Posted on 10/30/2004 10:35:46 PM PDT by gorio
With his typical flair for drama, Osama Bin Laden inserted himself directly into the presidential election yesterday, and both parties believed it would boost President Bush's reelection hopes. Bin Laden popping up like a malignant jack-in-the-box four days before the balloting may bolster John Kerry's argument that Bush should have finished wiping out Al Qaeda before turning his attention to Iraq.
But it also refocused the nation on terrorism, which polls show helps Bush. And it reminds voters of their horror on Sept. 11 and Bush's well-received response, as well as obliterating the recent flood of bad news for Bush.
"We want people to think 'terrorism' for the last four days," said a Bush-Cheney campaign official. "And anything that raises the issue in people's minds is good for us."
A senior GOP strategist added, "anything that makes people nervous about their personal safety helps Bush."
He called it "a little gift," saying it helps the President but doesn't guarantee his reelection.
In the closing weeks of the campaign, Kerry has accused Bush of "letting Bin Laden escape" when he was cornered at Tora Bora by "outsourcing" the job to unreliable Afghan warlords instead of using U.S. troops. And he has mocked Bush for never mentioning the Al Qaeda leader after pledging to get Bin Laden "dead or alive."
But the new tape - which is so nakedly political that it should end with the words "I'm Osama Bin Laden and I approved this message" - makes it difficult for Kerry to keep hammering Bush on the subject without appearing to be capitalizing on terror. Kerry eliminated those lines from his speeches yesterday evening.
"If Kerry had been making this a bigger issue, as he should have been, it would definitely translate to his benefit," said a Democratic strategist with ties to the Kerry camp.
Kerry's staff looked somber.
"It's very important for us to move forward. We're going ahead and doing our events as we would," said spokesman Mike McCurry.
The N.Y. Post endorsed President Bush and is a CONSERVATIVE newspaper and in competition with The Snooze.At one time,three decades ago,the political affiliations of these papers was flipped.The N.Y.Times has ALWAYS been a PINKO/Commie apologist paper.
I hope this wee history lesson has cleared this up for you.
OBL did us a great favor, despite the left's spin.
You hang out with a very eclectic group of people. ;o)
Hope the dear boys had fun. :-)
How went the empress dowager's foray into newcardom?
YIKES!
I agree with your take on things...as usual.:-)
Beemer X5 SUV is winning out so far....lol...I told her ...what the hell....go for it....get a Porsche Cayenne Turbo (at age 73)...lol...so I can drive it.
The Beemie is nice...tight...sporty and a bit peppier than the MB M classes we all have in the family.
The lads were in hog heaven and Annette's chili got completely consumed (the whole cloves are the key)
It is very good to see you, too.
I hope all is well with you.
You flatter me to no end. ;o)
I'm so glad that the boys had such a good time...holidays are always more special when there are children around.
Whole clove of garlic,simmered in the chili? Maybe I need to get Annette's recipe.:-)
I don't "flatter";I tell the truth. :-)
"I don't "flatter";I tell the truth. :-)"
THAT is what I have always appreciated about you. ;o)
I am very glad to see you, and I hope you had
a very nice vacation, and a most excellent visit
with the "kiddo".
You have been missed.
I am going to turn in, but I am so glad that I had
the chance to "talk" to you, albeit briefly.
You take care, and I hope to see you soon.
OTOH,the kiddo's visit was FANTASTIC and we'll be leaving in a bit,to spend time with her and her husband.Then,they'll be out for Christmas/New Years.
I'm sure that we'll be spending election night together on the LIVE threads. And I know that that will be great! :-)
Pleasant dreams..............
ROFLOL!!! Brilliant!
Rove looked pretty good in that beard and robe, eh?
I'll ask Walter.
That poll question was a beautiful example of a "push poll". It started by saying something like, "Do you see the tape as a failure of bush to capture ossama.... blah blah blah."
If the dems were really interested in finding out what the tape meant to their campaign, they would not put words in people's head. They would have asked: "Does the recent Ossama bin laden tape make you (a) more likely to vote for kerry (b) more likely to vote for bush, or (c) doesn't have much effect"
If they had asked it that way, and asked 1000 randomized people, then it could have some validity. But they did not, they asked it in a terribly slanted way to get the result they wanted, and STILL many people said it was better for bush.
The RNC and Bush campaign did a fine job of doing just that.
Despite what seem around here believe, not everything is the fault of the GOP.
Osama yo' momma just punched the chad for Bush......
Osamma wants Bush...Bush wants Osamma....let the games begin.....
First the tape was bad for the Pres. temporarily. It actually energizes Dem. base. However, should subside a bit by Tuesday.
"If Kerry had been making this a bigger issue, as he should have been, it would definitely translate to his benefit," said a Democratic strategist with ties to the Kerry camp.Actually, having Kerry mention this was intended as a preemption of any taking of bin Laden by election day, but the fact is, it's just another parade of his stupidity, similar to his "reporting for duty" and "body armor" gaffes in his acceptance speech. :') I don't think Kerry is fit for any public office, but I have to wonder if A) he's stupid, B) he thinks we're stupid, C) he's under the influence, D) he's mentally ill, or E) he isn't serious about running for president. Perhaps he just wants to create division in advance of a violent overthrow of the US government.
George W. Bush will win reelection by a margin of at least ten per cent
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.