Bush Mocks Kerry's 'Nuance' on Iraq

[papau]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bush11aug11.story
THE RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE
Bush Mocks Kerry's 'Nuance' on Iraq
The president says his Democratic challenger is hedging to please both sides on the war issue.
By Maura Reynolds Times Staff Writer August 11, 2004

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Having called on Sen. John F. Kerry to explain his position on the Iraq war, President Bush on Tuesday derided Kerry's answer as disingenuous, accusing him of finding "a new nuance." The Kerry campaign responded by accusing Bush of distorting Kerry's words and resorting to desperate tactics.<snip>

Kerry said Monday that he would have voted to give the president the authority to go to war even if he had known there were no stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, but that he disagreed with the way Bush used that authority( in not reaching out to other countries and building an international coalition).

But in his remarks, Bush asserted there was no such distinction. "My opponent has found a new nuance," the president said Tuesday. "He now agrees it was the right decision to go into Iraq.

"After months of questioning my motives, and even my credibility, Sen. Kerry now agrees with me that even though we've not found the stockpiles of weapons we believed were there, knowing everything we know today, he would have voted to go into Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein from power," Bush said to cheers and jeers from the crowd. "I want to thank Sen. Kerry for clearing that up." Then he added: "Be careful, there's still 84 days left in this campaign for him to change his mind."

Kerry advisors said Bush was twisting the senator's words to avoid Kerry's own questions about the president's handling of the war. "The Bush line of questioning … Kerry's vote on Iraq and distorting his answer, reflects a line of desperation," said retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark, who spoke on behalf of the Kerry campaign.<snip>

[still_one]

1. Kerry opened himself to this

He did the same thing a few months back by saying he was open to nominating anti-abortion judges on the supreme court

If he plays the game of trying to make everyone happy, he will end up making no one happy

[wtmusic]

2. Oh come on

A complete distortion of Kerry's words. "He now agrees it was the right decision to go into Iraq" doesn't represent Kerry's position at all.

Kerry maintains, as he always has, that a truly international coalition should have been built first.

[bryant69]

6. Dead on

The only way to keep Republicans from misrepresenting what Kerry Says is for Kerry to keep silence.

At which point they will begin misrepresenting his silence.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[emulatorloo]

4. They aren't reporting everything Kerry said, and they are distorting

what they did report:

snip

But Mr. Kerry, the Democratic nominee, extended his attack
on President Bush's prosecution of the war, saying he had
not used the Congressional authority effectively.

"My question to President Bush is, Why did he rush to war
without a plan to win the peace?" Mr. Kerry told reporters
here after responding to Mr. Bush's request last week for a
yes-or-no answer on how he would vote today on the
resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq.

"Why did he rush to war on faulty intelligence and not do
the hard work necessary to give America the truth?" he
said. "Why did he mislead America about how he would go to
war? Why has he not brought other countries to the table in
order to support American troops in the way that we deserve
it and relieve a pressure from the American people?"

snip

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/10/politics/campaign/10kerry.html?ex=1093148035&ei=1&en=be262e45751d6d66

[Zynx]

3. Kerry does have a complicated position on Iraq because the situation is

complicated. It's that simple. Bush likes the "I don't want any nuance because I'm a dumbshit" approach.

[rkc3]

5. Everything is black and white for Bush. No shades of gray.

His followers like that, makes it easy for them.

[jackstraw45]

9. George Bush: Hero of the Stupid

Never fails.

[George_Bonanza]

7. Build a coalition for what, if not for WMDs?

Kerry explicitly stated on the senate floor that he's not willing to settle for simply "regime change" as the sole basis for war. Kerry should've just remained quiet and fired back more questions at Bush.

[marlakay]

8. Listen to Al Franken this morning!

He has a great way of talking about it. We listened to Kerry's own words. Kerry said he would give the president the authority but the he would have used that authority different and gone to the un. So like all these posts have been saying, he did not say he would go to war!!!

[snippy]

10. If you thought sovereignty was entertaining, ask Bush to define nuance.

His head might explode.