WP: Kerry Loses Edge on Issues of Security

[kskiska]

Tuesday, August 31, 2004; Page A01

President Bush holds clear advantages over John F. Kerry on national security issues and leadership in the war on terrorism, largely erasing the broad gains Kerry made at his party's Boston convention last month, but voters continue to give the president negative marks on the economy and his handling of Iraq, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

At the opening of the Republican National Convention, Bush and Kerry remained deadlocked in the race for the White House, with each claiming 48 percent of likely voters, with 1 percent supporting independent Ralph Nader, virtually unchanged from a survey taken immediately after the Democratic convention. Among all registered voters, the poll found Bush at 48 percent and Kerry at 47 percent, a shift in the president's direction since the previous survey.

The survey offered conflicting evidence of the impact of the controversy over Kerry's Vietnam War record and television ads attacking his character aired by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. A solid majority of voters said they believe that Kerry deserved the medals he won in Vietnam, and most voters characterized the issue of Vietnam as irrelevant to their choice in November. But in the past month, Kerry's personal image has deteriorated, with almost as many voters viewing him unfavorably as favorably.

(snip)

The new poll found that a slight majority of registered voters -- 53 percent -- say Bush is more qualified than Kerry to be commander in chief, while 43 percent say they prefer the Democratic nominee. At the end of the Democratic convention, Kerry enjoyed an eight-point advantage over Bush on that question. Taken together, the results of the poll suggest that Bush's recent gains have come from eroding perceptions of Kerry and not as a consequence of improved views of Bush's performance as president.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A46918-2004Aug30?language=printer

[Cha]

1. Excuse me! But

BullShit! bush is a looser on National Security...they let 9/11 happen didn't they?

Why are all these Generals who are repubs signing on with Kerry/Edwards!? Eh? washed out post?

[Born Free]

11. Facts don't matter

When will democrats learn, issues and facts don't matter, most people vote on "feelings" they feel one is better and as long as the coward bush can continue to hide behind others such as the smear campaign against Kerry's character democrats will lose. It's not the facts, it's the "feelings" that win an election. The bush team is very effective at using fear and misleading statements to produce a "feeling" that he is doing a good job, as long as democrats refuse to attack that myth, they will continue to take a back seat. The bush coward lies and misleads he hides his true character behind others, even God. The only way to win is for democrats to keep the pressure on to smoke the bush coward out of hiding, get him out in the open; force him to discuss what he did during the Vietnam War era rather then allow him to hide behind others such as the group that is attacking John Kerry's character. We saw all of this in 2000, has no one learned ? Do they still believe facts and issues will win?

[Kahuna]

2. Kerry needs to tab Wes Clark right now for his NSA..

National Security Advisor.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

3. How the hell is it that more people trust Bushler on the economy?

:puke:

[xultar]

4. 2 words............................ Wes Clark .........................n/t

[homerthompson]

5. then we need to attack *'s strength(s) head on...

we need to demonstrate his incompetence, but not in a name-calling way.
we need to demonstrate his greed, but not with implications.
we need to demonstrate that he's not winning the war,
and lastly, we need to demonstrate that a real commander in chief wouldn't sit for 6 minutes while his country was being attacked.

but how do we do all this without a compliant media?

[Rose Siding]

6. What "edge"? Nothing was lost!

Spin it WaPo. *smack*

[BeatleBoot]

7. Good thing we didn't spend all of our money in August

[airron]

8. remember

7 minutes in that classroom as the towers burned . . .

The WP poll also makes it clear that Bush lags on Iraq, jobs etc.

[Voltaire99]

9. The continuing failure of "Reporting For Duty"

This miserable strategy, which stupidly pushed militarism at a time of growing public disenchantment with the Iraq occupation, is continuing to bear bitter fruit: just glance at the map at www.electoral-vote.com.

There may yet be time, if Kerry hasn't already painted himself into a corner with support for Bush policies, to emerge as some kind of viable alternative that would tap the great hatred in the land for BushCo.

But it won't be done by saying you'd invade Iraq, too, or whining about the detractors of your vaunted medals--these positions miss the zeitgeist entirely.

[Dr Fate]

10. Nothing like a bored media & a horse race that hasn't started yet!

n/t

[henslee]

12. Even with a Pentagon spy stuffing docs in his socks? ...

And Afghanistan and Iraq where fighting won't stop?
Where Bombs keep getting dropped and heads keep getting lopped
And rivers of blood are constantly mopped?
If you ask me, me friend, this wars a flop.

(on edit) In protest of last night's jingoistic load of drivel and its apparent warm reception by the press, all of my posts today will be delivered Dr. Seuss style as it seems America may be baser and dumber than I ever imagined.

[The Zanti Regent]

13. Lie, Lie, Lie for the Nazis, WHORESHINGTON POST

I swear the time has come to institute a 3-strikes rule against the media. 3 lies and you're shut down for good...