Bush: Kerry flip-flops again
"Now, almost two years after he voted for the war in Iraq, and almost
220 days after switching positions to declare himself the anti-war
candidate, my opponent has found a new nuance," Bush told about 10,000
supporters in Pensacola. "He now agrees it was the right decision to
go into Iraq."
"After months of questioning my motives, and even my credibility,
Senator Kerry now agrees with me that even though we have not found
the stockpiles of weapons we all believed were there, knowing
everything we know today, he would have voted to go into Iraq and
remove Saddam Hussein from power. I want to thank Senator Kerry for
clearing that up," Bush said.
Kerry's campaign national security adviser, Rand Beers, fired back.
"The issue has never been whether we were right to hold Saddam
accountable, the issue is that we went to war without our allies,
without properly equipping our troops and without a plan to win the
peace," Beers said.
Bush’s CIA nomination
President Bush on Tuesday will nominate Florida Republican Rep. Porter
Goss as his nominee to take over the CIA a senior administration
official said. Goss is chairman of the House intelligence committee
and a one-time Army intelligence operative and a former CIA officer.
The official said Bush would make the announcement in a morning Rose
Garden ceremony before leaving on a multi-state re-election campaign
trip.
Minority Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Joe Biden has
previously said that Congressman Goss would be unacceptable for the
position at CIA.
Kerry/Rassmann swift boat stories collide
In a major gaffe, Camp Kerry was caught today with colliding stories
concerning Kerry’s Vietnam heroics. In a much touted tale, Kerry is
credited with saving the life of Green Beret veteran Jim Rassmann
while they were on a 5-boat patrol during the Vietnam War. The group
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth vehemently denies Kerry’s story and has
supplied proof that Kerry lied about the circumstances behind his
pulling Rassmann out of the river.
Kerry’s campaign and the DNC have been working overtime to refute the
Swifties’ presentation of the real facts. But today, Kerry and
Rassmanns’ conflicting stories about the incident gave further proof
to the growing skepticism around Kerry’s Vietnam medals and quick trip
home.
In an editorial published in the
Wall Street Journal, Green Beret veteran Jim Rassmann defends
Kerry’s heroics and includes this statement:
While returning from a SEA LORDS operation
along the Bay Hap River, a mine detonated under another swift boat.
Machine-gun fire erupted from both banks of the river, and a second
explosion followed moments later. The second blast blew me off
John's swift boat, PCF-94, throwing me into the river. Fearing
that the other boats would run me over, I swam to the bottom of the
river and stayed there as long as I could hold my breath.
Now, compare this statement by Rassmann in his Wall Street Journal
editorial with a
Kerry campaign press release, still on Kerry’s website as of
8/10/2004:
On March 13, 1969, Rassmann, a Green
Beret, was traveling down the Bay Hap river in a boat behind Kerry’s
when both were ambushed by exploding land mines and enemy fire coming
from the shore. Kerry was hit in the arm, while a mine blew Rassmann’s
boat out of the water. With enemy fire coming from both sides of the
river and swift boats evacuating from the area, Kerry’s crew chose to
turn their boat toward the ambush to save Rassmann.
Rassmann says he was on Kerry’s swift boat; Kerry says Rassmann was on
another boat behind his. Who’s telling the truth, and who is not? Why
is there such a gaping hole in their story?
There were actually FIVE swift boats, each with a crew of six men,
involved that day in Vietnam. They were moving in close formation,
patrolling a particularly narrow section of the river when the
incident happened. Here is the real story, compiled by the Swift Boat
Veterans for Truth:
The Bronze Star Lie As recounted in the attached affidavits of three
on-scene participants (and verified by many others present) Kerry's
operating report, Bronze Star story, and subsequent "no man left
behind" story are a total hoax on the Navy and the nation.
As recounted in the affidavits of Van Odell (Exhibit 6), Jack
Chenoweth (Exhibit 7), and Larry Thurlow (Exhibit 10) (and verified by
every other officer present and many others), a mine went off under
PCF 3 -- some yards from Kerry's boat.
The force of the explosion disabled PCF 3 and knocked several sailors,
dazed, into the water. All boats, except one, closed to rescue the
sailors and defend the disabled boat. That boat -- Kerry's boat --
fled the scene.
After a short period, it was evident to all on the scene that there
was no additional hostile fire. Thurlow began the daring rescue of
disabled PCF 3, while Chenoweth began to pluck dazed survivors of PCF
3 from the water.
Midway through the process, after it was apparent that there was no
hostile fire, Kerry finally returned, picking up Rassman who was only
a few yards from Chenoweth's boat which was also going to pick Rassman
up.
Each of the affiants (and many other Swiftees on the scene that day)
are certain that Kerry has wholly lied about the incident.
Consider this: How could the disabled PCF abandon the scene of the
mine? Why did Kerry have to "return" to the scene?
Kerry's account of this action, which was used to secure the Bronze
Star and a third Purple Heart, is an extraordinary example of fraud.
Kerry describes "boats rcd heavy A/W and S/A from both banks. Fire
continued for about 5000 meters." Exhibit 17. In other words, the
boats went through a double gauntlet at about 50 yards distance that
was 3.2 miles long (comparable to Seminary Ridge at Gettysburg on two
sides), and yet none of the other boats within feet of Kerry's boat
heard a shot or suffered an injury after the PCF 3 mine explosion,
except for John Kerry's buttocks rice wound of earlier origin....
Grand Canyon press
Sen. John Kerry used the Grand Canyon as his photo op to criticize
President Bush and the funding for America’s parks.
Kerry said the Bush administration was under-funding the park system
in its budgets, saying, "The policies of this administration are going
backwards."
The Kerry campaign also arranged for a retired Rob Arnberger, a
National Park Service official who was superintendent at Grand Canyon
from 1994 to 2000, to inform reporters that the administration
policies are based on "short-term political gain."
Interior Secretary Gale Norton said the National Park Service's $1.8
billion operating budget this year "has more funds per employee, per
acre and per visitor than at any time in its history and is 20% higher
than in 2001." Grand Canyon National Park has had $38 million in
repairs since 2002 and still has "some of the best air quality in the
United States."
First Lady’s correction
"We don't even know that stem cell research will provide cures for
anything — much less that it's very close" to yielding major
advances," said First Lady Laura Bush.
Bush criticized Kerry for saying that her husband had banned stem cell
research. A number of stem cell lines are eligible for federal funding
and research. Private money is not prohibited from using additional
lines of stem cell research as well.
Kerry disputed the idea his belief that life begins at conception was
incompatible with his support of embryonic stem cell research.
"It is entirely within ethical bounds to do embryonic stem cell
research without violating one's beliefs at all about what life is or
where it is and what matters," Kerry said.
"I hope that stem cell research will yield cures," the first lady
said. "But I know that embryonic stem cell research is very
preliminary right now and the implication that cures for Alzheimer's
are around the corner is just not right and it's really not fair to
people who are watching a loved one suffer with this disease," Bush
said to the Pennsylvania Medical Society that has endorsed her
husband.
Internet politics
Shoppers at Barnes & Noble.com looking for a controversial new book on
Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry got a surprise
yesterday, when someone gained access to the site's computer system
and altered the book's cover and title.
Shoppers visiting the website found that the book's cover had been
altered. The photo of an older Kerry was replaced with one of Kerry as
a young man in Vietnam, surrounded by comrades. And the title was
changed to "Fit to Command."
The original book cover was once again on display at the site.
Another flip-flop
Sen. John Kerry’s ability to change positions is legendary and just
doesn’t quit.
Kerry said over the weekend he won't get involved in the fight on the
Protect Arizona Now initiative to deny illegal aliens some social
services in this state, although last year he called it "both
heartless and divisive."
Now, Kerry said, "It's up to states to decide what the states want to
do with respect to their own expenditures,"
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