Bush to give major speech
The Associated Press [LINK]
is reporting that President Bush will give a major speech today
contrasting his record with Sen. John Kerry’s voting record in the
Senate.
Bush campaign spokeswoman Nicolle Devenish said Tuesday that the
speech will provide a comprehensive look at two very different
records, "one of accomplishment, and one of being on the wrong side of
history over and over again."
"The president will talk about the choice we face in this election
between his commitment to success in the war on terror and John
Kerry's record of voting against measures to keep us safe, and
attacking policies he once supported," she said.
Kerry spokesman Phil Singer said Bush was trying for a redo of last
week's debate.
"His advisers have spent tens of millions of dollars on a fake John
Kerry who they portrayed as weak on security," Singer said. "When they
come face to face with the real John Kerry, they don't know what to
do."
Cheney’s debate slam dunk
The NY Post analysis [LINK]
shows even the liberal press agrees Cheney handily put away challenger
John Edwards in their one-time-only debate in Cleveland last night --
and effectively put away John Kerry as well:
Once again, Vice President Cheney showed his boss how to debate — same
as 2000, when he helped turn around momentum in the campaign.
Cheney looked calm and almost grandfatherly as he used his debate with
veep wannabe John Edwards to take aim at top-of-the-ticket John Kerry
and paint him as a flip-flopper who lacks the credibility to lead and
win in a time of terror.
"You're not credible on Iraq because of the enormous inconsistencies
that John Kerry and you have cited time after time after time," Cheney
said.
"Whatever the political pressures of the moment requires, that's where
you're at. But you've not been consistent and there's no indication at
all that John Kerry has the conviction to successfully carry through
on the war on terror."
There in a nutshell is the Bush-Cheney case against Kerry — but it's a
case that Bush barely made in last week's first presidential debate.
In an era when safety is the first concern for many voters, that was a
key point.
Cheney pulled no punches as he nailed Edwards for not showing up for
Senate votes. Commenting on his ‘nearly every Tuesday’ appearance in
the Senate, Cheney proclaimed that the debate was the first time he
had ever met Edwards.
Perhaps the most stinging blow was Cheney’s charge levied against both
Edwards and Kerry (individually) for caving into then rival Howard
Dean’s anti-war position on Iraq during the Democrat battle for the
nomination:
"So they, in effect, decided they would cast an anti-war vote and they
voted against the troops. Now if they couldn't stand up to the
pressures that Howard Dean represented, how can we expect them to
stand up to al Qaeda?" Cheney said.
Another searing moment came when Cheney accused Edwards of demeaning
the sacrifices made by Iraqis for their own country:
"For you to demean their sacrifice is beyond the pale," Cheney said to
Edwards.
Clearly a win was scored overall by Cheney and perhaps a foot up was
given to his boss for the upcoming Friday presidential debate in St.
Louis.
V.P. debate transcript
Here is the transcript from the Vice Presidential Candidate Debate:
LINK
Kerry spin email:
We're two for two. Tonight, in Cleveland, John Edwards showed real
strength and conviction -- he was in command of the facts and in
control of the debate and a powerful advocate for John Kerry. The
American people saw John Edwards as somebody who is ready, if
necessary, to be president of the United States.
Dick Cheney is totally out of touch with reality in Iraq and totally
out of touch with the struggles of the middle class. This is nothing
new to a man with a lifetime record of protecting the powerful and
well-connected. He came across as smug, arrogant, mean and defensive
-- but his trademark distortions and scare tactics didn't work. John
Edwards refused to let him play the politics of fear and forced Dick
Cheney to confront his administration's record of failure.
Americans are tired of growls and scowls from our leaders, and John
Edwards and John Kerry offer America hope and optimism.
The Bush-Cheney campaign is already trying to spin the debate. I am
here in Cleveland, right now, working to make sure that doesn't
happen. Tonight my job is going to be a lot easier than my Republican
counterparts' for three reasons. First, John Edwards is our candidate
for vice president, second, Dick Cheney is theirs, and third, I know
that you are going to join me in this critical fight.
To take action, visit the Democratic Party's Debate Center website:
http://www.democrats.org/debates/
John Edwards clearly won on stage tonight -- let's make sure he wins
against unrelenting Republican spin.
Sincerely,
Joe Lockhart, Senior Advisor
Bush spin email:
Even as one of the nation's best trial lawyers, Edwards could not
explain the inexplicable - the deficiencies of Kerry's record. Edwards
failed as a credible advocate for John Kerry last night and Dick
Cheney proved that substance will always trump spin. There's no
evidence that John Kerry has any convictions - despite Edwards' best
attempt at political spin.
Every time Edwards had an opportunity to explain John Kerry's
record to the American people, he chose to attack the Vice President,
and his low moment came 40 minutes into the debate when a
befuddled-looking John Edwards latched onto Halliburton - a political
attack proven false by the nonpartisan FactCheck.org. Read the article
here:
www.FactCheck.org/article.aspx?docid=261.
In Edwards' defense, he was put in the position of defending the
indefensible. He didn't get to pick John Kerry; John Kerry picked him.
Vice President Cheney won the debate last night and these quotes sum
it up best:
"So they, in effect, decided they would cast an anti-war vote, and
they voted against the troops. Now, if they couldn't stand up to the
pressures that Howard Dean represented, how can we expect them to
stand up to Al Qaeda?"
"I'm up in the Senate most Tuesdays when they're in session. The
first time I ever met you was when you walked on the stage tonight."
Now is not the time to rest. Over the next few days, the Kerry machine
will try to turn this loss into a win. We need you to do the same
things we asked you to do yesterday.
Visit
www.GeorgeWBush.com/DebateFacts
so you will have the facts. Print and share them with your friends.
Make sure swing state voters know why you support the President by
sharing your thoughts on
message boards in target states.
Call Talk Radio shows in your
area.
Write
letters to the editors of your
local papers.
Visit Chat rooms on AOL,
MSN, and
Yahoo!
Send this message to 5 friends using the form at the bottom of this
page.
Make your voice heard.
Sincerely,
Ken Mehlman
P.S. Even as one of the nation's best trial lawyers, John Edwards
failed as a credible advocate for John Kerry last night and Dick
Cheney proved that substance will always trump spin. In Edwards'
defense, he was put in the position of defending the indefensible. He
didn't get to pick John Kerry; John Kerry picked him. Despite this
loss, the Kerry team will claim a victory. Go online and set the
record straight by taking action in the ways outlined above.
Poland president lambastes Kerry
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, decried Sen. John Kerry for
not recognizing his country's contribution of 6,500 troops to assist
the United States in the war in Iraq.
"I find it kind of sad that a senator with 20 year parliamentary
experience is unable to notice the Polish presence in the anti-terror
coalition," Kwasniewski said. "This is immoral."
13 Polish troops have died in combat in Iraq. Kwasniewski said Bush
"made sure to show appreciation for other countries' involvement in
the coalition."
Kwansniewski said Bush was "a real Texas gentleman."
Moore bribes?
Liberal film producer Michael Moore is being accused by Republicans of
bribing college students with various gifts in exchange for voting and
Republicans have asked prosecutors to file criminal charges against
him for violating election law.
Moore is said to have offered gifts to students who have never voted
before as an incentive to cast their ballots in the November 2
election. Moore believes that these votes will make the difference for
Sen. John Kerry. Moore has called those who have not voted in the
past, "slackers."
However, Greg McNeilly, executive director of the Michigan Republican
Party, claims this is in direct violation of election laws prohibiting
bribery in exchange for votes.
"We want everyone to participate in this year's election, but not
because they were bribed or coerced by the likes of Michael Moore,"
McNeilly said to the Associated Press, explaining that he has asked
four county prosecutors to file charges against Moore for his illegal
efforts to recruit new voters.
Allegedly, one of the gifts was underwear for male students.
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