Bush Gives Kerry Perfect Opportunity: Say Yes Or No On Iraq

[DrFunkenstein]

STRATHAM, N.H. - President Bush challenged Democratic rival John Kerry on Friday to give a yes-or-no answer about whether he would have supported the invasion of Iraq "knowing what we know now" about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction.

"I have given my answer," Bush told a cheering crowd. "We did the right thing and the world is better off for it."

"Now, there are some questions that a commander in chief needs to answer with a clear yes or no," Bush said. "My opponent hasn't answered the question of whether, knowing what we know now, he would have supported going into Iraq. That's an important question and the American people deserve a clear yes or no answer."

Bush said America was safer because Saddam Hussein sits in a prison cell. "Even though we did not find the stockpiles that we thought we would find, we did the right thing," the president said. "He had the capability and he could have passed that capability on to our enemies."

"My opponent said something the other day I strongly disagree with — he said that going to war with a terrorist is actually improving their recruiting efforts," Bush said, referring to a remark Kerry made Monday.

Kerry, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, said Monday, "The policies of this administration, I believe and others believe very deeply, have resulted in an increase of animosity and anger focused on the United States of America."

The Democrat has pointed out that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld asked in a memo earlier this year whether terrorists were being created faster than the United States could capture and kill them.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&e=8&u=/ap/bush

This is the perfect opportunity to address the way Bush puts everything down to two choices that he determines - what's called a "false dilemma." Kerry should nail Bush on this tendency, and it would make everything a whole lot easier to refute.

Bush puts the question this way: Are we safer with Saddam in jail? Answer is yes, so therefore Bush is right about everything. But Kerry needs to say, "Hey, maybe we're asking the wrong question here."

The question should be: Are we safer for rushing to war half-assed and on the cheap, and taking troops out of Afghanistan and overstretching our entire military? Was Saddam Hussein the most urgent priority in the war on terror?

You're goddamned right that would slap the taste out of Bush's mouth.

We don't have to answer Bush's bullshit choices: Are with us or with the terrorists? We're with choice C, flyboy - against the terrorists and against incompetence.

And knowing what we know now, Kerry would have supported invading Iraq if he failed to be held accountable to all of our inspections demands. So that's a yes. If you want to ask if he supported Bush's premature departure from Afghanistan, well, that would be a no.

Would Kerry have used warlords to find Osama instead of the greatest fighting force on the planet? Well, that would be a no.

It's not that hard, just point out that the question is a bunch of crap and put the question in real, meaningful terms. This will have the double effect of letting Kerry answer the question right and making Bush look like a horse's ass for repeatedly using false dilemmas.

America deserves better than A and B choices. Even the SAT gives you four.



-Do you want chocolate or vanilla?

-Actually, I'd like a hot fudge sundae.

-You see, Kerry can't even tell Americans if he wants chocolate or vanilla. Make up your mind you wine-swilling surrender monkey!

[madaboutharry]

1. This from Mr. Black or White, I don't do nuance.

This "yes or no" statement really drives home the point that this man is an untreated alcoholic. He is completely incapable of thinking out a complicated issue, like say, WAR. This is the man the republican party decided should get the red phone.

[The Wielding Truth]

2. No More Bush Get It!

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. Bush is hoping the debates will be limited to yes or no answers.

[DrFunkenstein]

4. Bush Is Hoping He'll Get The Questions Ahead Of Time

Just like the pre-war news conference (perhaps the lowest moment in a great many lows for journalism in recent years).

Mr. Fancy-pants liberal is probably gonna be all smart and all, but people know Bush represents values (what those values are, I have no idea).