Kerry again attacks Bush on Iraq

[Kadie]

Kerry again attacks Bush on Iraq

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press


Last Updated: May 27, 2004, 05:37:00 PM PDT


SEATTLE (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry argued on Thursday that Americans face greater dangers because of the Bush administration's mishandling of Iraq and vowed that if elected president, he would "never let ideology trump the truth."

"They've made America less safe than we should be in a dangerous world," Kerry said as he began an 11-day campaign focus on national security. "In short, they have undermined the legacy of generations of American leadership.

snip...
"Everyone outside of this administration seems to understand that we're in deep trouble in Iraq," Kerry told an audience of 450 invited guests, including three of his former crewmates from Vietnam and former Democratic Sens. Gary Hart of Colorado and Max Cleland of Georgia.

Republicans portrayed the speech as disingenuous political grandstanding.

"These petty, hate-filled political attacks do not make America stronger or safer," Sen. George Allen, R-Va., chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said in a conference call with reporters. "John Kerry and the Democrats are more worried about political attacks than prosecuting the war on terrorism."

http://www.modbee.com/24hour/politics/story/1401204p-8674814c.html

[mike_c]

1. my guess is that this is in response to Gore's speech....

Kerry is feeling the heat from both directions.

[Sparkly]

2. I don't think he and Gore are working separately

much less to different ends. I think they're coordinating. So this is less a "response" and more the next step.

[mike_c]

5. perhaps "response" wasn't the best choice of words....

I meant that Gore's open pressure on the dim son's administration over it's bungling in Iraq changes the atmosphere in Kerry's campaign a bit by moving the debate further along. I think you're correct in that it's more a "next step" for the Kerry campaign-- a "response" to a changing campaign environment-- than a "response" to Gore per se. My poor choice of words.

on edit: as for "both ends," I think that Gore's strong condemnation of the Bush* administrations conduct of the occupation is a rallying point for anti-war sentiment within the Democratic party-- the voter base that Kerry hopes will overlook his support for the invasion.

[Name removed]

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[mike_c]

6. I certainly do think that the tone of the speech might have been...

...different if Gore had not made such forceful remarks-- yes, that's the sort of decision that good campaigners make "over night."

As for the rest of your reply-- don't I hear your mother calling you...?

[Old and In the Way]

4. "These petty, hate-filled political attacks do not make America stronger

or safer," Sen. George Allen, R-Va

Really? No Kerry's speeches aren't petty or hate-filled. It's the truth. Get used to it.

If you want to understand petty and hate filled, check the years from 1992-2000 when Republicans were conducting an Inquisition on Bil Clinton. Plenty of $ and FBI resources to track down rumors from the RW smear machine on Bill and Hillary, but nearly enough focus on supporting Bill's efforts on fighting terror.

[dArKeR]

7. Notice Kerry does NOT read word for word from a teleprompter or notes!

Kerry glances at notes for 1-2 seconds then speaks from his heart for minutes. As I suggested months ago, Kerry should make the statement at a press conference that he will NOT read speeches and he will only speak from memory and a few notes and he challenges Bush to do the same. Kerry says, 'The American people deserve to hear what we, (Bush, Kerry) think and not what a high paid speech writer thinks.

(I watched the Seattle speech on CSPAN.)

[dArKeR]

8. John Kerry attacks Bush's record on counterterrorism - TT

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2004/05/28/2003157228