WP: Despite Bush Flip-Flops, Kerry Gets Label

[kskiska]

Thursday, September 23, 2004; Page A01

One of this year's candidates for president, to hear his opposition tell it, has a long history of policy reversals and rhetorical about-faces -- a zigzag trail that proves his willingness to massage positions and even switch sides when politically convenient.

The flip-flopper, Democrats say, is President Bush. Over the past four years, he abandoned positions on issues such as how to regulate air pollution or whether states should be allowed to sanction same-sex marriage. He changed his mind about the merits of creating the Homeland Security Department, and made a major exception to his stance on free trade by agreeing to tariffs on steel. After resisting, the president yielded to pressure in supporting an independent commission to study policy failures preceding the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Bush did the same with questions about whether he would allow his national security adviser to testify, or whether he would answer commissioners' questions for only an hour, or for as long they needed.

Democrats working for John F. Kerry cite these twists and turns with glee -- but even more frustration. Polls have shown overwhelmingly that Kerry -- with his long trail of confusing and sometimes contradictory statements, especially on Iraq -- is this year's flip-flopper in the public mind, a criticism that continued to echo across the campaign trail yesterday.

Once such a popular perception becomes fixed, public opinion experts and strategists say, virtually every episode in the campaign is viewed through that prism, while facts that do not fit with existing assumptions -- such as Bush's history of policy shifts -- do not have much impact in the political debate.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43093-2004Sep22.html

[dennis4868]

1. do you ever hear....

the media say Bush flip flopped when he changes his position...no....they say that "he clarified his position." Remember we cannot win the war on terror and the next day we can win....hahaha!

[liveoaktx]

3. Yes, if they were CONSISTENT with the same terminology media

uses to smear Kerry, it would sure stick. Or at least become neutral.

[private_ryan]

7. don't blame the media

blame Kerry and his "advisors", mainly Bob "let's be positive" Shrum. Bush started labeling Kerry and instead of pointing out Bush flip-flops Kerry did nothing.

[w4rma]

16. No. I'm blaming big media, because I know who, in general, runs them (nt)

[bagnana]

17. I agree!!!

That was absolutely a lame loser idiotic strategy. I read a staffer quote right after the primaries who said something along the lines of "bring it on." If bush wants to play dirty, and we know he will, then everything is on the table. Everything." That gave me shivers -- and then he acted like a lame-ass boring Dukakis -- until now. Now, he comes out swinging. Now, "everything" has finally appeared on the table. Take them out, John!

[cthrumatrix]

2. this is all becuase of early RW media smears...which never looked at shrub

before playing the RW game..

Shrub's flops are quite numerous...but when you have smear media ...it sticks

[Kimber Scott]

4. All of Bush's faults they lay on Kerry, and all of Kerry's virtues

they lay on Bush. This morning I heard JC Watts on t.v. saying Bush wasn't going to "cut and run" in Iraq. Insinuating that to be Kerry's plan and assuming most people hadn't listened to Kerry's speech, but would take from his soundbite that's what Kerry had said. NOTHING. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING these people say is true. If Kerry has a good strategy, Bush takes it. If Kerry says something, they say he said nothing. If Bush changes his position, he says Kerry flip-flopped.

[Catherine Vincent]

5. The right wing pundits put out the word and the so called reporters

repeat it. Why won't the 'liberal' media use flipflop when referring to President Dumbass? And it pisses me off whenever a fucking republican cspan caller calls in stating Kerry is such a flip floper.

[K. F. Gibbons]

6. The political art of projection.

The media should take responsibility for allowing the Bush Campaign to use such an obvious strategy. They should call Bush on it, but they wont because they are the ones who do The Bush campaign dirty work.

[PlanetBev]

8. I always felt Kerry could have turned this around

All he had to do was list Bush's flip flops, and turn it around on him. He had so many opportunities to change this around and never did.

[Erika]

11. Yes, His Campaign Did So.

Bush's flip-flops are all over the media. From his fighting homeland Security to the 9/11 Commission and everywhere between. Aren't you reading?

[Raster]

9. The WP is hedging their bets. So is EVERYONE in D.C.

It all boils down to this: Do you want the Bush Family Evil Empire to run the US for another four years?

We've seen them in action. We've know their track record. We have the data. Ignorance is neither an option nor an excuse. So what are you going to do?

[kaitykaity]

10. IT'S THE MEDIA, STUPID!!!

Mainstream reporters, David Letterman, everybody
repeats the baseless charge, and then the WP navel-gazes
with this crap.

[Eye and Monkey]

12. Yesterday - "Bush, in Shift, Taps Into Emergency Iraq Funds"

Why didn't the headline read "Flip-flop"?

Bush, in Shift, Taps Into Emergency Iraq Funds

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-iraq-usa-fundi...

By REUTERS
Published: September 21, 2004
Filed at 9:09 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon has begun tapping into its $25 billion emergency fund for the Iraq war to prepare for a major troop rotation and intense fighting this fall, administration officials said on Tuesday, despite the White House's initial insistence that it had enough money.

The Pentagon has already used more than $2 billion from what the White House dubbed its ``contingency reserve'' fund for Iraq. The money is being used to ramp up production of armored Humvees to support the troop rotation, as well as to buy body armor and bolster fuel supplies, the officials told Reuters.

The decision to use the $25 billion in Iraq reserves underscores concern within the administration about the rise in anti-American violence in Iraq. The decision follows last week's announcement that President Bush plans to divert nearly $3.5 billion from Iraqi water, power and other reconstruction projects to improve security. The White House had initially asserted it would not need additional war funding until January or February, 2005 -- well after the November presidential election.

<SNIP - MORE>

[leesa]

13. Thanks to the never-ending efforts of the WaPO and the rest of the media

whores! How could this POSSIBLY have happened??!?

[JDPriestly]

14. Don't be so pessimistic.

Labels won't decide this race. Who votes will decide this race. What are you doing to get Democrats to the polls?

[MissMarple]

15. Shifty, shady, and slick. That's our George!