Sure, they both made some jabs. Sure, Bush stated that he thinks he is better to run the war on terror. Sure, Kerry repeated the ‘outsourcing’ nonsense regarding Tora Bora. Still, I found a ray of hope in their statements regarding the new Osama video:
“Let me make this very clear,” Bush said in Toledo, Ohio, standing next to Air Force One. “Americans will not be intimidated or influenced by an enemy of our country. I’m sure Senator Kerry agrees with this.”
And agree Kerry did:
Kerry, too, said, “My reaction is that all of us … are completely united.”
Even at the height of the silly season, we will come down on these terrorist thugs with a unified hammer. And they just don’t get it.
Another Round for Egor
If you want to see the difference between Bush and a “metrosexual” wimp like Edwards, watch this video…
http://www.dailyrecycler.com/blog/2004/10/choice.html
…looking at the new Bin Laden tape, after seeing the above video as well, would you really want to trust your family’s safety to a weenie like Edwards or a traitor like Kerry?
Another Round for Egor
If you want to see the difference between Bush and a San Franciso-style wimp like Edwards, watch this video…
http://www.dailyrecycler.com/blog/2004/10/choice.html
…looking at the new Bin Laden tape, after seeing the above video as well, would you really want to trust your family’s safety to a wimp like Edwards or a traitor like Kerry?
Justin Ogren
Yes, in purity compared to the dropping the ball every week Bush Administration.
Jaylem
Only problem John, is that Kerry also kept repeating the lie that Bush ‘outsourced’ the job capturing OBL when we had him ‘cornered’ in Tora Bora.
CadillaqJaq
Kerry blows. And having Usama “cornered” in Tora Bora sounds to me as abstract as saying we have him “cornered” in the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies.
Terry
I’m afraid you didn’t look further at what else Kerry said, John.
Sure, he said we are all united in the fight against bin Laden, but as David Brooks puts it, “…he just couldn’t help himself. His first instincts were to get political.” On Milwaukee television yesterday afternoon, he used the video as an occasion to attack the president: “He didn’t choose to use American forces to hunt down Osama bin Laden. He outsourced the job.” Kerry saw a political opening, and ran with it. Back in late 2001, when bin Laden was believed to be hiding in Tora Bora, Kerry supported the strategy of using Afghans to hunt him down. As others have noted, he told Larry King at the time that our strategy “is having its impact, and it is the best way to protect our troops and sort of minimize the proximity, if you will. I think we have been doing this pretty effectively, and we should continue to do it that way.”
As Brooks puts it, “…the political wind shifted and Kerry recalculated. Now Kerry calls the strategy he supported ‘outsourcing.’ When we rely on allies everywhere else around the world, that’s multilateral cooperation, but when Bush does it in Afghanistan, it’s ‘outsourcing.’ In Iraq, Kerry supports using local troops to chase insurgents, but in Afghanistan he is now in retroactive opposition.’
John Kerry is indeed a hollow man with very few, if any, core values other than to marry rich and live well.
Bloggerhead
Hey, Terry, you forgot “the wrong side of history,” “flip-flopper,” and “most liberal senator ever, according to this objective poll put out by Townhall.com.”
Indeed, indeed, in contrast to Kerry, Bush is a man just full of it, principle, resoluteness, purity, fortitude, so much so, in fact, that he’s left with little room for a brain. And it is clear for all to see that Bush’s core values have enabled him to live a life of wide accomplishment, nose forever to the grindstone, with little concern for his own well-being.
Would that this election weren’t at least a little bit about competence, then President Selfless W. Scarecrow would most assuredly win it in a landslide.
And John, I agree that both sides handled this with some class initially, but it was undoubtedly calibrated. This is a tightrope for both candidates, and both–which Brooks’ “analysis” failed to point out, by the way–used it for stump purposes last night, but carefully.
If nothing else, we live in interesting times, my man.
Charles K.
Blockerhead:
This election comes down to a choice between one man’s evolution (to borrow The New York Times delicate term for Kerry’s numerous about-faces) and the other man’s resolution. With his endlessly repeated Tora Bora charges, Kerry has made Afghanistan a major campaign issue. So be it. Who do Americans likely want as president? The man who conceived the Afghan campaign, carried it through without flinching when it was being called a “quagmire” during its second week, and has seen it through to Afghanistan’s transition to elections and democracy? Or the retroactive genius, who always knows what needs to be done after it has already happened — who would have done “everything” differently in Iraq, yet in Afghanistan would have replicated Bush’s every correct, courageous, radical and risky decision — except one. Which, of course, he would have done differently. He says. Now.
Ramrod
I hope you guys out there in blogoland are getting on top of the B.S. being proposed by Walter Cronkite. This sounds like Dean, ” I don’t know if it’s true but I heard . . .. These guys will say absolutely ANYTHING!.
Ramrod
Sandi
I guess even when there is something we all can/should come to gether and agree on, y’all have to fight each other.
Craig
So now we know: The Bush campaign accuses the Kerry campaign of politicizing the latest bin Laden tape, all the while thinking of it as a “gift.” I realize that politics is politics, but the Bush camp has brought us to a new low. In a recent interview with the New York Daily News, a senior GOP strategist is quoted as saying, “Anything that makes people nervous about their personal safety helps Bush.” He also called it “a little gift,” saying it helps the President but doesn’t guarantee his reelection. Meanwhile, the President continues to harangue Senator Kerry for being weak on defense and the war on terror. Who is really weak here? We gave Mr. Bush his chance to catch bin Laden – three years, in fact – though he stated he wasn’t really worried about him, didn’t think about him too much. If Mr. Bush had spent at least some time worrying about Osama bin Laden, maybe he wouldn’t be taunting us on our TV screens to this day.
SDN
Didn’t sound like a taunt; sounded more like saying Uncle. “Please don’t beat me no more! I’ll be good!” Sorry, Osama, that’s over.
jpe
If you want to see the difference between Bush and a San Franciso-style wimp like Edwards
A “San Francisco-style wimp”? Paging Another round for Egor: it’s time to come out of the closet. You have some issues to deal with.
Serious issues.
jpe
Who do Americans likely want as president?
See, that’s why we do these whole ‘election’ things: to figure this question out, numbskull. That way we don’t have to rely on the collected wisdom of Townhall to select a president.
HH
John, don’t forget – Kerry is for the war now…
S.W. Anderson
Indeed, John, you express an admirable sentiment. So did Bush in the statement you cited.
Unfortunately, earlier in the day and fully knowledgeable about the bin Laden tape, Bush held at least two speaking engagements where he bashed away at Kerry as being weak, indecisive and unsuited to the lead the war against terrorism.
That, unfortunately, left Bush looking and sounding like a two-faced, two-bit pol when he got all “we’re united in opposing” for the photo op.
FWIW, any president is going to do his best against the terrorists. The problem for Bush is that too many of us have seen his best and come to the conclusion it’s a long way from being good enough.
Those who think Kerry wouldn’t be tough enough should think again. If he wins, the more likely danger is the he might go overboard trying to prove how resolute and tough he is.
willyb
“Those who think Kerry wouldn’t be tough enough should think again. If he wins, the more likely danger is the he might go overboard trying to prove how resolute and tough he is.”
I doubt seriously if we would have to worry about a President Kerry being too tough on terror. He voted against the first Gulf war, a war that had the blessing of the U.N. I think it more likely he would adopt Mr. Clinton’s approach and send meaningless signals with missles and posture like a tough guy. Or use bribes to eliminate potential problems, as was done in North Korea. Indeed, I think the core constituencies of the Democrat party would expect tough rhetoric, but a complete moratorium on the use of U.S. power.
op4
I’m not sure why the outsourcing thing is “nonsense.” The US has had a lot of opportunities to focus more effort on bin Laden. The problem is that Bush has made Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11, his priority.
“Even at the height of the silly season, we will come down on these terrorist thugs with a unified hammer. And they just don’t get it…”
Respectfully, however, I don’t know that this is what we are doing. Bin Laden looks well-rested and relatively comfortable. The other guy in charge of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is also still free. Why are they free? A lot of it is because Bush chose this moment to focus on Iraq (a nation with a secular government that al-Qaeda called “infidels”). Was it the best choice?
I think this may help to put some of this in perspective for a few people. There’s more behind the war than most Americans realize.
http://bushiraq.r8.org/
(or http://freewebtown.com/bushiraq/ )
Terry
“op4”
Since you were good enough to provide a list for my perusal, you might find this one from Slate of some interest relative to your candidate:
http://slate.msn.com/id/2096540/
willyb
As a threat, bin Laden has been reduced to producing videos to persuade people of his “righteousness.” He has primitive command and control capabilities and no secure base of operations. HE IS HIDING OUT. While I would still like to see him drawn and quartered, time is on our side.
As for the Tora Bora issue, Michael Delong, the No. 2 general at CentCom in charge of the Afghanistan War, has debunked Mr. Kerry’s claims that we outsourced this operation. WST; November 1, 2004; Page A15. Tommy Franks has also indicated that Mr. Kerry is wrong on his view of Tora Bora.
Another Round for Egor
Jpe, did you watch the video? I challenge everyone to watch that video and then come back and tell me that John Edwards should be a heartbeat away from the presidency! Watching him primp and fuss his hair while holding a makeup compact is about the most unmanly thing I’ve ever seen. Give the boy some lipstick and haircurlers and he’s ready for a Friday night on the town in San Francisco.
Kimmitt
You know, if a Democratic President had allowed bin Laden to get away for three years, I doubt you’d all be making excuses for him.
Dean
Kimmitt:
What party was Bill Clinton?
Or does WTC ’93, Khobar Towers, two US embassies and the USS Cole not count as terrorism?