Posted on 10/30/2004 12:03:29 PM PDT by ambrose
Bush, Kerry Seek Edge From Bin Laden Tape
With Three Days Left, Bush and Kerry Both Seek Political Advantage of Bin Laden's Re-Emergence
The Associated Press
Oct. 30, 2004 - Wrapping up a campaign shadowed by war and terrorism, President Bush and Democratic Sen. John Kerry unabashedly sought political advantage Saturday from Osama bin Laden's re-emergence.
"It's very helpful to the president," contended Bush ally Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., although the president didn't mention the menacing new message from bin Laden at a campaign stop in Grand Rapid, Mich.
Rather, Bush declared, "The terrorists who killed thousands of innocent people are still dangerous and they are determined."
For the second straight day, Kerry responded to bin Laden's re-emergence with his months-old criticism of Bush's post-Sept. 11 tactics in Afghanistan, the terrorist mastermind's once and perhaps current home.
"It was wrong to divert our forces from Afghanistan so that we could rush to war in Iraq without a plan to win the peace," said the Democratic challenger. "It was wrong to outsource the job" of capturing bin Laden to local warlords.
As Bush and Kerry crisscrossed Midwest battleground states, a new poll showed the president moving ahead of Kerry in the popular vote, and Democrats said their private surveys hinted at momentum for the Republican incumbent. Newsweek's poll showed Bush ahead of Kerry 50-44. A week ago, the same survey had the race tied. The president has opened a small lead in an ABC poll, too.
But the presidency will be determined state by state, Bush and Kerry vying for 270 Electoral College votes, a majority of the 538 available.
The two candidates responded to the bin Laden tape in ways reflecting their months-old campaign strategies.
Bush has sought to offset voter concerns about the war in Iraq, the economy and his overall job performance by fueling fears about terrorism and raising doubts about Kerry's ability to respond.
At his first stop in GOP-leaning Grand Rapids, Mich., the president raised the stakes in the election while reminding voters of the Sept. 11 attacks. "Americans go to the polls at a time of war and ongoing threats unlike any we have faced before."
In response to the videotape, the Bush administration warned state and local officials that the tape may be intended to promote or signal an attack on the United States.
Kerry has tried to tap deep anti-war resentment within the ranks of the Democratic Party while assuring swing voters that he would keep them safe. The decorated Vietnam War veteran pledged anew to "destroy, capture, kill Osama bin Laden and all of the terrorists."
With up to 40 states already in the Kerry or Bush camps, the race is concentrated in closely fought Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico and Nevada. Another six to 12 states could come into play before their unconventional campaigns draw to a close.
Throughout the battlegrounds, Kerry's mostly paid-army of organizers were pitted against Bush's largely volunteer-driven team to get supporters to the polls Tuesday. It's too late for some: Early voting mushroomed this year and, in Florida alone, nearly 2 million voters have already cast ballots.
In Maine, a state Bush expects to lose to Kerry, the Democrat poured last-minute money into a Social Security ad aimed at elderly voters in the north. Unlike most states which have a winner-take-all system, Maine awards two of its four electoral votes based on congressional district votes.
Democrat Al Gore stumped for Kerry in Hawaii, a state the former vice president won by nearly 20 percentage points in 2000. Polls showed the race much closer this year, and Gore donned a traditional Philippine shirt, a green-and-red flower lei and told Democrats, "The course of our nation can be determined by Hawaii's vote" words not often spoken in presidential campaigns.
The congressional races did not lack for intensity, an unexpectedly close Senate campaign in Kentucky among them. "I think we've all broken the Ten Commandments," said Sen. Jim Bunning, accused by his Democratic rival of violating two of them. Dan Mongiardo made his charge after Republicans suggested he is gay, which he denied.
In all, 34 Senate races and all 435 House seats are on the ballot Tuesday. Republicans are heavily favored to retain control of the House. Democrats must win seven of nine competitive races, most of them in states that favor Bush, to capture the Senate.
In a presidential race this close, both sides are on the alert for below-the-radar nastiness. Democrats said a bogus letter was circulating in South Carolina, threatening the arrest of voters who had outstanding parking tickets or failed to pay child support.
Vice President Dick Cheney told Pennsylvania Republicans that the bin Laden tape is "a reminder that we are engaged in a global war on terror." He said Bush would win it.
McCain, who has repeatedly campaigned on Bush's behalf, said the terrorists' videotape "focuses America's attention on the war on terrorism. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but I think it does have an effect," he said.
Kerry spokesman, Mike McCurry, rejected Republican assertions that the Democrat was playing politics with the bin Laden tape.
"It's hard to imagine how they could make that charge, since he's the one that referenced the tape in his vicious attack on Sen. Kerry last night," McCurry said.
On Friday, Bush accused Kerry of "shameful" second-guessing in the face of threats by America's deadly foe.
Associated Press Writers Ron Fournier in Washington and Scott Lindlaw in Grand Rapids, Mich., contributed to this report.
As Bush and Kerry crisscrossed Midwest battleground states, a new poll showed the president moving ahead of Kerry in the popular vote, and Democrats said their private surveys hinted at momentum for the Republican incumbent.
Sounds to me like only Kerry was unabashed... Freepin' AP.
Boy ....... that had to hurt AP to say that! LOL!
WOO HOO
Good stuff... Thanks for posting and pointing out that snippet!!!
WOO HOO
Good stuff... Thanks for posting and pointing out that snippet!!!
WOO HOO
Good stuff... Thanks for posting and pointing out that snippet!!!
The BEST HEADLINE I've seen yet!!!
Yes, that is sarcasm.
Claims "John Kerry Will Track Me Down & Kill Me!"
Pigs must be flying if the AP would print that Dem internals show momentum for Bush...
It really disgusts me that sKerry is using the UBL tape for political gain (well, considering the source, that creep will use any and ALL MEANS TO GET POWER). He truly believes that the "ends justifies the means". That creep really scares the hell out of me. Why can't ALL OF THE COUNTRY SEE THIS?
"The decorated Vietnam War veteran long time Anti-War Protest leader pledged anew to "destroy, capture, kill Osama bin Laden and all of the terrorists.""
"Throughout the battlegrounds, Kerry's mostly paid-army of organizers were pitted against Bush's largely volunteer-driven team to get supporters to the polls Tuesday."
Who is paying for Kerry's thugs?
First, I hate this line. Moreover, I hate scumbag Kerry even more for using it.
Secondly, Explain this line...what is a "plan to win the peace"?
We don't "win the peace"...we win wars...period end of story. Peace is the net result when enemy is defeated, knows he's defeated, lays down his weapons and says "OK...I surrender(something the French are familiar with)" and the victor decides that you've had enough of an ass-whoopin. They
GWB is a statesman, JF'inK is a politician; each man's reactions to the OBL video are merely reflections of what they are.
George Soros
ping
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