Newsweek: Bush/Kerry Flap could HURT GOP

[Sensitivity]

Yes, it could. If Democrats were only be united enough to fight back.
They should be able fight on the IRAQ WAR stupidity turf, but sadley we
find a lot of cowardice on the trail.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15512649/site/newsweek/from/RS.1/

Bush’s Nostalgia
The dust-up between the president and Sen. John Kerry over Iraq is a flashback to 2004. Unfortunately for the GOP, the 2006 outcome could be very different.

By Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey
Newsweek
Updated: 1 hour, 28 minutes ago

Nov. 1, 2006 - There’s no fight like an old fight. And this week’s emotional exchanges between President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry were nothing if not old. Kerry screwed up what he called a “botched joke” about Bush’s brainpower when it comes to Iraq; Bush pounced by challenging his ex-rival’s commitment to the troops.

---

In fact, the concerted attack on Kerry—complete with White House and Republican National Committee press releases—threatens to undermine a central premise of the party’s strategy.

The president may have diverted attention back onto Democrats, but he also turned the focus back on himself and the war.

Neither subject is a winning issue for GOP candidates ..Bush’s approval rating in the most recent NEWSWEEK poll stood at 37 percent—10 points lower than the last poll before the 2004 elections, and fully 33 points lower than 2002.

On the two big issues that Bush wants to debate, the political world looks nothing like 2004, as measured by NEWSWEEK polls. Two years ago, Bush held an 11-point lead over Kerry on Iraq, and an 18-point lead on terrorism. Today, the GOP is trailing the Democrats on Iraq by 12 points and is leading on terrorism by just 1 point.

[seabeyond]

1. further shows bushco willing to mislead for emotional turmoil of voters

a total non truth. a consistancy with bushco that has turned people off the repugs like nothing else. reinforcement for the americans on why they want republicans out. bushco playing a game. we are adults, tired of the games, beyond all this and when people realize bushco and media was well aware kerry was talking bush and not the troops americans will feel betrayed at misinformation and betrayed by republicans..... again

[OzarkDem]

2. Very likely

the fact that Rove is taking a risk this big shows just how much trouble they're in.

[C_U_L8R]

3. Totally - that's what we've been trying to say here

amidst all the breathlessness....
gaff or blunder or whatever... it's also strategic genius.
We're talking some Karl Rove level bullshit.. hahahaha
and they walked right into it.
Rove You Magnificent Bastard... we read your book!
and now you've been jiu-jitsu'd into facing your greatest flop.
All roads point to Iraq.. and massive republican failures at all levels.
You've been Rove'd Rove.
Lets see you squirm out of this before election day.. hahahahahhaha

[earth mom]

13. "You've been Rove'd Rove"

:evilgrin:

:rofl:

[Johnny Noshoes]

29. This is where

we hold 'em by the nose and kick 'em in the ass.

[MidwestTransplant]

4. The Kerry dust up is just a ploy for them to rally their good Christian followers.

[in_cog_ni_to]

5. This whole thing made the repukes look FOOLISH and ignorant.

They read the transcript in the paper and say "it was an obvious attack on our soldiers." That says...reading comprehension is LACKING within the repuke party. Then we have the idiots who saw the clips on TV and say, "It was an obvious attack on the troops." That is saying they are incapable of getting the drift of a "nuanced" joke. Then you have the politicos who know damn good and well what the hell he meant and they SPIN IT to be an attack on our troops. THAT is saying they are more than willing to use our troops for propaganda purposes to win a damn election. Either way, they ALL look like fools. IGNORANT FOOLS=REPUKE PARTY AND THEIR SHEEPLE.

[janx]

31. I couldn't have said it better.

;-)

[Bandit]

6. How the hell can they be trailing by 12 on Iraq but lead by 1 on Terror

I thought in their mind they were one and the same. I thought Iraq was the war on terror. These people are just plain warped...

[Iris]

30. because every other word out of their mouths is "terror"

[OzarkDem]

7. kick n/t

[Arkana]

8. That is definitely true--and it's something the Repubs have forgotten.

Senator Kerry isn't a Democratic leader, he's not up for reelection, he's not running for anything, and the Dems running can distance themselves from his comments.

Dumbass is not an albatross that is easily shaken, however.

[Bucky]

18. nit: Senator Kerry isn't only *a* Democratic leader, he's THE leader

John Kerry is formally and officially the leader of the Democratic Party and will be until the 2008 nomination convention. What he says matters. What he said about the troops (while intending to say it about the president) probably won't matter a couple of days from now, however.

[BeFree]

22. I'll give you one chance

To retract your mistake: "What he said about the troops..."

Your comprehension may be clouded by rovian spin, or you may not have read much about the subject, but you have one chance to retract your error.

Kerry was clearly saying that if you are a poor student, like bush, you could ened up stuck in Iraq, like bush. He was not talking about the troops, he was talking about bush, no matter what you heard, think, feel or remember. You have been corrected. Eh?

[Bucky]

28. Oops, looks like I blew my chance. Give me another chance, okay? Please?

BeFree, you don't read too good, do you? I pretty clear stated there was a difference between Kerry's words and what he intended to say. It would be really cool if you could maybe direct some of your scorn at Republicans instead of at Democrats who are trying to move on to worthwhile topics instead of h this idiocy. But if you want to obsess about irrelevent idiocies instead of the upcoming election, please be my guest.

And I'll give you as many chances to do that as you need.

[BeFree]

34. Bucky, thanks for the reply

BeFree, you don't read too good, do you?

I read fine, you wrote: What he said about the troops (while intending to say it about the president)...

He did not say anything about the troops. He was talking to students. The word troops wasn't even in the sentence. This kind of spin of Kerry's words is just terrible. At times like these we must all be clear as we can.

><sub>My post was not directed at you. I think what we have here is a "glitch", yep, one of them there computer glitches. My post was directed at someone who had about 330 posts who was attempting to quote Kerry as saying what bush had him saying. I was giving him one chance to change his mind. Angry rhetoric.

Read my reply to you... it makes no sense to what you were saying about leadership. It wasn't you that pissed me off.

DU has glitches.</sub>

[krkaufman]

39. Actually, he wasn't all that clear at all. Though a reasoning person...

... would know that Kerry wouldn't say any such thing in regards to the troops. Anybody who thinks Kerry was denigrating the troops is crazy, clueless, willfully ignorant -- and the majority of those making noise are none of the above; rather they are deceitful since they know the meaning Kerry intended yet are using the quote/soundbite for political gain.

Hopefully, this article's premise will turn out to be true.

[Arkana]

23. Uh, no, no he's not.

Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean et al. are our leaders. John Kerry, despite his presidential run, is not.

[Bucky]

27. It's a fairly longstanding tradition, Arkana. The party's nominee is the party's leader.

It goes back to Jefferson and Adams, back when parties nominated their best.

[Sensitivity]

36. Dissing Gore after 2000 was dumb, Dissing Kerry after 2004 was dummer

Political parties strength throught unity or purpose, ideology and most
critically, leadership.

[Sensitivity]

9. Craig Crawford: "Dems behaving like abused kids" Scare for fighting back

[Bozita]

10. Time is NOW for a Dem ad buy (W making fun of not finding WMDs)

NOW dammit!

[Kolesar]

11. Iraq is *not* a winning issue for the republicans

and they are foolish to play to it.

[DinahMoeHum]

15. and besides, Kerry isn't running for office this year.

n/t

[Bucky]

19. But he is on the campaign trail. Or was.

[Oleladylib]

12. The same scenario was represented on CNN..

Said the repubs could overblow it and it could backfire

[Cetacea]

14. Correct

Kerry's "gaffe" was calculated, imo.

:kick:

[Gabi Hayes]

33. who said that? all I've seen for two days is John King and Lou Dobbs

jerking each other off about how "FURIOUS" other dems are about this, and how badly it's affecting dems by taking the heat of the pugs

do you remember who talked about this, and if it was today?

I'm so PO'd about this I'd love to know there was a sliver of honesty in this coverage.

thx

[Norquist Nemesis]

16. And thank Dick Cheney for reminding people how "lucky"

they are 'that JK lost the 2004 election'. People just might decide it really is a do-over and smack Cheney's evil ass to Siberia!!!

[Arkana]

24. I love that line.

I wonder if he'll think the American people are so great when the GOP gets kicked out of the House and Senate?

[johnnyrocket]

17. I never understood this 'attention diversion' stuff, is the pulic...

...so stupid, they can't sort the important from the ridiculous!?

[Cha]

20. Yeah, anybody could this

is Perfect! Except some fucking demos.

[underpants]

21. Well no shit! Iraq Iraq Iraq they have been trying to get away from Iraq

for weeks. Do we not remember about a month ago when the story was about how everyone had forgotten the war in Iraq?

Every time they show Kerry's joke everyone hears IRAQ again and again and again.

They wanted to make it all local all about your pocketbook (no longer about "values") and now they want to make it all national again. Well go right ahead make it all about Bush (39%) and Dick (16%) and Rummy (- 12%) and all the rest of them.

[Sensitivity]

35. That is why BushCo tries to substiture the word "Troops"

[Demeter]

25. Short of a Fatal Heart Attack (or Two) There Isn't Anything That Will

change the subject off BushCo's crimes, the failure of the GOP to fulfill their sworn duties, the miserable economy, and the Iraq war.

[civildisoBDence]

26. The only people who will be moved by the Republican spin are

Bill O'Reilly's KoolAid drinkers.

Both sides have good reason to let the story die...whichever side keeps beating this dead horse deserves to pay a price.

Newsprism

[Rockstone]

32. KNR

[siztnarf]

37. If we say enough stupid shit we'll be completely in charge of the government in no time.

[krkaufman]

38. Candidates should be using the Kerry flap to turn the tables on "support for the troops"

When faced with quotes of Kerry's comments, use a little political ju jitsu and focus on the realities of support for the troops: this Republican-run government has lied the troops into an unnecessary war, failed to supply the troops with necessary equipment for their fight and cut critical funding for veterans. Point out that the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America have rated our national politicians on their demonstrated support for the troops -- and Democrats were found to be vastly superior to Republicans in actions supporting the troops.

See: IAVA Congressional Ratings

[DaveJ]

40. Remember most Republicans really don't care about the troops anyway....

So any offense they take on this issue is faked.

Moreover, them trying to pose as sensitive can only come off as disingenuous to independents.

[Maxdee55]

41. 2006 Election

At this point I don't think anything can help the Republican
party except another stolen election. The American people are
just fed up with George Bush and the Republican party,they are
tired of the lies, arrogance, and incompetence of this
administration and its "rubber stamp" Congress.
America has seen scandal after scandal from these Republicans,
indictments, resignations, and corruption are the norm, cover
ups of pedophilia, gay prostitutes visiting the White House
after hours (Jeff Gannon), and the exposure of a covert CIA
operative for vindictive and political reasons. We have seen
it all over the past 6 years, record deficits, runaway debt,
and the shredding of our Constitution piece by piece. They
just have to go for the sake of our democracy, they are the
"enemy within".