Bush's Strategy Is Clear - Debate and Post Debate

10/1/04

[Williams]

All this mystery about why President Bush didn't zing Kerry back more last night. President Bush has a consistent approach to campaigning as well as to leading this country. Bush prepares his message and he does not go beyond it. He does not improvise. he does not get provoked into saying more than he has planned.

It may be frustrating at first, it may be repetitive, but it is the way Bush has always done it. And for good reason. Had the President added to his message in the heat of the moment, Kerry would have zinged back on the spot. And there's always the chance the improv by Bush would turn out to be a mistake.

Instead, I have heard zero criticism of the President's substance last night. There was some half hearted comment by Edwards about the number of Iraqis trained, and that was it.

Contrast the President's consistency with Kerry's many inconsistent, incorrect, irresponsible, and unpopular statements.

Nuclear fuel for Iran? The war is a mistake and not a mistake? Global test. The war was for the "Oil Ministry." NYC Subways were shut down. Turn Iraq over to the U.N. Cold war policy was preemption?

The result is that Kerry was all over the place, and Bush is picking up the pieces today - of Kerry.

[waldorf]

Good point. But it's just so frustrating to listen to Kerry's dribble without calling him immediately on it.

[liberlog]

You're correct. Bush has always taken this approach to his campaigns and it has always worked exceptionally well for him.

[what's up]

You're right....Bush is consistent and steady.

FR was looking for Bush to tongue-lash Kerry.

Sorry, that was not in the cards. And Bush won the debate by his sincere and steady performance.

[what's up]

You're right....Bush is consistent and steady.

FR was looking for Bush to tongue-lash Kerry.

Sorry, that was not in the cards. And Bush won the debate by his sincere and steady performance.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Silly Dems...

Kerry thought he was going to a debate...

Only today does he understand he was taping RNC ads.

[shield]

Bush was also not given the questions before hand. skerry was so he had someone write a speech for him and he gave his speech...however he didn't stick to it, he kept coming off the mark...which proved once again what a complete blowhard he actually is.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS POST:

"http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1232070/posts?page=51#51

Bush built the container or the house to destroy Kerry.... Kerry is running water---- Bush let him run freely as he prepared the frames of the container to keep the aqueous behavior of Kerry... the house was successfully built...it is ugly and dirty work, that is why Bush worked so hard and let Kerry run.
The container was built on three key principles:
1. Kerry is a flip-flop politician
2. Kerry is a globalist proUN proWorld Court
3. Kerry is anti/weak on defense and poor for morale

Bush contained and framed these key "currents" of this liquid chameleon Kerry. Bush can now beat the hell out of Kerry within the house in which Bush framed. Kerry can't move. The only way for Kerry to escape is by exploding the frame, which will destroy his campaign... he'll have to embrace these "currents"....

Bush has won, he was winning the debates... not the debate.

And you won't hear this until that dark mousy curly haired Krauthammer speaks on Fox... then all the news hacks will pick it up.... and I don't get paid for this... those stupid losers in the beltway press get all the doe.

Oh, because I can't spell

51 posted on 09/30/2004 10:45:26 PM CDT by Porterville (Men have learned to shoot without missing ...and I have learned to fly without perching on a twig)

[lugsoul]

One severe factual criticism of the President's performance: Can someone tell me what he meant when he said that the A.Q. Khan network was "brought to justice?" Was he talking about the complete pardon Khan got? Was he talking about the fact that not a single person in Pakistan has been charged or punished in any way in relation to their nuclear black market bazaar? Or is he talking about the fact that we haven't been allowed to question Khan (or, if you believe Musharraf, we haven't asked to question Khan)?

If the number one threat is nuclear proliferation, it might be nice to try to find out who all receive technology and/or materials from this guy.

[jimthewiz]

Sometimes the best battle plan is to let your opponent advance with little opposition until he commits himself and then attack from all sides. It is starting to look like that was the strategy here.

[sarasotarepublican]

Kerry is campaigning here in Flordia today. He is making fun of Bush making fun of him. He is trying to convince whoever is listening that he does NOT flip flop. Yada yada.

I think Bush needs a new sound bite. Here's one. Kerry wants to give nuclear fuel to Iran. That ought to make the security moms a bit nervous.

[goldstategop]

Most memorable line of Debate 1#: "The only thing consistent about my opponent is his inconsistency."

[ArmyBratCutie]

to me the thing to worry about now, is Bob Schieffer, we shouldva worried more about that In the Tank for Kerry Leher.. it was SO ONE SIDED, everyone noticed it .. and the handshake with Kerry afterwards, George S bragging he was "their moderator"... well they got exactly what they wanted last night from him... guess his new vacation home will be going up soon:

---

On CBS's Early Show, Schieffer was interviewed by co-host
Hannah Storm. As MRC's Brian Boyd noted, Schieffer claimed that
Kerry had successfully stated a single position: "I thought that
the thing John Kerry had to do was stake out a position on Iraq,
give people something to hang their hat on, that they can say this
is what John Kerry is for, this is what he is against. And I think
really for the first time in this campaign he was able to do that
last night.
"So I think he accomplished something that he had set out to
do. Whether you agree with him or disagree with him, you now know
where John Kerry stands on what has happened in Iraq. He says,
frankly, it's the wrong war. Now, what he was not so clear on is
where he goes from here. He said we have to have a summit of the
allies. Well, that's a great idea but so far not many allies have
said they'd be willing to help us. He seems to think that he can
get them to help, but how's he going to do it? It seems to me
that's the question for the next debate."

After showing a clip of Kerry criticizing Bush's "colossal
error of judgment," Storm asked: "He has this challenge of
convincing voters to unseat the Commander-in-Chief in the middle
of a war. Do you think that he succeeded in perhaps doing that?"

Schieffer answered: "Well, at least he staked out a position
here. And it's been very difficult, you know the Bush people kept
saying that John Kerry has taken 11 separate positions on this war
in the campaign leading up to now. Now, part of that is spin, but
clearly it has been unclear where he believed this war ought to be
fought and how you fight it. Last night what he was saying was,
this is not how you fight the war on terrorism. We saw, as you
said, Hannah, two very different views on how you go about this.
The debate has now been joined."

"Part of that is spin?" Can't any experienced political
reporter see the plethora of Kerry's contradictory stands on Iraq
and acknowledge that the change in positions is not just spin, but
an actual happening, like a tree falling in the woods?

Just yesterday on "The Early Show," CBS aired two clips of
opposing Kerry positions:
Kerry, 9/21/04 speech: "What I have always said is that the
world is better off without Saddam Hussein."
Kerry, 9/29/04 Good Morning America: "Knowing there were no
weapons of mass destruction, knowing there was no connection of
Saddam Hussein to al Qaeda, I would not have gone to war."

Storm noted that Schieffer would moderate the third and final
presidential debate, and Schieffer actually played down its
importance: "Well, then we'll finally talk about Social Security,
we'll talk about health care and a lot of very important issues.
There are some out there. But clearly, Hannah, this election is
about Iraq."

[SolomoninSouthDakota]

You're right. When the candidate is winning is not a time to draw attention to oneself, ESPECIALLY, when the opponent has a good record of bringing himself down in the polls each time the focus on him.
It's is weird, but the more and more I reflect on how that debate went, the more I think the Bush camp prepared to respond in just the right matter. Yes, it would have been great to see Pres. Bush more energized and zinged him with his Senate votes against defense and his not showing up for Intel. Cmmt. mtgs. But it might have been the right thing to do to just let Kerry have some more rope with which to build that noose.

[r9etb]

Only today does he understand he was taping RNC ads.

Bwahahahahahahaaaa!!!!! You're exactly correct!

[waldorf]

I bet you're right...that's why I'm not Karl Rove, and he is.

[JrAsparagus]

I was calling him on everything he said loudly and with Passion, it's just that the only one who heard me was my dog and possibly my neighbors. You are right, it was very frustrating. I do agree though that it was part of the plan. We went into this ahead and we want to keep it that way. I am sure sKerry had more canned statements he could have used, but Bush kept them at a minimum by staying on message. I believe the further away from the debate we move the happier we will be with the strategy.

[tioga]

feel better about the debates ping

[SolomoninSouthDakota]

Kerry WILL NOT come out of this now as a forever steady guy. Won't happen. Bush team is on its game!

[goldstategop]

Its just too confusing and tiresome to point out all of Kerry's non-sequiturs, contradictions, new explanations, revisions, lies, half-truths, flip-flops, and gaffes. Even Rush can't do it. And President Bush and certainly no normal human being could keep up with it all. And then there's a quality to the President's understated performance many angry Freepers and critics missed: he held back because he knew the old adage to the effect that when an enemy is in the process of destroying himself, don't come to rescue. Kerry was just too smart for his own good and his gaffes will eventually come to light. Keep the faith people, and LET'S ROLL!!!

[finnman69]

http://www.nationalreview.com/kerry/kerry200410010933.asp


It's the wrong war at the wrong time, but I'm committed to winning it

We're spending too much on Iraq ($200 billion), but I'd send more troops and equipment

I'll bring in more nations to help Iraq, but the other nations currently in Iraq were coerced and do not provide much assistance

Saddam and Iraq were a grave threat, but Osama is the only terrorist worth pursuing

Terrorists are pouring into Iraq, but Iraq is a distraction to the war on terror. I still have no idea what he would do as President to fight this war on terrorism.