S. troops at the facility nine days after the fall of Baghdad, the Bush-Cheney campaign defense seemingly unraveled.

“[The candidates] were like opposite ends of a pole, and as each attacked the other they would be more dug in, in what for each are ridiculous positions,” said former U.N. weapons inspector David Albright, president of a nuclear disarmament think tank in Washington, the Institute for Science and International Security.

“[The Bush-Cheney argument] that the high explosives weren’t there when the troops got there – and remember the Pentagon floats that picture yesterday implying that but the satellite photo says nothing – it’s absurd,” Albright said.

Yet the former arms inspector is critical of Kerry as well. While Albright said “the looting is symptomatic of inadequate troop protection and lack of concern about monitored items by the U.N.,” he added “Kerry clung to that too much.

“It’s one thing in the heat of the moment to say 'Well, this could have killed our troops.' But then you want to step back and say let’s find out,” Albright said. “But the political conflict made it very hard for anybody to step back.”

Still, there is no concrete indication that the bad news this week had tangibly damaged President Bush’s chances at reelection. Bush-Cheney Campaign Chief Strategist Matt Dowd, in fact, said the campaign's own tracking polls show this week’s events have helped Mr. Bush.

“If the question is the war on terror, if the question is Iraq, the public has already responded. They support the president by double-digit margins on these issues,” Dowd insisted. “We are comfortable with the discussion this week.”

It is far too early to tell how the airing of the bin Laden tape affects this presidential race. As with the week’s events in Iraq, the news could remind undecided voters that the United States is at war and many Americans could be inclined to stick with the commander in chief who has polled consistently better on national security than Kerry.

Alternatively, the bin Laden tape, combined with news of hundreds of tons of missing munitions, may also bring to bare questions regarding whether Mr. Bush “rushed to war” in Iraq without sufficiently planning, as his Democratic opponent claims. Consistently, about half of Americans have disapproved of the war.

Bin Laden's message, broadly translated, was in part that "Sept. 11 would have been less severe if Bush had been alert." It is unclear when the al Qaeda leader recorded the message. Apparently speaking directly to the American people, bin Laden added that "Bush still practices deception and is misleading you."

In a rare showing of unity among the competing candidates, Mr. Bush and Sen. Kerry both denounced the tape.

“As Americans we are absolutely united in our determination to hunt down and destroy Osama bin Laden and the terrorists,” the Democratic nominee said. “They are barbarians.”

President Bush told reporters that “Americans will not be intimidated or influenced by an enemy of our country.” Mr. Bush added that “we are at war with these terrorists” and that he was “confident that we will prevail.”

The final week, in all, was a striking reminder of how this longest of presidential elections was dominated by one issue: national security.

With Democrats admitting that Kerry failed to captivate voters, they point out that polling suggests the Democratic nominee did successfully present himself as a viable alternative.

It leaves a presidential election where the winner could be decided by the very issue political observers throughout the year predicted it would be: Americans view of how Mr. Bush’s handled of the war in Iraq, as well as the larger war on terrorism. And if voters disapprove, the questions remains, should the commander in chief be fired?

Speaking to CBS, Dowd remains confident. “We think we have a slight wind at our back,” he said. Though, the chief strategist for Mr. Bush bases his optimism on polling. He would not speculate on how Americans would react to the bin Laden tape so close to the Nov. 2 election.

But for political observers, the week certainly seemed to work to Mr. Kerry’s advantage. The inclination was that for the final week to be saturated with questions belying Mr. Bush’s effectiveness as commander in chief – specifically when he had stacked his reelection on such – it would likely damage President Bush’s hopes for reelection.

“This will help [Kerry] with some voters; the question is how many voters,” said Leo Ribbuffo, a presidential historian at George Washington University.

“But for those who are worried about Bush’s competence as a war manager, they will sway,” he added. “This does underscore Kerry’s message that whatever your view on Bush’s justification for the war, he has bungled it.”


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: abcnews; ammogate; bias; binladen; cbs; cbsnews; ccrm; gwb2004; msm; obltape; octobersurprise; osama; pilingon; rather; rathergate
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To: RecallMoran

Those Morons at CBS. Did you see their "poll"? They ask if the OBL tape hurts or helps Bush. Of course, they have the "hurts Bush" as the first choice. They are claiming that 82% think it hurts Bush, and 17% think it helps him. Guess they'll be surprised on Tuesday!


41 posted on 10/29/2004 6:52:19 PM PDT by Santana (Proud aunt of niece serving in Iraq)
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To: LegalEagle61

Exactly. There is no one who is going to vote for Kerry on the grounds that he would do a better job against Al Qaeda. The MSM is so frantic about knocking off Bush that they will put absolutely any leftist fantasy out there now. There should be some real howlers coming out in the next few days.


42 posted on 10/29/2004 6:52:19 PM PDT by speedy
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To: RecallMoran

"cBS spinning out of control!"
*LOL*
LGF has captioned it RATHER well...


43 posted on 10/29/2004 6:52:31 PM PDT by voletti
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To: RecallMoran
A Rough Week For President Bush

HA you wish! Poll numbers up. Confidence is high you cBS nattering nabobs of negativity.

44 posted on 10/29/2004 6:52:36 PM PDT by badpacifist (Syntax Nazi! No order for you.)
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To: madprof98

Does anyone even follow cBS any more????? I listened to the radio and the channel had CBS news and it was so pro democrat I wanted to puke. It pissed me off, I won't even watch CBS TV anymore.


45 posted on 10/29/2004 6:52:37 PM PDT by elephantman96
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To: RecallMoran
UBL's video transcript tells everything one need know about the state of both he and Al-Qaida. They are demoralized and verging on destruction. His remarks are rife with fear of a W victory. He even resorted to blurting out "Patriot Act." Good grief, for C-BS to assert that this was a "bad week" for W is absurd. We are winning. It's so obvious C-BS missed it. It must be true.
46 posted on 10/29/2004 6:52:41 PM PDT by psyop_man (Disintegrating enemy)
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To: madprof98
I didn't click the link, but I'm guessing this is a joke.

That was my initial inclination. We guessed poorly.

47 posted on 10/29/2004 6:53:22 PM PDT by Coop (In memory of a true hero - Pat Tillman)
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To: Coop
(okay, so it's three words)

"Joyzee" is two words?

48 posted on 10/29/2004 6:53:39 PM PDT by Revolting cat! ("In the end, nothing explains anything!")
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To: RecallMoran

Jeesh. For someone having it so "rough" he sure looks GREAT.


49 posted on 10/29/2004 6:54:05 PM PDT by NetSurfer (Proud member of the Pajama-Wearing Lunatic Fringe)
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To: Ciexyz
I have cable and I WON'T WATCH THEM. I also have TIVO which means I definitely will not even touch a CBS affiliated TV station because we TIVO addicts get our viewing preferences reported to Nielsen.

Trust me, rabbit ears viewing is good for your health :)

50 posted on 10/29/2004 6:54:25 PM PDT by rjmeagle (Future Generations Will Say the Republican Party is the Party of Lincoln and GW Bush!!!)
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To: DaveMSmith

I read an article than said CBS and the other liberals are going to try to total Kerrys electoral votes..from states such as california, new york, mass, etc etc...right away tuesday night to give the appearance he is running away with it. They won't total Bush's states until nearly all the votes are counted in the state. Sad!


51 posted on 10/29/2004 6:54:43 PM PDT by xuberalles
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To: RecallMoran
The airing of a tape of Osama bin Laden capped a week of bad news for President Bush... The pundits I've heard all afternoon and this evening are saying the OBL tape is going to help Bush, not hurt him. This has got to be worth 2% points for The Prez. Americans do not like foreigners interferring in our elections, especially this slimeball, low-life, scumbag, murdering pig. WHY ARE YOU EVEN POSTING ANYTHING FROM THAT SLIME OF A NEWS ORGANIZATION, seeBS?
52 posted on 10/29/2004 6:55:24 PM PDT by no dems (NICE GUYS FINISH LAST. GET RADICAL !!!)
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To: madprof98

No - very real - and lots more just like it by the same writer at c_BS (really sick)


53 posted on 10/29/2004 6:55:24 PM PDT by VRWCTexan (History has a long memory - but still repeats itself)
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To: RecallMoran

Rough week for Bush?!?!?!?!!??!!??!!


The only rough week Bush had was the week of September 11th, but even then he was very calm and very effective. Bush has handled this week great.


54 posted on 10/29/2004 6:55:38 PM PDT by BlindGuardian ("You'll pay for this Captain Planet!")
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To: Wonderama

"Meanwhile Hannity is in full blown jock attack mode. He looks like he could blow Colmes over with a puff."

Sounds beautiful!


55 posted on 10/29/2004 6:55:41 PM PDT by SolomoninSouthDakota (John Kerry purposefully went after the wrong goose in the wrong place at the wrong time.)
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To: traviskicks

Unfortunately it is.


56 posted on 10/29/2004 6:55:54 PM PDT by conservativepoet
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To: draino

"The CBS and ABC nightly news programs tonight were simply ugly. That is the only way to describe them. 110% anti-GWB."

With all their obvious bias this election they have a lot invested in a Kerry victory. A win for Bush is not only a defeat for Kerry but an even worse defeat for his enablers in the big media. They will have shown themselves to be completely ineffectual despite the gloves off campaigning for Kerry.

Its going to be a glorious November 3, and four more years of Bush.


57 posted on 10/29/2004 6:56:12 PM PDT by fizziwig (I h)
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To: RecallMoran

Looking at the title I figgered it was post from DU. See-BS? Same thing.


58 posted on 10/29/2004 6:56:49 PM PDT by Revolting cat! ("In the end, nothing explains anything!")
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To: Dog Gone

We will get our revenge when Bush wins. Success is the best form of revenge. The media will be seething mad. I cannot wait.


59 posted on 10/29/2004 6:57:10 PM PDT by Hendrix
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To: rabidralph
How many times have I told you not to say New Jersey?!!!!

Uh... once?

60 posted on 10/29/2004 6:57:14 PM PDT by Coop (In memory of a true hero - Pat Tillman)
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