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September 26, 2004
Bush Scores Points in Florida
While Florida is undergoing through brutal weather conditions, with repeated hurricanes followed by mandatory evacuations and winds approaching the coast at 115 mph, President Bush continues to get a clear forecast in the "Sunshine State."
After the Republican National Convention, Bush has bounced back and is showing in recent polls a significant lead in the battleground state of Florida.
With the first Presidential Debate starting in Florida on September 30, 2004, both Republican and Democratic Parties are counting on leaving a lasting impression on Florida voters; especially when the final outcome of the presidential election may once again rest on Florida.
If Bush shows an outstanding performance, he will have a considerable lead with the following battleground states, but a strong demonstration from Kerry can easily turn the tables around. "The debates are horribly important. They could actually be decisive if they turn a certain way," states Garry South, a Democratic strategist.
Posted by Tuck at September 26, 2004 10:27 PM
Comments
I believe President Bush will win this debate because of his stance on the war on terror. This to me is the issue that I hold dear to my hart. I don't trust J.F.K. to be able to hold a posission long enough to even get through the debate.
Posted by: BRUCE EICHENBERG at September 27, 2004 02:30 AM
John Kerry's Flip Flops
Flip Flopped On Trade With China
In 1991, Kerry Supported Most-Favored Trade Status For China. ?Sen. John Kerry said yesterday that he is breaking party ranks to support most-favored-nation trade status for China ? ?I think the president has some strong arguments about some of the assets of most-favored-nation status for China,? Kerry said.? (John Aloysius Farrell, ?Kerry Breaks Party Ranks To Back China Trade Status,? The Boston Globe, 6/15/91)
In 2000, Kerry Voted In Favor Of Permanent Normal Trade Relations With China. (H.R. 4444, CQ Vote #251: Passed 83-15: R 46-8; D 37-7, 9/19/00, Kerry Voted Yea)
Now Kerry Criticizes The Bush Administration For Trading With China. ?Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said on Monday Americans workers were paying the price for President Bush's weak stance on trade with China and other countries. ? On the bus tour, Kerry singled out the Bush administration's handling of trade with China and said that country was manipulating its currency.? (Caren Bohan, "Kerry Pledges Aggressive Trade Stance," Reuters, 4/26/04)
Flip-Flopped On Iraq War
Kerry Voted For Authorization To Use Force In Iraq. (H.J. Res. 114, CQ Vote #237: Passed 77-23: R 48-1; D 29-21; I 0-1, 10/11/02, Kerry Voted Yea.)
In First Dem Debate, Kerry Strongly Supported President?s Action In Iraq. KERRY: ?George, I said at the time I would have preferred if we had given diplomacy a greater opportunity, but I think it was the right decision to disarm Saddam Hussein, and when the President made the decision, I supported him, and I support the fact that we did disarm him.? (ABC News, Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Columbia, SC, 5/4/03)
Kerry Later Claimed He Voted ?To Threaten? Use Of Force In Iraq. ?I voted to threaten the use of force to make Saddam Hussein comply with the resolutions of the United Nations.? (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At Announcement Of Presidential Candidacy, Mount Pleasant, SC, 9/2/03)
Now, Kerry Says He Is Anti-War Candidate. CHRIS MATTHEWS: ?Do you think you belong to that category of candidates who more or less are unhappy with this war, the way it?s been fought, along with General Clark, along with Howard Dean and not necessarily in companionship politically on the issue of the war with people like Lieberman, Edwards and Gephardt? Are you one of the anti-war candidates?? KERRY: ?I am -- Yes, in the sense that I don?t believe the president took us to war as he should have, yes, absolutely.? (MSNBC?s ?Hardball,? 1/6/04)
Flip-Flopped On Eliminating Marriage Penalty For Middle Class
Kerry Said He Will Fight To Keep Tax Relief For Married Couples. ?Howard Dean and Gephardt are going to put the marriage penalty back in place. So if you get married in America, we?re going to charge you more taxes. I do not want to do that.? (Fox News? ?Special Report,? 10/23/03)
Said Democrats Fought To End Marriage Penalty Tax. ?We fought hard to get rid of the marriage penalty.? (MSNBC?s ?News Live,? 7/31/03)
But, In 1998, Kerry Voted Against Eliminating Marriage Penalty Relief For Married Taxpayers With Combined Incomes Less Than $50,000 Per Year, Saving Taxpayers $46 Billion Over 10 Years. (S. 1415, CQ Vote #154: Rejected 48-50: R 5-49; D 43-1, 6/10/98, Kerry Voted Yea)
Flip-Flopped On Patriot Act
Kerry Voted For Patriot Act. The Patriot Act was passed nearly unanimously by the Senate 98-1, and 357-66 in the House. (H.R. 3162, CQ Vote #313: Passed 98-1: R 49-0; D 48-1; I 1-0, 10/25/01, Kerry Voted Yea)
Kerry Used To Defend His Vote. ?Most of [The Patriot Act] has to do with improving the transfer of information between CIA and FBI, and it has to do with things that really were quite necessary in the wake of what happened on September 11th.? (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At Town Hall Meeting, Manchester, NH, 8/6/03)
Now, Kerry Attacks Patriot Act. ?We are a nation of laws and liberties, not of a knock in the night. So it is time to end the era of John Ashcroft. That starts with replacing the Patriot Act with a new law that protects our people and our liberties at the same time. I?ve been a District Attorney and I know that what law enforcement needs are real tools not restrictions on American?s basic rights.? (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At Iowa State University, 12/1/03)
Kerry Took BOTH Sides On First Gulf War
Kerry Took BOTH Sides In First Gulf War In Separate Letters To Same Constituent. ?Rather than take a side--albeit the one he thought was most expedient--Kerry actually stood on both sides of the first Gulf war, much like he did this time around. Consider this ?Notebook? item from TNR?s March 25, 1991 issue, which ran under the headline ?Same Senator, Same Constituent?: ?Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition ... to the early use of military force by the US against Iraq. I share your concerns. On January 11, I voted in favor of a resolution that would have insisted that economic sanctions be given more time to work and against a resolution giving the president the immediate authority to go to war.? --letter from Senator John Kerry to Wallace Carter of Newton Centre, Massachusetts, dated January 22 [1991] ?Thank you very much for contacting me to express your support for the actions of President Bush in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. From the outset of the invasion, I have strongly and unequivocally supported President Bush?s response to the crisis and the policy goals he has established with our military deployment in the Persian Gulf.? --Senator Kerry to Wallace Carter, January 31 [1991]? (Noam Scheiber, ?Noam Scheiber?s Daily Journal of Politics, The New Republic Online, 1/28/04)
Flip-Flopped On Gay Marriage Amendment
In 2002, Kerry Signed Letter ?Urging? MA Legislature To Reject Constitutional Amendment Banning Gay Marriage. ?We rarely comment on issues that are wholly within the jurisdiction of the General Court, but there are occasions when matters pending before you are of such significance to all residents of the Commonwealth that we think it appropriate for us to express our opinion. One such matter is the proposed Constitutional amendment that would prohibit or seriously inhibit any legal recognition whatsoever of same-sex relationships. We believe it would be a grave error for Massachusetts to enshrine in our Constitution a provision which would have such a negative effect on so many of our fellow residents. ? We are therefore united in urging you to reject this Constitutional amendment and avoid stigmatizing so many of our fellow citizens who do not deserve to be treated in such a manner.? (Sen. John Kerry, et al, Letter To Members Of The Massachusetts Legislature, 7/12/02)
Now, In 2004, Kerry Won?t Rule Out Supporting Similar Amendment. ?Asked if he would support a state constitutional amendment barring gay and lesbian marriages, Kerry didn?t rule out the possibility. ?I?ll have to see what language there is,? he said.? (Susan Milligan, ?Kerry Says GOP May Target Him On ?Wedge Issue,?? The Boston Globe, 2/6/04)
Flip-Flopped On Attacking President During Time Of War
In March 2003, Kerry Promised Not To Attack President When War Began. ?Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts ? said he will cease his complaints once the shooting starts. ?It?s what you owe the troops,? said a statement from Kerry, a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. ?I remember being one of those guys and reading news reports from home. If America is at war, I won?t speak a word without measuring how it?ll sound to the guys doing the fighting when they?re listening to their radios in the desert.?? (Glen Johnson, ?Democrats On The Stump Plot Their War Rhetoric,? The Boston Globe, 3/11/03)
But Weeks Later, With Troops Just Miles From Baghdad, Kerry Broke His Pledge. ??What we need now is not just a regime change in Saddam Hussein and Iraq, but we need a regime change in the United States,? Kerry said in a speech at the Peterborough Town Library. Despite pledging two weeks ago to cool his criticism of the administration once war began, Kerry unleashed a barrage of criticism as US troops fought within 25 miles of Baghdad.? (Glen Johnson, ?Kerry Says Us Needs Its Own ?Regime Change,?? The Boston Globe, 4/3/03)
Flip-Flopped On Death Penalty For Terrorists
In 1996, Kerry Attacked Governor Bill Weld For Supporting Death Penalty For Terrorists. KERRY: ?Your policy would amount to a terrorist protection policy. Mine would put them in jail.? (1996 Massachusetts Senate Debate, 9/16/96)
In 1996, Kerry Said, ?You Can Change Your Mind On Things, But Not On Life-And-Death Issues.? (Timothy J. Connolly, ?The ?Snoozer? Had Some Life,? [Worcester, MA] Telegram & Gazette, 7/3/96)
But, In 2002, Kerry Said He Supported Death Penalty For Terrorists. KERRY: ?The law of the land is the law of the land, but I have also said that I am for the death penalty for terrorists because terrorists have declared war on your country.? (NBC?s ?Meet The Press,? 12/1/02)
Flip-Flopped On No Child Left Behind
Kerry Voted For No Child Left Behind Act. (H.R. 1, CQ Vote #371: Adopted 87-10: R 44-3; D 43-6; I 0-1, 12/18/01, Kerry Voted Yea)
But Now Kerry Is Attacking No Child Left Behind As ?Mockery.? ?Between now and the time I?m sworn in January 2005, I?m going to use every day to make this president accountable for making a mockery of the words ?No Child Left Behind.?? (Holly Ramer, ?Kerry Wants To Make ?Environmental Justice? A Priority,? The Associated Press, 4/22/03)
Kerry Trashed NCLB As ?Unfunded Mandate? With ?Laudable? Goals. ?Kerry referred to [No Child Left Behind] as an ?unfunded mandate? with ?laudable? goals. ?Without the resources, education reform is a sham,? Kerry said. ?I can?t wait to crisscross this country and hold this president accountable for making a mockery of the words ?no child left behind.??? (Matt Leon, ?Sen. Kerry In Tune With Educators,? The [Quincy, MA] Patriot Ledger, 7/11/03)
Flip-Flopped On Affirmative Action
In 1992, Kerry Called Affirmative Action ?Inherently Limited And Divisive.? ?[W]hile praising affirmative action as ?one kind of progress? that grew out of civil rights court battles, Kerry said the focus on a rights-based agenda has ?inadvertently driven most of our focus in this country not to the issue of what is happening to the kids who do not get touched by affirmative action, but ? toward an inherently limited and divisive program which is called affirmative action.? That agenda is limited, he said, because it benefits segments of black and minority populations, but not all. And it is divisive because it creates a ?perception and a reality of reverse discrimination that has actually engendered racism.?? (Lynne Duke, ?Senators Seek Serious Dialogue On Race,? The Washington Post, 4/8/92)
In 2004, Kerry Denied Ever Having Called Affirmative Action ?Divisive.? CNN?s KELLY WALLACE: ?We caught up with the Senator, who said he never called affirmative action divisive, and accused Clark of playing politics.? SEN. KERRY: ?That?s not what I said. I said there are people who believe that. And I said mend it, don?t end it. He?s trying to change what I said, but you can go read the quote. I said very clearly I have always voted for it. I?ve always supported it. I?ve never, ever condemned it. I did what Jim Clyburn did and what Bill Clinton did, which is mend it. And Jim Clyburn wouldn?t be supporting it if it were otherwise. So let?s not have any politics here. Let?s keep the truth.? (CNN?s ?Inside Politics,? 1/30/04)
Flip-Flopped On Ethanol
Kerry Twice Voted Against Tax Breaks For Ethanol. (S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #44: Rejected 48-52: R 11-32; D 37-20, 3/23/93, Kerry Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #68: Motion Agreed To 55-43: R 2-40; D 53-3, 3/24/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
Kerry Voted Against Ethanol Mandates. (H.R. 4624, CQ Vote #255: Motion Agreed To 51-50: R 19-25; D 31-25, 8/3/94, Kerry Voted Nay)
Kerry Voted Twice To Increase Liability On Ethanol, Making It Equal To Regular Gasoline. (S. 517, CQ Vote #87: Motion Agreed To 57-42: R 38-10; D 18-32; I 1-0, 4/25/02 Kerry Voted Nay; S. 14, CQ Vote #208: Rejected 38-57: R 9-40; D 28-17; I 1-0, 6/5/03, Kerry Voted Yea)
On The Campaign Trail, Though, Kerry Is For Ethanol. KERRY: ?I?m for ethanol, and I think it?s a very important partial ingredient of the overall mix of alternative and renewable fuels we ought to commit to.? (MSNBC/DNC, Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Des Moines, IA, 11/24/03)
Flip-Flopped On Cuba Sanctions
Senator Kerry Has Long Voted Against Stronger Cuba Sanctions. (H.R. 927, CQ Vote #489, Motion Rejected 59-36: R 50-2; D 9-34, 10/17/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 955, CQ Vote #183: Rejected 38-61: R 5-49; D 33-12, 7/17/97, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1234, CQ Vote #189, Motion Agreed To 55-43: R 43-10; D 12-33, 6/30/99, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2549, CQ Vote #137: Motion Agreed To 59-41: R 52-3; D 7-38, 6/20/00, Kerry Voted Nay)
In 2000, Kerry Said Florida Politics Is Only Reason Cuba Sanctions Still In Place. ?Senator John F. Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat and member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said in an interview that a reevaluation of relations with Cuba was ?way overdue.? ?We have a frozen, stalemated, counterproductive policy that is not in humanitarian interests nor in our larger credibility interest in the region,? Kerry said. ? ?It speaks volumes about the problems in the current American electoral process. ? The only reason we don?t reevaluate the policy is the politics of Florida.?? (John Donnelly, ?Policy Review Likely On Cuba,? The Boston Globe, 4/9/00)
Now Kerry Panders To Cuban Vote, Saying He Would Not Lift Embargo Against Cuba. TIM RUSSERT: ?Would you consider lifting sanctions, lifting the embargo against Cuba?? SEN. KERRY: ?Not unilaterally, not now, no.? (NBC?s ?Meet The Press,? 8/31/03)
Kerry Does Not Support ?Opening Up The Embargo Wily Nilly.? ?Kerry said he believes in ?engagement? with the communist island nation but that does not mean, ?Open up the dialogue.? He believes it ?means travel and perhaps even remittances or cultural exchanges? but he does not support ?opening up the embargo wily nilly.?? (Daniel A. Ricker, ?Kerry Says Bush Did Not Build A ?Legitimate Coalition? In Iraq,? The Miami Herald, 11/25/03)
Flip-Flopped On NAFTA
Kerry Voted For NAFTA. (H.R. 3450, CQ Vote #395: Passed 61-38: R 34-10; D 27-28, 11/20/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
Kerry Recognized NAFTA Is Our Future. ??NAFTA recognizes the reality of today?s economy - globalization and technology,? Kerry said. ?Our future is not in competing at the low-level wage job; it is in creating high-wage, new technology jobs based on our skills and our productivity.?? (John Aloysius Farrell, ?Senate?s OK Finalizes NAFTA Pact,? The Boston Globe, 11/21/93)
Now, Kerry Expresses Doubt About NAFTA. ?Kerry, who voted for NAFTA in 1993, expressed some doubt about the strength of free-trade agreements. ?If it were before me today, I would vote against it because it doesn?t have environmental or labor standards in it,? he said.? (David Lightman, ?Democrats Battle For Labor?s Backing,? Hartford Courant, 8/6/03)
Flip-Flopped On Double Taxation Of Dividends
December 2002: Kerry Favored Ending Double Taxation Of Dividends. ?[T]o encourage investments in the jobs of the future - I think we should eliminate the tax on capital gains for investments in critical technology companies - zero capital gains on $100 million issuance of stock if it?s held for 5 years and has created real jobs. And we should attempt to end the double taxation of dividends.? (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At The City Club Of Cleveland, 12/3/02)
May 2003: Kerry Said He Opposed Ending Double Taxation Of Dividends. ?Kerry also reiterated his opposition to the Republican plan to cut taxes on stock dividends. ?This is not the time for a dividends tax cut that goes to individuals,? he said.? (?Kerry Says Time Is On Dems? Side,? The Associated Press, 5/8/03)
Flip-Flopped On Raising Taxes During Economic Downturn
September 2001: Said Should Not Raise Taxes In Economic Downturn. ?The first priority is the economy of our nation. And when you have a downturn in the economy, the last thing you do is raise taxes or cut spending. We shouldn?t do either. We need to maintain a course that hopefully will stimulate the economy. . . . No, we should not raise taxes, but we have to put everything on the table to take a look at why we have this structural problem today. . . .[Y]ou don?t want to raise taxes.? (NBC?s ?Meet The Press,? 9/2/01)
We Should ?Absolutely Not Raise Taxes.? ?Well, I think it?s very clear what I favor because we voted for it early in the spring, which was the Democratic budget alternative that had triggers in it where you didn?t wind up spending money you don?t have. It had a smaller tax cut but more tax cut for a stimulus, which is what we need. So you ask me, what do we need now? Yes, we need additional stimulus. We should absolutely not raise taxes. We should not cut spending. What we need to do is drive the economy of this country. The economy is the number one issue. It is the most important thing we should focus on.? (CNN?s ?Evans, Novak, Hunt & Shields,? 9/8/01)
April 2002: Said He Wanted Larger Tax Cut And Was ?Not In Favor Of? Repeal. CNN?s TUCKER CARLSON: ?Senator Kerry . . . [many Democrats] [g]et a lot of political mileage out of criticizing [President Bush?s tax cut], but nobody has the courage to say repeal it. Are you for repealing it?? KERRY: ?It?s not a question of courage. . . . And it?s not an issue right now. We passed appropriately a tax cut as a stimulus, some $40 billion. Many of us thought it should have even maybe been a little bit larger this last year ? [T]he next tax cut doesn?t take effect until 2004. If we can grow the economy enough between now and then, if we have sensible policies in place and make good choices, who knows what our choices will be. So it?s simply not a ripe issue right now. And I?m not in favor of turning around today and repealing it.? (CNN?s ?Crossfire,? 4/16/02)
December 2002: Flip-Flopped, Would Keep Tax Cuts From Taking Effect. NBC?s TIM RUSSERT: ?Senator . . . should we freeze or roll back the Bush tax cut?? KERRY: ?Well, I wouldn?t take away from people who?ve already been given their tax cut ? What I would not do is give any new Bush tax cuts.? ? RUSSERT: ?So the tax cut that?s scheduled to be implemented in the coming years ?? KERRY: ?No new tax cut under the Bush plan. . . . It doesn?t make economic sense.? ? RUSSERT: ?Now, this is a change ?? (NBC?s ?Meet The Press,? 12/1/02)
Called For Freeze Of Bush Tax Cuts In Favor Of Year-Long Suspension Of Payroll Taxes On First $10,000 Of Personal Income. ?Kerry said Bush?s tax cuts have mainly benefited the rich while doing little for the economy. Kerry is proposing to halt Bush?s additional tax cuts and instead impose a yearlong suspension of payroll taxes on the first $10,000 of income to help the poor and middle class.? (Tyler Bridges, ?Kerry Visits Miami To Start Raising Funds,? The Miami Herald, 12/7/02)
Flip-Flopped On Small Business Income Taxes
Kerry Voted Against Exempting Small Businesses And Family Farms From Clinton Income Tax Increase. (S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #79: Motion Agreed To 54-45: R 0-43; D 54-2, 3/25/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
Three Months Later, Kerry Voted In Favor Of Proposal To Exclude Small Businesses From The Increased Income Tax. (S. 1134, CQ Vote #171: Motion Rejected 56-42: R 43-0; D 13-42, 6/24/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
Kerry Claimed He Fought To Exempt Small Businesses From Income Tax Increases. ?I worked to amend the reconciliation bill so that it would ? exempt small businesses who are classified as subchapter S corporations from the increased individual income tax.? (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 6/29/93, p. S 8268)
Kerry Flip-Flopped On 50-Cent Gas Tax Increase
In 1994, Kerry Backed Half-Dollar Increase In Gas Tax. ?Kerry said [the Concord Coalition?s scorecard] did not accurately reflect individual lawmakers? efforts to cut the deficit. ?It doesn?t reflect my $43 billion package of cuts or my support for a 50-cent increase in the gas tax,? Kerry said.? (Jill Zuckman, ?Deficit-Watch Group Gives High Marks To 7 N.E. Lawmakers,? The Boston Globe, 3/1/94)
Two Years Later, Kerry Flip-Flopped. ?Kerry no longer supports the 50-cent [gas tax] hike, nor the 25-cent hike proposed by the [Concord] coalition.? (Michael Grunwald, ?Kerry Gets Low Mark On Budgeting,? The Boston Globe, 4/30/96)
Flip-Flopped On Leaving Abortion Up To States
Kerry Used To Say Abortion Should Be Left Up To States. ?I think the question of abortion is one that should be left for the states to decide,? Kerry said during his failed 1972 Congressional bid. (?John Kerry On The Issues,? The [Lowell, MA] Sun, 10/11/72)
Now Kerry Says Abortion Is Law Of Entire Nation. ?The right to choose is the law of the United States. No person has the right to infringe on that freedom. Those of us who are in government have a special responsibility to see to it that the United States continues to protect this right, as it must protect all rights secured by the constitution.? (Sen. John Kerry [D-MA], Congressional Record, 1/22/85)
Flip-Flopped On Litmus Tests For Judicial Nominees
Kerry Used To Oppose Litmus Tests For Judicial Nominees. ?Throughout two centuries, our federal judiciary has been a model institution, one which has insisted on the highest standards of conduct by our public servants and officials, and which has survived with undiminished respect. Today, I fear that this institution is threatened in a way that we have not seen before. ? This threat is that of the appointment of a judiciary which is not independent, but narrowly ideological, through the systematic targeting of any judicial nominee who does not meet the rigid requirements of litmus tests imposed ?? (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 2/3/86, p. S864)
But Now Kerry Says He Would Only Support Supreme Court Nominees Who Pledge To Uphold Roe v. Wade. ?The potential retirement of Supreme Court justices makes the 2004 presidential election especially important for women, Senator John F. Kerry told a group of female Democrats yesterday, and he pledged that if elected president he would nominate to the high court only supporters of abortion rights under its Roe v. Wade decision. ? ?Any president ought to appoint people to the Supreme Court who understand the Constitution and its interpretation by the Supreme Court. In my judgment, it is and has been settled law that women, Americans, have a defined right of privacy and that the government does not make the decision with respect to choice. Individuals do.?? (Glen Johnson, ?Kerry Vows Court Picks To Be Abortion-Rights Supporters,? The Boston Globe, 4/9/03)
Flip-Flopped On Federal Health Benefits
In 1993, Kerry Expressed Doubts That Federal Employees Health Benefits System Worked Well. ?Hillary Rodham Clinton today offered a fresh description of one of the most confusing elements of the Administration health care plan, the health insurance purchasing alliances, saying they would let all Americans choose coverage in the way members of Congress do. ? Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, said he was not sure that the Federal program worked all that well.? (Adam Clymer, ?Hillary Clinton Says Health Plan Will Be Familiar,? The New York Times, 12/8/93)
Kerry Expressed Personal Dissatisfaction With His Coverage Through Federal Program. ?Earlier this month, when Hillary Rodham Clinton came to Boston and vowed that average Americans would get as good coverage as that enjoyed by their senators and representatives, Sen. John F. Kerry told Clinton that he thought the country could do better. The Massachusetts Democrat said he was thinking, among other recent disasters, of his $500 dental bill for treatment of an abscessed tooth. ?Because it was done in the dentist?s office, rather than the hospital, they didn?t cover it. So they were urging me to go spend twice as much in a hospital,? said Kerry, who is covered by BACE, the Beneficial Association of Capitol Employees.? (Ana Puga, ?Lawmakers Talk Health Care,? The Boston Globe, 12/19/93)
Now, On Campaign Trail, Kerry Is Enthusiastic About Health Care He Receives As Senator. ?As a U.S. Senator, I could get the best health care in the world. Most people aren?t so lucky, and we need to change that. That?s why my plan gives every American access to the same kind of health care that members of Congress give themselves. ? Because your family?s health care is just as important as any politicians? in Washington.? (Sen. John Kerry, ?Affordable Health Care For All Americans,? Remarks At Mercy Medical, Cedar Rapids, IA, 12/14/03)
Kerry: ?I?m Going To Make Available To Every American The Same Health Care Plan That Senators And Congressmen Give Themselves ?? (Sen. John Kerry, AARP Democrat Candidate Debate, Bedford, NH, 11/18/03)
Flip-Flopped On Tax Credits For Small Business Health
In 2001, Kerry Voted Against Amendment Providing $70 Billion For Tax Credits For Small Business To Purchase Health Insurance. (H. Con. Res. 83, CQ Vote #83: Rejected 49-51: R 48-2; D 1-49, 4/5/01, Kerry Voted Nay)
Now, Kerry Promises Refundable Tax Credits To Small Businesses For Health Coverage. ?Refundable tax credits for up to 50 percent of the cost of coverage will be offered to small businesses and their employees to make health care more affordable.? (?John Kerry?s Plan To Make Health Care Affordable To Every American,? John Kerry For President Website, www.johnkerry.com, Accessed 1/21/04)
Flip-Flopped On Health Coverage
In 1994, Kerry Said Democrats Push Health Care Too Much. ?[Kerry] said Kennedy and Clinton?s insistence on pushing health care reform was a major cause of the Democratic Party?s problems at the polls.? (Joe Battenfeld, ?Jenny Craig Hit With Sex Harassment Complaint - By Men,? Boston Herald, 11/30/94)
But Now Kerry Calls Health Care His ?Passion.? ?Sen. John Kerry says expanding coverage is ?my passion.?? (Susan Page, ?Health Specifics Could Backfire On Candidates,? USA Today, 6/2/03)
Flip-Flopped On Welfare Reform
In 1993, Kerry Voted To Kill Bipartisan Welfare Work Requirement. In 1993, Kerry and Kennedy voted against a welfare-to-work requirement that was supported by many Democrats, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Harry Reid (D-NV):
Fiscal 1993 Supplemental Appropriations - Welfare Work Requirement. ?Moynihan, D-N.Y., motion to table (kill) the D?Amato, R-N.Y., amendment to sharply cut federal welfare administration aid to states that do not, within a year, require at least 10 percent of their able-bodied welfare recipients without dependents to work. The required workfare participation rate would be increased by 2 percent a year until 50 percent were working.? (H.R. 2118, CQ Vote #163: Rejected 34-64: R 1-42; D 33-22, 6/22/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
But In 1996, Kerry Voted For Welfare Reform. (H.R. 3734, CQ Vote #262: Adopted 78-21: R 53-0; D 25-21, 8/1/96, Kerry Voted Yea)
Flip-Flops On Stock Options Expensing
Kerry Used To Oppose Expensing Stock Options. ?Democratic Senator John F. Kerry was among those fighting expensing of stock options.? (Sue Kirchhoff, ?Senate Blocks Options,? The Boston Globe, 7/16/02)
Kerry Said Expensing Options Would Not ?Benefit The Investing Public.? KERRY: ?Mr. President, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ? has proposed a rule that will require companies to amortize the value of stock options and deduct them off of their earnings statements ? I simply cannot see how the FASB rule, as proposed, will benefit the investing public.? (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 3/10/94, p. S2772)
But Now Kerry Says He Supports Carrying Of Stock Options As Corporate Expense. ?On an issue related to corporate scandals, Kerry for the first time endorsed the carrying of stock options as a corporate expense. The use of stock options was abused by some companies and contributed to overly optimistic balance sheets. Kerry applauded steps by Microsoft Corp. to eliminate stock options for employees and said all publicly traded companies should be required to expense such options.? (Dan Balz, ?Kerry Raps Bush Policy On Postwar Iraq,? The Washington Post, 7/11/03)
Flip-Flopped On Medical Marijuana
Kerry Said His ?Personal Disposition Is Open To The Issue Of Medical Marijuana.? ?Aaron Houston of the Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana said that just a month ago Mr. Kerry seemed to endorse medical marijuana use, and when asked about the content of his mysterious study, said, ?I am trying to find out. I don?t know.? Mr. Kerry did say his ?personal disposition is open to the issue of medical marijuana? and that he?d stop Drug Enforcement Administration raids on patients using the stuff under California?s medical marijuana law.? (Jennifer Harper, ?Inside Politics,? The Washington Times, 8/8/03)
But Now Kerry Says He Wants To Wait For Study Analyzing Issue Before Making Final Decision. ?The Massachusetts Democrat said Wednesday he?d put off any final decision on medical marijuana because there?s ?a study under way analyzing what the science is.?? (Jennifer Harper, ?Inside Politics,? The Washington Times, 8/8/03)
Flip-Flopped On Burma Sanctions
In 1995, Kerry Was Against Burma Sanctions. ??I question whether isolation is a successful means of promoting political change,? Kerry told a constituent in a 1995 letter justifying his opposition to a Burma sanction bill.? (Geeta Anand, et al., ?Menino Gets Ahead Of Himself, Starts Contemplating Third Term,? The Boston Globe, 5/18/97)
But Now Kerry Supports Burma Sanctions. ?In his 1996 reelection campaign, Kerry, after Governor William F. Weld took up the cause, was badgered by advisers into shifting his position. But as he eyes a presidential campaign and the Burma sanction movement gains credibility, Kerry ? describes the Burma regime as a ?semi-criminalized dictatorship ? which should not be treated with respect by other nations, but should be instead subject to limitations on travel, investment, and access to the most developed nations.?? (Geeta Anand, et al., ?Menino Gets Ahead Of Himself, Starts Contemplating Third Term,? The Boston Globe, 5/18/97)
Flip-Flopped On Military Experience As Credential For Public Office
Kerry: Service Should Not Be ?Litmus Test? For Leadership. ?Mr. President, you and I know that if support or opposition to the war were to become a litmus test for leadership, America would never have leaders or recover from the divisions created by that war. You and I know that if service or nonservice in the war is to become a test of qualification for high office, you would not have a Vice President, nor would you have a Secretary of Defense and our Nation would never recover from the divisions created by that war.? (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 10/08/92, p. S17709)
But Now Kerry Constantly ?Challenges The Stature Of His Democratic Opponents? Over Their Lack Of Military Service. ?And more than ever, Mr. Kerry is invoking his stature as a Vietnam veteran as he challenges the stature of his Democratic opponents -- none of whom, he frequently points out, have ?worn the uniform of our country? -- to withstand a debate with Mr. Bush on national security.? (Adam Nagourney, ?As Campaign Tightens, Kerry Sharpens Message,? The New York Times, 8/10/03)
Flip-Flopped On PACs
Kerry Used To Decry ?Special Interests And Their PAC Money.? ??I?m frequently told by cynics in Washington that refusing PAC money is naive,? Kerry told his supporters in 1985. ?Do you agree that it is ?naﶥ? to turn down special interests and their PAC money??? (Glen Johnson, ?In A Switch, Kerry Is Launching A PAC,? The Boston Globe, 12/15/01)
But Now, Kerry Has Established His Own PAC. ?A week after repeating that he has refused to accept donations from political action committees, Senator John F. Kerry announced yesterday that he was forming a committee that would accept PAC money for him to distribute to other Democratic candidates. ? Kerry?s stance on soft money, unregulated donations funneled through political parties, puts him in the position of raising the type of money that he, McCain, and others in the campaign-finance reform movement are trying to eliminate.? (Glen Johnson, ?In A Switch, Kerry Is Launching A PAC,? The Boston Globe, 12/15/01)
Flip-Flopped On $10,000 Donation Limit To His PAC
When Kerry Established His PAC In 2001, He Instituted A $10,000 Limit On Donations. ?A week after repeating that he has refused to accept donations from political action committees, Senator John F. Kerry announced yesterday that he was forming a committee that would accept PAC money for him to distribute to other Democratic candidates ? The statement also declared that the new PAC would voluntarily limit donations of so-called soft money to $10,000 per donor per year and disclose the source and amount of all such donations.? (Glen Johnson, ?In A Switch, Kerry Is Launching A Pac,? The Boston Globe, 12/15/01)
One Year Later, Kerry Started Accepting Unlimited Contributions. ?Senator John F. Kerry, who broke with personal precedent last year when he established his first political action committee, has changed his fund-raising guidelines again, dropping a $10,000 limit on contributions from individuals, a cap he had touted when establishing the PAC. The Massachusetts Democrat said yesterday he decided to accept unlimited contributions, which has already allowed him to take in ?soft money? donations as large as $25,000, because of the unprecedented fund-raising demands confronting him as a leader in the Senate Democratic caucus.? (Glen Johnson, ?Kerry Shifts Fund-Raising Credo For His Own PAC,? The Boston Globe, 10/4/02)
Flip-Flopped On Using Personal Funds In 1996 Race
In 1996, Kerry And Weld Established $500,000 Limit Of Personal Wealth To Be Used In Senate Campaign. ?In 1996, Kerry and Weld gave their already noteworthy Senate race added significance by establishing a spending cap. The candidates agreed to spend no more than $6.9 million from July 1 through the election. Weld ended up spending $6.6 million and Kerry $6.3 million. One key element of the agreement limited the candidates to spending $500,000 in personal wealth, a clause Weld favored because Kerry is married to a millionaire, Teresa Heinz.? (Glen Johnson, ?In Kerry?s Plan For A Pac, The Resolution Of Opposites,? The Boston Globe, 12/18/01)
Kerry Broke Agreement By Spending $1.2 Million Over Limit. ?[P]ost-election reports showed a last-minute infusion of $1.7 million from Kerry?s wife, heiress Teresa Heinz. ? [K]erry denied that his campaign violated its agreement. The money had been loaned--not contributed--by his wife, he explained. ?There was nothing in the agreement that restricted us from taking a loan ? and we paid it back in $1,000 and $2,000 chunks.?? (?Global Ecology Lobby Rocked By Defection,? Political Finance, The Newsletter, 1/02)
Flip-Flopped On Israel Security Fence
October 2003: Kerry Calls Fence ?Barrier To Peace.? ?And I know how disheartened Palestinians are by the Israeli government?s decision to build a barrier off the green line, cutting deeply into Palestinian areas. We do not need another barrier to peace. Provocative and counterproductive measures only harm Israel?s security over the long- term, they increase hardships to the Palestinian people, and they make the process of negotiating an eventual settlement that much harder.? (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks Before Arab American Institute National Leadership Conference, Dearborn, MI, 10/17/03)
February 2004: Kerry Calls Fence ?Legitimate Act Of Self-Defense.? ?US Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the frontrunner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, described Israel?s construction of a security barrier as a ?legitimate act of self defense? after Sunday?s suicide bombing in Jerusalem, clarifying a position he took in October when he told an Arab American audience, ?We don?t need another barrier to peace.?? (Janine Zacharia, ?Kerry Defends Security Fence,? The Jerusalem Post, 2/25/04)
Flip-Flop-Flipped On Ballistic Missile Defense
Kerry Called For Cancellation Of Missile Defense Systems In 1984 And Has Voted Against Funding For Missile Defense At Least 53 Times Between 1985 And 2000. (?John Kerry On The Defense Budget,? Campaign Position Paper, John Kerry For U.S. Senate, 1984; S. 1160, CQ Vote #99: Rejected 21-78: R 2-50; D 19-28, 6/4/85, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1160, CQ Vote #100: Rejected 38-57: R 6-45; D 32-12, 6/4/85, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1160, CQ Vote #101: Rejected 36-59: R 1-49; D 35-10, 6/4/85, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1160, CQ Vote #103: Rejected 33-62: R 28-22; D 5-40, 6/4/85, Kerry Voted Nay; H.J. Res. 465, CQ Vote #365: Motion Agreed To 64-32: R 49-2; D 15-30, 12/10/85, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 4515, CQ Vote #122: Ruled Non-Germane 45-47: R 7-42; D 38-5, 6/6/86, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2638, CQ Vote #176: Motion Agreed To 50-49: R 41-11; D 9-38, 8/5/86, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2638, CQ Vote #177: Rejected 49-50: R 10-42; D 39-8, 8/5/86, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1174, CQ Vote #248: Motion Agreed To 58-38: R 8-37; D 50-1, 9/17/87, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1174, CQ Vote #259: Motion Agreed To 51-50: R 37-9; D 13-41, With Vice President Bush Casting An ? Yea ? Vote, 9/22/87, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2355, CQ Vote #124: Motion Agreed To 66-29: R 38-6; D 28-23, 5/11/88, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2355, CQ Vote #125: Motion Agreed To 50-46: R 38-7; D 12-39, 5/11/88, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2355, CQ Vote #126: Motion Rejected 47-50: R 38-6; D 9-44, 5/11/88, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2355, CQ Vote #128: Motion Rejected 48-50: R 6-39; D 42-11, 5/11/88, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2355, CQ Vote #136: Motion Agreed To 56-37: R 9-34; D 47-3, 5/13/88, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2355, CQ Vote #137: Motion Agreed To 51-43: R 38-5; D 13-38, 5/13/88, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 4264, CQ Vote #251: Motion Rejected 35-58: R 35-9; D 0-49, 7/14/88, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 4781, CQ Vote #296: Motion Agreed To 50-44: R 5-39; D 45-5, 8/5/88, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1352, CQ Vote #148: Motion Agreed To 50-47: R 37-6; D 13-41, 7/27/89, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 3072, CQ Vote #202: Rejected 34-66: R 27-18; D 7-48, 9/26/89, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 3072, CQ Vote #213: Adopted 53-47: R 39-6; D 14-41, 9/28/89, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2884, CQ Vote #223: Adopted 54-44: R 2-42; D 52-2, 8/4/90, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2884, CQ Vote #225: Motion Agreed To 56-41: R 39-4; D 17-37, 8/4/90, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2884, CQ Vote #226: Motion Agreed To 54-43: R 37-6; D 17-37, 8/4/90, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 3189, CQ Vote #273: Passed 79-16: R 37-5; D 42-11, 10/15/90, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 5803, CQ Vote #319: Adopted 80-17: R 37-6; D 43-11, 10/26/90, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 4739, CQ Vote #320: Adopted 80-17: R 37-6; D 43-11, 10/26/90, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1507, CQ Vote #168: Rejected 39-60: R 4-39; D 35-21, 7/31/91, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1507, CQ Vote #171: Motion Agreed To 60-38: R 40-3; D 20-35, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1507, CQ Vote #172: Motion Agreed To 64-34: R 39-4; D 25-30, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1507, CQ Vote #173: Rejected 46-52: R 5-38; D 41-14, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 2521, CQ Vote #207: Motion Agreed To 50-49: R 38-5; D 12-44, 9/25/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2403, CQ Vote #85: Adopted 61-38: R 7-36; D 54-2, 5/6/92, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 4990, CQ Vote #108: Adopted 90-9: R 34-9; D 56-0, 5/21/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 3114, CQ Vote #182: Motion Rejected 43-49: R 34-5; D 9-44, 8/7/92, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 3114, CQ Vote #214: Rejected 48-50: R 5-38; D 43-12, 9/17/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 3114, CQ Vote #215: Adopted 52-46: R 39-4; D 13-42, 9/17/92, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 5504, CQ Vote #228: Adopted 89-4: R 36-4; D 53-0, 9/22/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1298, CQ Vote #251: Adopted 50-48: R 6-36; D 44-12, 9/9/93, Kerry Voted Yea; S. Con. Res. 63, CQ Vote #64: Rejected 40-59: R 2-42; D 38-17, 3/22/94, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1026, CQ Vote #354: Motion Agreed To 51-48: R 47-6; D 4-42, 8/3/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1087, CQ Vote #384: Rejected 45-54: R 5-49; D 40-5, 8/10/95, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1087, CQ Vote #397: Passed 62-35: R 48-4; D 14-31, 9/5/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 1530, CQ Vote #399: Passed 64-34: R 50-3; D 14-31, 9/6/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 2126, CQ Vote #579: Adopted 59-39: R 48-5; D 11-34, 11/16/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 1530, CQ Vote #608: Adopted 51-43: R 47-2; D 4-41, 12/19/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1635, CQ Vote #157: Rejected 53-46: R 52-0; D 1-46, 6/4/96, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1745, CQ Vote #160: Rejected 44-53: R 4-49; D 40-4, 6/19/96, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1745, CQ Vote #187: Passed 68-31: R 50-2; D 18-29, 7/10/96, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 936, CQ Vote #171: Rejected 43-56: R 2-53; D 41-3, 7/11/97, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1873, CQ Vote #131: Motion Rejected 59-41: R 55-0; D 4-41, 5/13/98, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1873, CQ Vote #262: Motion Rejected 59-41: R 55-0; D 4-41, 9/9/98, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2549, CQ Vote #178: Motion Agreed To 52-48: R 52-3; D 0-45, 7/13/00, Kerry Voted Nay)
Kerry Then Claimed To Support Missile Defense. ?I support the development of an effective defense against ballistic missiles that is deployed with maximum transparency and consultation with U.S. allies and other major powers. If there is a real potential of a rogue nation firing missiles at any city in the United States, responsible leadership requires that we make our best, most thoughtful efforts to defend against that threat. The same is true of accidental launch. If it were to happen, no leader could ever explain not having chosen to defend against the disaster when doing so made sense.? (Peace Action Website, ?Where Do The Candidates Stand On Foreign Policy?? http://www.peace-action.org/2004/Kerry.html, Accessed 3/10/04)
Now Kerry Campaign Says He Will Defund Missile Defense. FOX NEWS? MAJOR GARRETT: ?Kerry would not say how much all of this would cost. A top military adviser said the Massachusetts Senator would pay for some of it by stopping all funds to deploy a national ballistic missile defense system, one that Kerry doesn?t believe will work.? KERRY ADVISOR RAND BEERS: ?He would not go forward at this time because there is not a proof of concept.? (Fox News? ?Special Report,? 3/17/03)
Flip-Flopped On 1991 Iraq War Coalition
At The Time, Kerry Questioned Strength Of 1991 Coalition. ?I keep hearing from people, ?Well, the coalition is fragile, it won?t stay together,? and my response to that is, if the coalition is so fragile, then what are the vital interests and what is it that compels us to risk our young American?s lives if the others aren?t willing to stay the ? course of peace? ? I voted against the president, I?m convinced we?re doing this the wrong way ?? (CBS? ?This Morning,? 1/16/91)
Now Kerry Has Nothing But Praise For 1991 Coalition. SEN. JOHN KERRY: ?In my speech on the floor of the Senate I made it clear, you are strongest when you act with other nations. All presidents, historically, his father, George Herbert Walker Bush, did a brilliant job of building a legitimate coalition and even got other people to help pay for the war.? (NBC?s ?Meet The Press,? 1/11/04)
Flip-Flopped On View Of War On Terror
Kerry Said War On Terror Is ?Basically A Manhunt.? ?Kerry was asked about Bush?s weekend appearance on ?Meet the Press? when he called himself a ?war president.? The senator, who watched the session, remarked: ?The war on terrorism is a very different war from the way the president is trying to sell it to us. It?s a serious challenge, and it is a war of sorts, but it is not the kind of war they?re trying to market to America.? Kerry characterized the war on terror as predominantly an intelligence-gathering and law enforcement operation. ?It?s basically a manhunt,? he said. ?You gotta know who they are, where they are, what they?re planning, and you gotta be able to go get ?em before they get us.?? (Katherine M. Skiba, ?Bush, Kerry Turn Focus To Each Other,? Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2/13/04)
Two Weeks Later, Kerry Flip-Flopped, Saying War On Terror Is More Than ?A Manhunt?. ?This war isn?t just a manhunt ? a checklist of names from a deck of cards. In it, we do not face just one man or one terrorist group. We face a global jihadist movement of many groups, from different sources, with separate agendas, but all committed to assaulting the United States and free and open societies around the globe.? (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At University Of California At Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 2/27/04)
Flip-Flopped On Funding For Our Troops In Iraq
Kerry Pledged To Fund Reconstruction With ?Whatever Number? Of Dollars It Took. NBC?S TIM RUSSERT: ?Do you believe that we should reduce funding that we are now providing for the operation in Iraq?? SEN. JOHN KERRY: ?No. I think we should increase it.? RUSSERT: ?Increase funding?? KERRY: ?Yes.? RUSSERT: ?By how much?? KERRY: ?By whatever number of billions of dollars it takes to win. It is critical that the United States of America be successful in Iraq, Tim.? (NBC?s ?Meet The Press,? 8/31/03)
Then Kerry Voted Against Senate Passage Of Iraq/Afghanistan Reconstruction Package. ?Passage of the bill that would appropriate $86.5 billion in fiscal 2004 supplemental spending for military operations and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill would provide $10.3 billion as a grant to rebuild Iraq, including $5.1 billion for security and $5.2 billion for reconstruction costs. It also would provide $10 billion as a loan that would be converted to a grant if 90 percent of all bilateral debt incurred by the former Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein has been forgiven by other countries. Separate provisions limit reconstruction aid to $18.4 billion. It also would provide approximately $65.6 billion for military operations and maintenance and $1.3 billion for veterans medical care.? (S. 1689, CQ Vote #400: Passed 87-12: R 50-0; D 37-11; I 0-1, 10/17/03, Kerry Voted Nay)
Kerry Later Claimed: ?I Actually Did Vote For The $87 Billion Before I Voted Against It.? (Glen Johnson, ?Kerry Blasts Bush On Protecting Troops,? The Boston Globe, 3/17/04)
Flip-Flopped On Tapping Strategic Petroleum Reserve
In February 2000, Kerry Said Release Of Oil From Strategic Petroleum Reserve Would Not Be ?Relevant.? ?Without being specific, Kerry, a key member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, suggested the US could retaliate economically in other trade areas. He also said he does not want a release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. A release ?is not relevant. It would take months for the oil to get to the market,? he said.? (Cathy Landry, ?US Energy Chief Warns Of Gasoline Crisis,? Platt?s Oilgram News, 2/17/00)
Now, In March 2004, Kerry Called For Stop In Filling Strategic Petroleum Reserve To Reduce Prices. ?Kerry would pressure oil-producing nations to increase production and temporarily suspend filling the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, according to campaign documents. ... ?The Bush administration has put the SPR fill program on automatic pilot without regard to the short-term effect on the US market,? the campaign documents said. ?The program needs better management ... Kerry would temporarily suspend filling SPR until oil prices return to normal levels.?? (Patricia Wilson, ?Kerry To Offer Plan To Reduce Record Gasoline Prices,? Reuters, 3/29/04)
Flip Flopped On Internet Taxation
In 1998, Kerry Voted To Allow States To Continue Taxing Internet Access After Moratorium Took Effect. Kerry voted against tabling an amendment that would extend the moratorium from two years to three years and allow states that currently impose taxes on Internet access to continue doing so after the moratorium takes effect. (S. 442, CQ Vote #306: Motion Rejected 28-69: R 27-27; D 1-42, 10/7/98, Kerry Voted Nay)
In 2001, Kerry Voted To Extend Internet Tax Moratorium Until 2005 And Allow States To Form Uniform Internet Tax System With Approval Of Congress. (H.R. 1552, CQ Vote #341: Motion Agreed To 57-43: R 35-14; D 22-28; I 0-1, 11/15/01, Kerry Voted Nay)
Kerry Said ?We Do Not Support Any Tax On The Internet Itself.? ?We do not support any tax on the Internet itself. We don?t support access taxes. We don?t support content taxes. We don?t support discriminatory taxes. Many of us would like to see a permanent moratorium on all of those kinds of taxes. At the same time, a lot of us were caught in a place where we thought it important to send the message that we have to get back to the table in order to come to a consensus as to how we equalize the economic playing field in the United States in a way that is fair.? (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 11/15/01, p. S11902)
The choice is really simple. I am not voting for myself - I am voting for my children - and George W. Bush has the best intrest of my children at hand!!!
Posted by: Earl at September 27, 2004 08:23 AM
Sorry for all the ? in the wrong places - there is a problem with my CPU - It get's very confused with any information concerning John Kerry - Just like the American Public!! - Just remember if you are a Kerry supporter - after November when George W. Bush has won - You can always say you voted for Kerry before you voted against him!!
Posted by: Earl at September 27, 2004 08:59 AM
Earl, it very strange that your postings seem like that of Conservatism... hmmm.....
I am very suprised and delighted that Senator Kerry has taken the South by Storm. The first time since May 04, Kerry is trailing GW JR by one point in Georgia according to the latest Rasmussen poll released Sept 23rd. I am also very happy to see that Louisana, Mississippi, South and North Carolina are for once all within a 10 point margin for Senator Kerry as reported by Rasmussed and American Research Polls. I have fought very hard for the South. This has restored my faith in the Soutern Americans (we are still the best people). Now, if Texas is ever within a 10 point margin, I will pass out. Also GW JR and Cheney are fighting very hard for Nevada. They are now claiming that the Democratic Party has signed up more new voters than the Republicans and are trying to call foul play. This will be the largest Election turnout in American History. No Cheating Allowed.
Vote: Kerry/Edwards 2004 We Can Do It!
Posted by: d. jones at September 27, 2004 11:34 AM
Earl,
Thanks for the post. Of course you can expect all the John Kerry supporters to ignore everything you said and return to the rhetoric. That's the way of these blogs. Nobody wants facts, they just want to believe that George Bush needs to be defeated and they are willing to believe anything to back that up.
Posted by: Jim Rodkey at September 27, 2004 12:05 PM
The debates are overrated. If there is not memorable "soundbite" for the pundits to digest and split into a thousand hairs, then it will all be a lot smoke and mirrors (does anyone remember anything significant from the 00 debates except for Gore shaking his head?????)
Posted by: Jack at September 27, 2004 12:45 PM
Jones,
Did it occur to you that they sound alike because they've read the facts and are reporting them as they are? Did it occur to you that they might sound alike because when you tell the truth, instead of depending on allegations and suppositions you are going to tell the same story, unlike most of your posts which are riddled with errors. Only the truth remains consistant, lies must be supported by more lies which will eventually contradict, sort of like John Kerry's voting record and the promises he's making to gullible American's who believe him.
Posted by: Jim Rodkey at September 27, 2004 01:30 PM
EARL
I AM ON YOUR SIDE SOLID, BUT THE BUST I COULD DO WAS COUNT THE NUMBER OF TIME YOU WROTE FLIP FLOP. YOU HAD ME AT SEVEN, HA HA. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. VOTE BUSH KEEP THIS COUNTRY SAFE.
Posted by: BRUCE EICHENBERG at September 27, 2004 01:41 PM
Kerry is at it again. Today in Wisconsin he told voters that George Bush has another SECRET PLAN to hurt Dairy Farmers. How does this guy get away with this and why isn't more of the media covering this current aspect of Kerry's scare tactics to become president? Are we supposed to belive that John Kerry is some sort of supernatural force like the John Edwards of Crossing Over fame. He has more insights into the Bush secret plans, telling voters Bush is going to increase the number of active Guards in Iraq, proven flase by Bush policy, Bush is secretly planning to re-instate the draft when it's really a democratic proposal and now the secret plan to hurt Diary Farmers. Get a life Kerry. There are no secret plans that only you know of, stopp trying to scare voters to you because you have no real policy. You've seen what George Bush is doing and you can't truthfully fault the plans so now you tell us he has something sinister up his sleeves that only you know about, something that is different from what he's been doing all along. John Kerry, you're a joke!!!!
Posted by: Jim Rodkey at September 27, 2004 04:30 PM
d. jones
Are you looking at polls from Mars?
Here are the polls from Georgia: Bush is ahead by 20 points!! It isn't even a battleground or swing state. Why do you invent things?
Presidential Race
Poll | Date Sample MoE Bush Kerry Nader Spread
SUSA | 9/13-9/15 658 RV 3.9 58 38 - Bush +20
ARG | 9/11-9/13 600 LV 4.0 53 42 - Bush +11
Strategic Vision*| 9/11-9/13 801 RV 3.0 58 35 1 Bush +23
Strategic Vision*| 8/27-8/29 801 RV 3.0 55 36 1 Bush +19
Rasmussen | 8/1-8/26 LV 4.0 53 42 - Bush +11
Strategic Vision*| 8/14-8/17 801 RV 3.0 54 38 1 Bush +16
Strategic Vision*| 7/30-8/2 801 RV 3.0 52 41 1 Bush +11
Rasmussen | 7/1-7/31 LV 4.0 53 42 - Bush +11
Rasmussen | 6/1-6/30 LV 4.0 52 41 - Bush +11
Rasmussen | 5/1-31 LV 4.0 51 39 - Bush +12
Posted by: Calamity Jane at September 27, 2004 04:31 PM
Isn't it funny how JM/d.jones has not responded to the same exact posts about me?
I knew you were a fraud and so is Kerry. This November you and Kerry can go back into your hole.
I can't wait for this Thursday for the first debate. Kerry is going down and he is taking all the idiots like you with him.
Posted by: Wayne at September 27, 2004 04:50 PM
I see d. jones is doing a great job getting people to change their vote to Kerry. Bush's numbers keep climbing on this forum.
Thank you d. jones and your "little" friends too! Please keep calling us names, lying and twisting facts.
I will make sure to mention this to Bush so he can send you a thank you note on Nov 3rd.
Posted by: Calamity Jane at September 27, 2004 05:03 PM
Earl - fantastic post! You really did your homework. I appreciate all the time and research that went into it. Unfortunately, the liberals on this site won't pay any attention to facts - as has been proven by d.jones already, he's putting faith in rhetoric and "polls" of "likely" voters, which apparently lead him to believe that Kerry might win some Southern states. Of course, if I were him, I wouldn't hold my breath, if I had an ounce of sense. He could, however, note that New York has been "red" here for over a week. Even though this poll is no more reliable or accurate than any of the others, the fact that it's New York is pretty amazing regardless. Anyway, thanks again Earl! Bush/Cheney '04
Posted by: Stephanie at September 27, 2004 06:27 PM
CALAMITY JANE
I THINK I LOVE YOU. YOU ARE SO RIGHT ON TARGET, I ONLY HAVE ACCESS TO 2 NON-WEB POLLS AND BUSH IS UP BY ATLEAST 4 AND 11. IF YOU HAVE THE AOL POLL THEY HAVE ALL 50 STATES GOING FOR BUSH. NOW I DON'T EXPECT THAT WILL HAPPEN BUT IT'S NICE.
AS FOR SOME PEOPLE HELPPING BY BEING SO NEGITIVE AND NASTY YOUR RIGHT AGAIN. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK.
Posted by: BRUCE EICHENBERG at September 27, 2004 08:49 PM
Calamity Jane,
You are incorrect. There was a poll that showed a difference of 1% point in Georgie, like it or not. Do I believe that Kerry is that close in Georgia? No. But it would be nice! I am eagerly awaiting the debate this week. I hope John Kerry does well. I think that the Presidential election is still a lot closer than you Redumblicans think.
Posted by: JM at September 27, 2004 09:28 PM
JM, I mean d.jones,
Still no response on being the same person, huh?
Posted by: Wayne at September 27, 2004 11:26 PM
JM
I have been watching the polls for quite some time and there is no way that Georgia is that close. Georgia is the state of Zell Miller. Do you honestly think that the people of Georgia would not back the person that one of their Sentors so heartily endorsed and was also their Governor for two terms. I think not.
Posted by: Calamity Jane at September 27, 2004 11:31 PM
Hey d.jones,
It seems either you are JM or you copied JM's remark. Which is it? Are you an idiot with no original thought, or an idiot who posts under two names?
Posted by: Wayne at September 27, 2004 11:32 PM
I thought the Georgia poll was a little to good to be true; however, part of the South remains within Senator Kerry's reach at a time when it never was before. I have always stated that if GW JR EVER had to fight at all for the south, he would lose this election. Calamity, you are a very sick, wicked little Republican. Here are recent poll numbers taken from the Republican polling site. You can stop the fake 10 digit lead. The RNC bounce is over!
Bush 50% - Kerry 45%
Battleground 09/23/04
Bush 49% - Kerry 43%
Time 09/23/04
Bush 45% - Kerry 43%
Fox News 09/22/04
Bush 49% - Kerry 41%
CBS News 09/22/04
Bush 49% - Kerry 49%
Democracy Corps 09/21/04
Posted by: d. jones at September 28, 2004 12:08 AM
Posted by: Stephanie at September 27, 2004 06:27 PM
Stephanie, are you that dumb? Look how long OHIO has been blue on this blog?? So What's your point about New York!
Vote: Kerry/Edwards 2004
Posted by: d. jones at September 28, 2004 12:12 AM
I will make sure to mention this to Bush so he can send you a thank you note on Nov 3rd.
Posted by: Calamity Jane at September 27, 2004 05:03 PM
Calamity, I hope you mention something to GW JR on his way to Iraq on November 3rd. "Like, Move your buns over Bushy Jr., I will be tagging along with ya!"
Vote: Kerry/Edwards 2004 Send Bushy To Iraq, Texas doesn't even want him anymore!
Posted by: d. jones at September 28, 2004 12:16 AM
I think Kerry has a chance of taking Georgia.
It's a known fact that Georgia has many dead people that can be easily registered to vote.
My only prayer is that when I die, I will not be forced to vote Democrat like so many unfortunate souls in Ohio.
It's sad. The democrats want our death tax, and afterwards, our vote.
Posted by: Rick Varnum at September 28, 2004 02:06 AM
Yes, it is true that there is a poll out there on the web that shows Bush is up by only 1 point in Georgia.
See http://rvhosting.com/poll
However, if you examine the page closely, the polling technique is a bit suspect.
Posted by: Rick Varnum at September 28, 2004 02:43 AM
Hmmmm...
John Edwards (of Crossing Over) should be hearing from the Kerry campaign any day now- mourners please omit flowers...
Posted by: Dave at September 28, 2004 02:54 AM
I am so sick of people calling John Kerry a flip-flopper. You people don't realize that these bills and such that he's supposedly flip-flopped on come loaded with extra cr** that they try to get passed, and during the process of refining bills nearly everyone ends up "flip-flopping" at one point or another, that is how legislation is formed. And I'm also growing tired of this game of taking Kerry's statments out of context.
I know that people are waking up but, we need more to listen and understand. We have a serious media problem in this country. Someone can blatantly lie, and it can be proven so... but the media will report it. Then when the facts become clear, and the administration still sticks to the lie (ie Iraq's ties to terrorism/9-11), the media doesn't bother to correct it. Wake up america. Think. Don't let the people with money hold us down and take advantage of us. THEY OWN THE MEDIA, are you blind? Do you not think for yourself? Can you not make your own decisions without being told whats what. Can you make any stance or argument without a pundit telling you the talking points? Do you listen without partisanship to what the candidates are actually talking about? Do you know anything of our nations history? Do you not realize that terrorism is caused by our arrogance? By us taking advatange of slave labor across the world? By supporting oppressive regimes to maintain that cheap labor. By preventing governments from rising up and taking OUR PROFITS away by making things fair?(ie Communism). Wake up america, we've been lied to for too long.
These crooks hate John Kerry, because he has always fought against the corruption... From protesting vietnam to uncovering money laundering. Haven't any of you heard of the Kerry Comission?
Has everyone forgotten whats happened the past 3 1/2 years?
From the beginning, George W. Bush has made his own credibility a central issue. On 10/11/00, then-Gov. Bush said: "I think credibility is important.It is going to be important for the president to be credible with Congress, important for the president to be credible with foreign nations." But President Bush's serial flip-flopping raises serious questions about whether Congress and foreign leaders can rely on what he says.
1. Social Security Surplus
BUSH PLEDGES NOT TO TOUCH SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS... "We're going to keep the promise of Social Security and keep the government from raiding the Social Security surplus." [President Bush, 3/3/01]
...BUSH SPENDS SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS The New York Times reported that "the president's new budget uses Social Security surpluses to pay for other programs every year through 2013, ultimately diverting more than $1.4 trillion in Social Security funds to other purposes." [The New York Times, 2/6/02]
2. Patient's Right to Sue
GOVERNOR BUSH VETOES PATIENTS' RIGHT TO SUE... "Despite his campaign rhetoric in favor of a patients' bill of rights, Bush fought such a bill tooth and nail as Texas governor, vetoing a bill coauthored by Republican state Rep. John Smithee in 1995. He... constantly opposed a patient's right to sue an HMO over coverage denied that resulted in adverse health effects." [Salon, 2/7/01]
...CANDIDATE BUSH PRAISES TEXAS PATIENTS' RIGHT TO SUE... "We're one of the first states that said you can sue an HMO for denying you proper coverage... It's time for our nation to come together and do what's right for the people. And I think this is right for the people. You know, I support a national patients' bill of rights, Mr. Vice President. And I want all people covered. I don't want the law to supersede good law like we've got in Texas." [Governor Bush, 10/17/00]
...PRESIDENT BUSH'S ADMINISTRATION ARGUES AGAINST RIGHT TO SUE "To let two Texas consumers, Juan Davila and Ruby R. Calad, sue their managed-care companies for wrongful denials of medical benefits ?would be to completely undermine' federal law regulating employee benefits, Assistant Solicitor General James A. Feldman said at oral argument March 23. Moreover, the administration's brief attacked the policy rationale for Texas's law, which is similar to statutes on the books in nine other states." [Washington Post, 4/5/04]
3. Tobacco Buyout
BUSH SUPPORTS CURRENT TOBACCO FARMERS' QUOTA SYSTEM... "They've got the quota system in place -- the allotment system -- and I don't think that needs to be changed." [President Bush, 5/04]
...BUSH ADMINISTRATION WILL SUPPORT FEDERAL BUYOUT OF TOBACCO QUOTAS "The administration is open to a buyout." [White House spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo, 6/18/04]
4. North Korea
BUSH WILL NOT OFFER NUCLEAR NORTH KOREA INCENTIVES TO DISARM... "We developed a bold approach under which, if the North addressed our long-standing concerns, the United States was prepared to take important steps that would have significantly improved the lives of the North Korean people. Now that North Korea's covert nuclear weapons program has come to light, we are unable to pursue this approach." [President's Statement, 11/15/02]
...BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFERS NORTH KOREA INCENTIVES TO DISARM"Well, we will work to take steps to ease their political and economic isolation. So there would be -- what you would see would be some provisional or temporary proposals that would only lead to lasting benefit after North Korea dismantles its nuclear programs. So there would be some provisional or temporary efforts of that nature." [White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, 6/23/04]
5. Abortion
BUSH SUPPORTS A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE... "Bush said he...favors leaving up to a woman and her doctor the abortion question." [The Nation, 6/15/00, quoting the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 5/78]
...BUSH OPPOSES A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE "I am pro-life." [Governor Bush, 10/3/00]
6. OPEC
BUSH PROMISES TO FORCE OPEC TO LOWER PRICES... "What I think the president ought to do [when gas prices spike] is he ought to get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots...And the president of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price." [President Bush, 1/26/00]
...BUSH REFUSES TO LOBBY OPEC LEADERS With gas prices soaring in the United States at the beginning of 2004, the Miami Herald reported the president refused to "personally lobby oil cartel leaders to change their minds." [Miami Herald, 4/1/04]
7. Iraq Funding
BUSH SPOKESMAN DENIES NEED FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR THE REST OF 2004... "We do not anticipate requesting supplemental funding for '04" [White House Budget Director Joshua Bolton, 2/2/04]
...BUSH REQUESTS ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR IRAQ FOR 2004 "I am requesting that Congress establish a $25 billion contingency reserve fund for the coming fiscal year to meet all commitments to our troops." [President Bush, Statement by President, 5/5/04]
8. Condoleeza Rice Testimony
BUSH SPOKESMAN SAYS RICE WON'T TESTIFY AS 'A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE'... "Again, this is not her personal preference; this goes back to a matter of principle. There is a separation of powers issue involved here. Historically, White House staffers do not testify before legislative bodies. So it's a matter of principle, not a matter of preference." [White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, 3/9/04]
...BUSH ORDERS RICE TO TESTIFY: "Today I have informed the Commission on Terrorist Attacks Against the United States that my National Security Advisor, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, will provide public testimony." [President Bush, 3/30/04]
9. Science
BUSH PLEDGES TO ISSUE REGULATIONS BASED ON SCIENCE..."I think we ought to have high standards set by agencies that rely upon science, not by what may feel good or what sounds good." [then-Governor George W. Bush, 1/15/00]
...BUSH ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS IGNORE SCIENCE "60 leading scientists?including Nobel laureates, leading medical experts, former federal agency directors and university chairs and presidents?issued a statement calling for regulatory and legislative action to restore scientific integrity to federal policymaking. According to the scientists, the Bush administration has, among other abuses, suppressed and distorted scientific analysis from federal agencies, and taken actions that have undermined the quality of scientific advisory panels." [Union of Concerned Scientists, 2/18/04]
10. Ahmed Chalabi
BUSH INVITES CHALABI TO STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS...President Bush also met with Chalabi during his brief trip to Iraq last Thanksgiving [White House Documents 1/20/04, 11/27/03]
...BUSH MILITARY ASSISTS IN RAID OF CHALABI'S HOUSE "U.S. soldiers raided the home of America's one-time ally Ahmad Chalabi on Thursday and seized documents and computers." [Washington Post, 5/20/04]
11. Department of Homeland Security
BUSH OPPOSES THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY..."So, creating a Cabinet office doesn't solve the problem. You still will have agencies within the federal government that have to be coordinated. So the answer is that creating a Cabinet post doesn't solve anything." [White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, 3/19/02]
...BUSH SUPPORTS THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY "So tonight, I ask the Congress to join me in creating a single, permanent department with an overriding and urgent mission: securing the homeland of America and protecting the American people." [President Bush, Address to the Nation, 6/6/02]
12. Weapons of Mass Destruction
BUSH SAYS WE FOUND THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION..."We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories...for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them." [President Bush, Interview in Poland, 5/29/03]
...BUSH SAYS WE HAVEN'T FOUND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION "David Kay has found the capacity to produce weapons.And when David Kay goes in and says we haven't found stockpiles yet, and there's theories as to where the weapons went. They could have been destroyed during the war. Saddam and his henchmen could have destroyed them as we entered into Iraq. They could be hidden. They could have been transported to another country, and we'll find out." [President Bush, Meet the Press, 2/7/04]
13. Free Trade
BUSH SUPPORTS FREE TRADE... "I believe strongly that if we promote trade, and when we promote trade, it will help workers on both sides of this issue." [President Bush in Peru, 3/23/02]
...BUSH SUPPORTS RESTRICTIONS ON TRADE "In a decision largely driven by his political advisers, President Bush set aside his free-trade principles last year and imposed heavy tariffs on imported steel to help out struggling mills in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, two states crucial for his reelection." [Washington Post, 9/19/03]
14. Osama Bin Laden
BUSH WANTS OSAMA DEAD OR ALIVE... "I want justice. And there's an old poster out West, I recall, that says, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive.'" [President Bush, on Osama Bin Laden, 09/17/01]
...BUSH DOESN'T CARE ABOUT OSAMA "I don't know where he is.You know, I just don't spend that much time on him... I truly am not that concerned about him."[President Bush, Press Conference, 3/13/02]
15. The Environment
BUSH SUPPORTS MANDATORY CAPS ON CARBON DIOXIDE... "[If elected], Governor Bush will work to...establish mandatory reduction targets for emissions of four main pollutants: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury and carbon dioxide." [Bush Environmental Plan, 9/29/00]
...BUSH OPPOSES MANDATORY CAPS ON CARBON DIOXIDE "I do not believe, however, that the government should impose on power plants mandatory emissions reductions for carbon dioxide, which is not a 'pollutant' under the Clean Air Act." [President Bush, Letter to Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), 3/13/03]
16. WMD Commission
BUSH RESISTS AN OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION ON WMD INTELLIGENCE FAILURE... "The White House immediately turned aside the calls from Kay and many Democrats for an immediate outside investigation, seeking to head off any new wide-ranging election-year inquiry that might go beyond reports already being assembled by congressional committees and the Central Intelligence Agency." [NY Times, 1/29/04]
...BUSH SUPPORTS AN OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION ON WMD INTELLIGENCE FAILURE "Today, by executive order, I am creating an independent commission, chaired by Governor and former Senator Chuck Robb, Judge Laurence Silberman, to look at American intelligence capabilities, especially our intelligence about weapons of mass destruction." [President Bush, 2/6/04]
17. Creation of the 9/11 Commission
BUSH OPPOSES CREATION OF INDEPENDENT 9/11 COMMISSION... "President Bush took a few minutes during his trip to Europe Thursday to voice his opposition to establishing a special commission to probe how the government dealt with terror warnings before Sept. 11." [CBS News, 5/23/02]
...BUSH SUPPORTS CREATION OF INDEPENDENT 9/11 COMMISSION "President Bush said today he now supports establishing an independent commission to investigate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks." [ABC News, 09/20/02]
18. Time Extension for 9/11 Commission
BUSH OPPOSES TIME EXTENSION FOR 9/11 COMMISSION... "President Bush and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) have decided to oppose granting more time to an independent commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks." [Washington Post, 1/19/04]
...BUSH SUPPORTS TIME EXTENSION FOR 9/11 COMMISSION "The White House announced Wednesday its support for a request from the commission investigating the September 11, 2001 attacks for more time to complete its work." [CNN, 2/4/04]
19. One Hour Limit for 9/11 Commission Testimony
BUSH LIMITS TESTIMONY IN FRONT OF 9/11 COMMISSION TO ONE HOUR... "President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have placed strict limits on the private interviews they will grant to the federal commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks, saying that they will meet only with the panel's top two officials and that Mr. Bush will submit to only a single hour of questioning, commission members said Wednesday." [NY Times, 2/26/04]
...BUSH SETS NO TIMELIMIT FOR TESTIMONY "The president's going to answer all of the questions they want to raise. Nobody's watching the clock." [White House spokesman Scott McClellan, 3/10/04]
20. Gay Marriage
BUSH SAYS GAY MARRIAGE IS A STATE ISSUE... "The state can do what they want to do. Don't try to trap me in this state's issue like you're trying to get me into." [Gov. George W. Bush on Gay Marriage, Larry King Live, 2/15/00]
...BUSH SUPPORTS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT BANNING GAY MARRIAGE "Today I call upon the Congress to promptly pass, and to send to the states for ratification, an amendment to our Constitution defining and protecting marriage as a union of man and woman as husband and wife." [President Bush, 2/24/04]
21. Nation Building
BUSH OPPOSES NATION BUILDING... "If we don't stop extending our troops all around the world in nation-building missions, then we're going to have a serious problem coming down the road." [Gov. George W. Bush, 10/3/00]
...BUSH SUPPORTS NATION BUILDING "We will be changing the regime of Iraq, for the good of the Iraqi people." [President Bush, 3/6/03]
22. Saddam/al Qaeda Link
BUSH SAYS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEEN AL QAEDA AND SADDAM... "You can't distinguish between al Qaeda and Saddam when you talk about the war on terror." [President Bush, 9/25/02]
...BUSH SAYS SADDAM HAD NO ROLE IN AL QAEDA PLOT "We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved in Sept. 11." [President Bush, 9/17/03]
23. U.N. Resolution
BUSH VOWS TO HAVE A UN VOTE NO MATTER WHAT... "No matter what the whip count is, we're calling for the vote. We want to see people stand up and say what their opinion is about Saddam Hussein and the utility of the United Nations Security Council. And so, you bet. It's time for people to show their cards, to let the world know where they stand when it comes to Saddam." [President Bush 3/6/03]
...BUSH WITHDRAWS REQUEST FOR VOTE "At a National Security Council meeting convened at the White House at 8:55 a.m., Bush finalized the decision to withdraw the resolution from consideration and prepared to deliver an address to the nation that had already been written." [Washington Post, 3/18/03]
24. Involvement in the Palestinian Conflict
BUSH OPPOSES SUMMITS... "Well, we've tried summits in the past, as you may remember. It wasn't all that long ago where a summit was called and nothing happened, and as a result we had significant intifada in the area." [President Bush, 04/05/02]
...BUSH SUPPORTS SUMMITS "If a meeting advances progress toward two states living side by side in peace, I will strongly consider such a meeting. I'm committed to working toward peace in the Middle East." [President Bush, 5/23/03]
25. Campaign Finance
BUSH OPPOSES MCCAIN-FEINGOLD... "George W. Bush opposes McCain-Feingold...as an infringement on free expression." [Washington Post, 3/28/2000]
...BUSH SIGNS MCCAIN-FEINGOLD INTO LAW "[T]his bill improves the current system of financing for Federal campaigns, and therefore I have signed it into law." [President Bush, at the McCain-Feingold signing ceremony, 03/27/02]
26. 527s
Bush opposes restrictions on 527s: "I also have reservations about the constitutionality of the broad ban on issue advertising [in McCain Feingold], which restrains the speech of a wide variety of groups on issues of public import." [President Bush, 3/27/02]
?Bush says 527s bad for system: "I don't think we ought to have 527s. I can't be more plain about it?I think they're bad for the system. That's why I signed the bill, McCain-Feingold." [President Bush, 8/23/04]
27. Medical Records
Bush says medical records must remain private: "I believe that we must protect?the right of every American to have confidence that his or her personal medical records will remain private." [President Bush, 4/12/01]
?Bush says patients' histories are not confidntial: The Justice Department?asserts that patients "no longer possess a reasonable expectation that their histories will remain completely confidential." [BusinessWeek, 4/30/04]
28. Timelines For Dictators
Bush sets timeline for Saddam: "If Iraq does not accept the terms within a week of passage or fails to disclose required information within 30 days, the resolution authorizes 'all necessary means' to force compliance--in other words, a military attack." [LA Times, 10/3/02]
?Bush says he's against timelines: "I don't think you give timelines to dictators." [President Bush, 8/27/04]
29. The Great Lakes
Bush wants to divert great lakes: "Even though experts say 'diverting any water from the Great Lakes region sets a bad precedent' Bush 'said he wants to talk to Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chré´©en about piping water to parched states in the west and southwest.'? [AP, 7/19/01]
Bush says he'll never divert Great Lakes: "We've got to use our resources wisely, like water. It starts with keeping the Great Lakes water in the Great Lakes Basin...My position is clear: We're never going to allow diversion of Great Lakes water." [President Bush, 8/16/04]
30. Winning The War On Terror
Bush claims he can win the war on terror: "One of the interesting things people ask me, now that we're asking questions, is, can you ever win the war on terror? Of course, you can." [President Bush, 4/13/04]
?Bush says war on terror is unwinnable: "I don't think you can win [the war on terror]." [President Bush, 8/30/04]
?Bush says he will win the war on terror: "Make no mistake about it, we are winning and we will win [the war on terror]." [President Bush, 8/31/04]
WAKE UP AMERICA! THE WORLD WANTS JOHN KERRY. THEY WILL HELP US STABILIZE IRAQ. GEORGE BUSH HAS PUSHED EVERYONE AWAY AND MADE THEM ANGRY. WITH JOHN KERRY WE CAN HAVE A REAL SHOT AT HELPING THE IRAQI PEOPLE AND OUR OWN COUNTRY.
John Kerry has been consistant. Some might call his positions nuanced. It means hes really smart and thinks of all the different aspects of it. The media loves to take him out of context, but thats all it is. Most of the media is lying to you for their own gain. Its a sad day in america when so many people still don't see through it. Check out these debates everybody. See what John Kerry has to say WITHOUT THE MEDIA FILTER. You will be amazed.
Peace, Love, and Kerry/Edwards 2004!
Posted by: Peace + Love at September 28, 2004 03:28 AM
And lets not forget that even when Bush's position stays the same, his reasons flip. The most famous examples involve taxes and Iraq. He supported tax cuts in 2000 because he said they were affordable in a time of large government surpluses, and once in power he supported them amid rising deficits because he said the economy needed stimulation. The president's principal rationale for the Iraq invasion was to end Baghdad's suspected mass-weapons program and links to international terrorism. In the absence of compelling evidence of these, the main post-invasion rationale has been to rescue Iraq from a tyrant and support democracy in the greater Middle East.
and if you've actually been paying attention thes epast 3 1/2 years, I'm sure you can name many more.
And what about the constant lying?
BUSH’S PATTERN OF HIDING THE TRUTH
The administration's fabrication's and attempts to bury the truth are not limited to its zealous pursuit of war with Iraq. Below is just a sample of recent items the administration has tried to conceal from the American people:
§ HIDING THE TOLL OF THE IRAQ WAR. The The Bush administration has (i) banned the media from Dover Air Force Base where the bodies of troops killed in Iraq are returned, (ii) under-reported figures for those officially wounded to only include those directly wounded in combat, and (iii) restricted access to military hospitals for professionally trained counselors of the Disabled American Veterans Association – access that the DAV has had for more than 60 years – to only permit closely monitored visits with pre-selected patients; and (iv) failed to attend a single funeral for an Iraq war veteran. (Tom Paine.common sense 03.08.04)
§ SUPPRESSING PRESCRIPTION DRUG COST DATA BEFORE CONGRESSIONAL VOTE: The White House provided Congress with a cost estimate for the Medicare prescription drug plan of $400 billion even though it knew at that time the costs of were $551 billion - more than 25% higher. The administration threatened to fire Medicare's top financial analyst (Richard Foster) if he released the information. Two months after the President signed the law, the administration increased its costs estimates to $524 billion. AARP, which worked with the administration in drafting the bill, revealed that these higher estimates were "well known in the fall" but is only now being made public. Taxpayers for Common Sense, a Washington-based budget watchdog group claim Congress got "suckered by a classic financial bait-and-switch by the administration."
In May, the Congressional Research Service issued a report that the Bush administration violated federal law by ordering Mr. Foster to withhold information from Congress. The report stressed that “the right to receive truthful information from federal agencies to assist in its legislative functions is clear and unassailable.” (Kemper & Simon - Los Angeles Times 01.31.04, Pugh- Knight Ridder Los Angeles Times 03.11.04, Kemper - Los Angeles Times 03.14.04, Progress Report 03.15.04, Pear – New York Times 05.04.04)
§ SUPPRESSING EVIDENCE OF MERCURY POISONING: Administration officials “suppressed and sought to manipulate government information on mercury contained in an EPA report on children’s health and the environment.” The report, which found that 8 percent of women between the ages of 16-49 have mercury levels in their blood that could impair their children, was buried by the White House for nine months and was only released after it was leaked to the media by EPA.
In addition, in issuing regulations on mercury emissions, the administration told EPA staffers “not to undertake the normal scientific and economic studies called for under a standing executive order” to prevent production of evidence that would undermine its weakening of mercury emissions regulation. (Union of Concerned Scientists – Scientific Integrity in Policy Making February 2004, Krugman – New York Times 04.06.04).
§ CENSORED AND DELAYED 9-11 REPORT: The Bush administration purposefully delayed the release of the report of the Joint Congressional Committee on 9-11 until after the conclusion of the Iraq war to hide facts such as the absence of an Iraq0AlQaeda link. Once released, the administration censored portions of the report that demonstrated that Bush was briefed on August 6, 2001 about Al Qaeda plans for a possible hijacking in the US and the Saudi role in funding Al Qaeda. (Waterman - UPI 07.23.03, Priest - Washington Post (07.25.03).
§ SUPPRESSING, ALTERING OR MANIPULATING EMPERICAL DATA UNDERMINING THEIR IDEOLOGICAL POSITIONS: More than 4,000 scientists – including 48 Nobel Prize winners and 127 members of the National Academy of Sciences – have accused the Bush administration of distorting and suppressing science to suit its political goals. (Shogren – Los Angeles Times 07.09.04)
A report by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that this administration has:
a well-established pattern of suppression and distortion of scientific finding by high-ranking Bush administration political appointees across numerous federal agencies. These actions have consequences for human health, public safety and community well being. Incidents involve air pollutants, heat-trapping emissions, reproductive health, drug resistant bacteria, endangered species, forest health, and military intelligence
The report also found that:
there is significant evidence that the scope and scale of the manipulation, suppression, and misrepresentation of science by the Bush administration is unprecedented.
READ THE REPORT! http://www.ucsusa.org/documents/RSI_final_fullreport.pdf
A report by the House Committee on Government Reform – Minority Staff reaches the same conclusion, revealing examples such as the administration:
Changing education performance measures to make “abstinence-only” programs appear effect; deleting information on the efficacy and use of condoms from the Center for Disease Control web site; withholding findings on global warming and other negative impacts on wetlands and preventing any analyses on alterative environmental proposals;
1. using misleading data to suggest that a functioning missile defense system could be deployed quickly;
2. including information on the National Cancer Institute’s web site suggesting conflicting evidence on whether abortion leads to breast cancer when the scientific community has determined no such link exists; and
3. preventing research on agricultural practices having a “negative health [or] environmental consequences.
READ THE REPORT! http://www.house.gov/reform/min/politicsandscience/pdfs/pdf_politics_and_science_rep.pdf
§ ERASING EVIDENCE OF RACIAL DISPARITIES IN REPORT ON ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTH CARE: After a National Academy Sciences panel conducted a Congressionally mandated comprehensive study on racial disparities in access to quality health care and concluded that racial and socioeconomic disparities were “pervasive in our health care system”; that minorities received poorer care and were more likely to die from avoidable deaths (e.g., cancer, cardiac illness) – HHS Secretary Thompson refused to approve the findings and ordered that the report be rewritten. The report released by HHS in December 2003 omitted all findings of racial disparities and instead asserted that claims of minority groups receiving worse care than whites were unproved. (Bloche – Los Angeles Times 02.15.04)
§ REMOVING INFORMATION ON PRIVATE SCHOOL TUITION: Under the No Child Left Behind Act Administration, if a school is deemed a failing school for three years in a row, students would get vouchers to go to a new school based on their share of federal funding (approximately $2,400 per child). The Department of Education website used to list the private school tuition ($28,500) on its website, but the Bush administration has removed this to hide the disparity between the cost of private school and vouchers offered. (Carville – Had Enough?)
§ KILLED TREASURY DEFICIT STUDY: The administration “deep-sixed” a 2003 Treasury Department study that projected that “the equivalent of an immediate and permanent 66 percent across-the-board income tax increase” would be required to eliminate a projected $44.2 trillion budget deficit due to Bush’s tax cuts. The study found that the future health care and retirement costs of the baby boomers would overwhelm the treasury. “Sharp tax increases and massive spending cuts are unavoidable if the U.S. is to meet benefit promises to future generations.” The report added that the current financial challenge facing Washington is approximately “10 times the publicly held national debt, four years of U.S. economic output, or more than 94 percent of all U.S. household assets.” (Hollings – Washington Post 06.19.03, Baker – Slate 07.11.03, Ferdinand - Utne Reader 05.2003, Malveaux & McCaughan - CNN.com 05.29.03)
§ SUPPRESSING EVIDENCE OF RACIAL HARASSMENT WITHIN THE ASHCROFT JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: For over a year, the Justice Department has delayed the release of a KPMG Consulting report on diversity in DOJ. All that DOJ would release is a redacted version that deletes more than half the report including its summary. It is reported that the redacted portions include findings that DOJ faces “significant diversity issues” and that “minorities are significantly more likely than whites to cite stereotyping, harassment, and racial tensions as characteristics of the work climate.” (New York Times 11.04.03)
§ DELETED FORECAST OF TAX PLAN AS “JOB KILLER”: A Council of Economic Advisors’ forecast showing that the Bush “stimulus” plan would only create 170,000 jobs per year and would be a “job killer” after 2007 was removed from its website. (Baker – Slate 07.11.03)
§ DELETED FINDINGS OF GLOBAL WARMING: Prior to release of the EPA’s 2003 Environmental Overview, the White deleted a detailed chapter of global warming that found that global warming was due to human factors and that “climate changes has global consequences for human health and the environment”. (CBS News.com 06.19.03)
§ CONCEALED "CLEAR SKIES" ANALYSIS: An EPA assessment of Bush’s “Clear Skies” plan concealed the fact that a proposal by Senator Carper (D-Del.) would provide greater long term benefits at only slightly higher costs. In June 2004, a research firm hired by the Bush administration concluded that current policies on power plant emissions lead to the death of 24,000 people each year. While the Clear Skies program would reduce this by as many as 14,000 lives, competing proposals would save up to 22,000 lives. (Gugliotta & Pianin – Washington Post 07.02.03, Janofsky – New York Times 06.10.04)
§ KILLED LAYOFF REPORTS: The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly Mass Layoff Statistics report was killed by the administration in December 2002 and only noted in a footnote in the final report. (President Bush I did the same thing to hide his dismal performance.) After this was discovered by the Washington Post, the reports were reinstated. (Baker – Slate 07.11.03)
§ DELETED DECLINING MIN. WAGE: A Labor Department report showing the real value of the minimum wage over time (which would show the workers losing ground under Bush since there has been no increase since 1997) was removed from its website. (Baker – Slate 07.11.03)
§ FORCED SCIENTISTS TO ALTER FINDINGS ON KLAMATH RIVER WATER LEVELS: Karl Rove and Interior Secretary Norton forced National Marine Fisheries scientists to alter findings on the amount of water required for the survival of salmon in Oregon’s Klamath River to enable farms to use a bigger share of the river water. “As a result, more than 33,000 Chinook and Coho salmon died – the largest fish kill in American history.” (Kennedy – Rolling Stone 12.11.03)
§ RESTRICTING DEMOCRATS ABILITY TO QUESTION ADMINISTRATION: In an unprecedented move, the administration is requiring Democrats to submit all requests for information to Republican chairman of the relevant committee, thereby requiring Republican approval of any such requests. (Milbank – Washington Post 11.08.03)
§ HIDING BAD NEWS: The Bush administration moved up the release of census data showing increases in poverty and the uninsured for the third year in a row from September to August while Congress was in recess and many reporters and other Americans were on vacation. The administration has a history of releasing bad news late on Friday to minimize press coverage. (The Daily-Mis-Lead 08.26.04).
MIS-LEADER SPECIAL REPORT: HIDING THE TRUTH: BUSH'S NEED TO KNOW DEMOCRACY http://www.misleader.com/pdf/specialreport2_secrecy.pdf
BUSH LIES FROM A - Z
ABORTION
LIE: Bush justified re-imposing the Reagan era gag order prohibiting funding to overseas family planning groups that provide abortion services or counseling on the grounds that “taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortions”.
FACT: The US funds that Bush cut off were only used for non-abortion activities. (David Corn 02.05.01)
LIE: Bush withheld $34 million approved by Congress for the United Nations Population Fund Agency (UNPFA) claiming that the program supported China’s one-child policy.
FACT: Bush’s own State Department conducted an investigation and found “no evidence that UNFPA has supported or participated in the management of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization” in China. Bush suppressed the report and withheld the funds anyway. Bush continues to withhold these funds despite no evidence of claimed forced abortions in China. (NOW Report – The Truth About George, Richter – Los Angeles Times 07.17.04)
LIE: During the debates, Bush claimed he would not seek to overturn the FDA’s approval of RU-486.
FACT: Bush stated he would not accept the FDA’s decision and would seek to appoint an FDA commissioner who would “make sure the FDA considered the risk”. (ABC News.com 10.4.02)
BUSH’S MILITARY RECORD
The media all but ignored this story in 2000 despite available records. When compared to the intense coverage of Clinton’s draft history in 1992 there were 14 stories about Clinton’s draft history for every 1 story about Bush’s. Among the TV networks the total number of stories on Bush’s National Guard “service” was: 1. (Waldman – The American Prospect 01.26.04)
In addition, in 1997 Bush deployed his gubernatorial staff to remove embarrassing details from his military records. Lt. Col Bill Burkett complained about the incident at the time and later sent a letter to the Texas State Senate that Bush’s aides improperly tampered with the file. (Daily Mis-Lead 02.12.04)
LIE: Bush promised that he would “absolutely” release all records pertaining to his military service.
FACT: The White House only released partial documentation and has refused to comply with the Associated Press’ Freedom on Information Act request for the remaining record, forcing AP to file a FOIA lawsuit. (Daily Mis-Lead 07.21.04)
LIE: After being transferred from the Texas Air National Guard “I was in [Alabama] on temporary assignment and fulfilled my weekends at one period of time.”
FACT: Bush moved to Alabama even before requesting a transfer (his initial request was denied). Once approved, Bush never showed up at the Alabama Air National Guard, despite orders to report on specific days. In fact, there are no records that he ever showed up in Alabama for duty. Bush failed to take his annual physical and was removed from flying status in August 1972 and failed to report to duty in Alabama in November 1972 as required.
Two members of Bush’s Alabama unit indicated that were told to expect Bush, were on the lookout for him but he never showed up. Recently released computerized records provide no record of Bush’s whereabouts between July 1972 and September 1972.
(Waldman – The American Prospect 01.26.04; Democrats.com, Levin & Noah – Slate 02.11.04, Center for American Progress 02.12.04, Baker – Memphis Flyer 02.14.04, Daily Mis-Lead 07.27.04)
LIE: Bush returned to Houston after his temporary Alabama assignment and performed Guard duty at Ellington Air Force Base.
FACT: National Guard records indicate Bush had “not been observed” at the Houston base and the unit’s administrative officer has no recall of Bush returning and believed he was still in Alabama. The guard was unable to conduct his yearly evaluation because “Lt. Bush has not been observed during the period of this report.”
Lawrence Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan, reviewed Bush’s payroll records and concluded he had been AWOL. This is supported by the fact that sometime between September 1973 and early 1974, the U.S. Air Force attempted to discharged Bush for failing being AWOL. (Waldman – The American Prospect 01.26.04; Democrats.com, Byrne – The Blue Lemur 08.01.04 and 08.03.04)
LIE: Bush applied to Harvard Business School in 1972 since “I was almost finished with my commitment in the Air National Guard and was no longer flying because the F-102 jet I has [sic] trained in was being replaced by a different fighter.”
FACT: Bush’s commitment was through May 1974 and his unit continued to fly F-102s through 1974. (Democrats.com)
LIE: Bush claimed that his Guard duty was not an attempt to avoid service in Vietnam since he volunteered for a program that rotated Guard pilots to Vietnam but he never was called.
FACT: Bush’s application included a box to be checked specifying whether he did or not want to volunteer for overseas duty. Bush checked the “no” box. (Democrats.com) In addition, despite scoring 25 out of a possible 100, Bush qualified for the single available pilot spot due to pressure from his father who was then in Congress. (GregPalast.com). See documentation in DOJ files detailing how strings were pulled for W. http://www.gregpalast.com/ulf/documents/draftdodgeblanked.jpg
For More Information go to: http:// www.awolbush.com
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
LIE: After initially opposing McCain-Feingold, Bush jumped on the bandwagon once it was a fait accompli. In July 2002, he cut a deal with Senator McCain to appoint a pro-reform candidate (Ellen Weintraub) backed by McCain to the Federal Election Commission.
FACT: As Senator McCain plainly stated, while “the administration wanted to share in the widespread public approval of campaign finance reform by . . . signing the legislation . . . he’s cooperating behind the scenes with opponents of the law in Congress and on the [Federal Election] Commission to weaken it as much as possible.” Bush sat on the Weintraub nomination until the Bush FEC issued regulations creating huge loopholes contrary to the express language of the law to permit (i) party committees to raise soft money through independent committees, (ii) federal officials to engage in fundraising, and (iii) permitting candidates to raise soft money through independent committees. In the words of Senator McCain, “[t]hey flat-out broke their word.” (Arianna Online 12.09.02, Public Citizen Analysis of How FEC Is Undermining the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002)
CIVIL RIGHTS & PATRIOT ACT
LIE: The Bush administration repeatedly argued that it could not release the names of detainees – even those who had not been charged or accused of terrorism – because doing so would harm national security.” The Justice Department in a sworn affidavit contended that when detainees are publicly identified “terrorist organizations with whom they have a connection may refuse to deal further with them.”
FACT: That rule does not apply when the administration needs to make disclosures for political purposes. When forced to come up some justification for its elevation of the threat level immediately after the Democratic convention based on information that was three years old, National Security Advisor Rice stated that the alert was due to the capture of Al Qaeda operative Mohammed Khan. The Justice Department’s affidavit was correct; however, since Rice’s disclosure of Khan harmed ongoing investigations. Once again, politics triumphs over security in the Bush White House. (Daily Mis-Lead 08.08.04)
LIE: "By the way, the reason I bring up the Patriot Act, it's set to expire next year. I'm starting a campaign to make it clear to members of Congress that it shouldn't expire. It shouldn't expire for the security of our country." President Bush.
FACT: Less that 10 percent of the Patriot Act expires; most of the law is permanent and those portions that do sunset will not do so until December 31, 2005. (Cassel – Counterpunch 04.26.04)
LIE: "And that changed, the law changed on- roving wiretaps were available for chasing down drug lords. They weren't available for chasing down terrorists, see?"
FACT: Roving wiretaps were available prior to 9/11 against drug lords and terrorists. Prior to the law, the FBI could get a roving wiretap against both when it had probable cause of crime for a wiretap eligible offense. What the Patriot Act did is make roving wiretaps available in intelligence investigations supervised by the secret intelligence court without the judicial safeguards of the criminal wiretap statute. (Cassel – Counterpunch 04.26.04)
LIE: "... see, I'm not a lawyer, so it's kind of hard for me to kind of get bogged down in the law. I'm not going to play like one, either. (Laughter.) The way I viewed it, if I can just put it in simple terms, is that one part of the FBI couldn't tell the other part of the FBI vital information because of the law. And the CIA and the FBI couldn't talk."
FACT: The CIA and the FBI could talk and did. As Janet Reno wrote in prepared testimony before the 9/11 commission, "There are simply no walls or restrictions on sharing the vast majority of counterterrorism information. There are no legal restrictions at all on the ability of the members of the intelligence community to share intelligence information with each other.
"With respect to sharing between intelligence investigators and criminal investigators, information learned as a result of a physical surveillance or from a confidential informant can be legally shared without restriction. While there were restrictions placed on information gathered by criminal investigators as a result of grand jury investigations or Title III wire taps, in practice they did not prove to be a serious impediment since there was very little significant information that could not be shared." (Cassel – Counterpunch 04.26.04)
LIE: "Thirdly, to give you an example of what we're talking about, there's something called delayed-notification search warrants. ... We couldn't use these against terrorists [before the Patriot Act], but we could use against gangs."
FACT: Delayed-notification - or so-called sneak-and-peek search warrants - were never limited to gangs. The circuit courts that had authorized them in limited circumstances prior to the Patriot Act did not limit the warrants to the investigation of gangs. In fact, terrorism or espionage investigators did not necessarily have to go through the criminal courts for a covert search - they could do so with even fewer safeguards against abuse by going to a top secret foreign intelligence court in Washington.
For criminal sneak-and-peek warrants, the Patriot Act added a catch-all argument for prosecutors - if notice would delay prosecution or jeopardize an investigation - which makes these secret search warrants much easier to obtain. The president's sneak-and-peek misstatement clearly demonstrates that the Patriot Act is not limited to terrorism. In fact, many of the law's expanded authorities can clearly be used outside the war on terrorism. (Cassel – Counterpunch 04.26.04)
LIE: In announcing his support for the Defense of Marriage Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage, Bush said he was reversing his previous position because of the actions in Massachusetts, New Mexico and San Francisco.
FACT: President Bush told the amendment sponsor, Rep. Marilyn Musgrave that he would support the amendment several months prior – before any state actions. (Daily Mis-Lead 03.02.04)
LIE: When asked by David Frost about the demonstrators protesting his visit to the UK, Bush responded that “Freedom is a beautiful thing, I would first say, and aren’t you lucky to be in a country that encourages people to speak their mind. And I value going to a country where people are free to say anything they want to say”.
FACT: Under Bush, the FBI has been monitoring political demonstrations and other legal activities such as using the Internet for fundraising for the first time since the Nixon-Hoover era. In addition, after 9-11 then White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said that Americans “need to watch what they say, watch what they do.” Similarly, Attorney General Ashcroft labeled any criticism of the Patriot Act as aiding terrorists. (Daily Mis-Lead 11.24.03)
LIE: Attorney General Ashcroft told there “is no evidence of racial bias in the administration of the federal death penalty”.
FACT: A September 2000 Justice Department report concluded there was racial bias in the administration of the federal death penalty. (People For the
American Way
– Report on Attorney General Ashcroft’s First Year)
CLINTON BASHING
LIE: At the 2000 Republican National Convention, Bush claimed that if ‘called on by the commander in chief today, two entire divisions of the Army would have to report, ‘Not ready for duty, sir.’”
FACT: This claim was contradicted by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary Cohen and Bush’s own foreign policy advisor Richard Armitage. (Franken – Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them)
LIE: The Bush administration spread stories that the outgoing Clinton administration vandalized the White House with obscene graffiti, file cabinets glued shut, phone wires cut and pornography left on fax machines.
FACT: The General Accounting Office found no evidence of vandalism, wires slashed, equipment damaged or other evidence to match the allegations. (Boston Globe 05.28.01)
LIE: The Bush administration claimed that regulations issued during the final weeks of the Clinton administration were “ill-considered” and “ill-intentioned”.
FACT: Virtually all regulations issued during the final weeks of the Clinton administration had been developed over a period of years and are consistent with practices of prior administrations. (Washington Post 06.09.01).
DEFENSE & VETERANS AFFAIRS
LIE: Bush has lauded the “great courage” of those serving in Iraq and has proclaimed that “[o]ur men and women in uniform give America their best and we owe them our support.”
FACT: Bush’s support has been in words only, as he has requested major cuts in the Impact Aid program providing funds for the schooling of 900,000 children of military families. (The Daily Mis-Lead 10.13.03)
In addition, one million children living in military and veteran families are denied child tax credit help in the President’s tax cut, including 260,000 of children with parents in active duty. (Center for American Progress 12.13.03)
LIE: Bush told the VFW that “Veterans are a priority of this administration . . . and that priority is reflected in my budget.”
FACT: In 2003, Bush killed an emergency funding request that included $275 million for Veterans’ medical care, while his 2004 budget requests falls $1.9 billion short of maintaining what the American Legion called “an inadequate status quo.” Bush’s FY2005 budget cuts funding by $13.5 billion over 5 years. (The Daily Mis-Lead 10.21.03, The Center for American Progress 02.04.03)
LIE: In June 2001 Bush stated that the US would not deploy a missile defense system “that doesn’t work.”
FACT: Bush then proceeded to deploy the missile defense system even though a General Accounting Office report found only “limited data for determining whether the system will work as intended.” (Corn – The Nation 10.13.03)
EDUCATION
LIE: On a three-stated education tour, Bush claimed they the administration has seriously increased funding for education, saying “we’re doing our duty; we understand that people need extra help, and the federal government is responding.”
FACT: There is a $72 billion gap between what Bush promised to spend and what he actually sought. Of the states visited, he promised $176MM for Arkansas for disadvantaged children, but only sought $117MM. Bush is seeking to reduce funding for almost one-third of Arkansas school districts. In Maryland, Bush is only seeking $171MM after promising $264MM and in West Virginia he is seeking $106MM after promising $163MM. (The Daily Mis-Lead 05.12.04)
LIE: In signing the No Child Left Behind Act, Bush declared “We’re going to spend more on our schools and we’re going to spend it more wisely.” In his 2004 State of the Union speech, he claimed “I refuse to give up on any child and the No Child Left Behind Act is opening the door of opportunity to all of America’s children.”
FACT: Bush’s FY2005 budget under-funds the No Child Left Behind (“NCLB”) program by $9.4 billion – or 27 percent less than authorized by Congress. Bush has under funded the NCLB program by $15 billion over his first three years. Most of the under funding is in the area of Title I of the Act which provided funds to schools with low income or disadvantaged students. (The Daily Distortion 10.24.03, New Democratic Network 12.02.03, Center for American Progress 02.03.04)
LIE: “I propose larger Pell Grants for students who prepare for college with demanding courses in high school.” (2004 SOU)
FACT: The Bush administration has eliminated 84,000 students from the Pell Grants program and reduced grants to another 1.5 million students. Its FY2005 budget freezes Pell Grant awards. (Center for American Progress 02.03.04)
LIE: “I’ve always felt that the community college system provides a great opportunity for job training. . . . So we’ve got the money in our budget to help invigorate the community college system.”
FACT: The Bush administration has proposed modest increases in job training funds for community colleges but this is offset by over $1 billion cut out of job training programs over the last three years. (Center for American Progress 02.23.04)
LIE: In a September 2003 speech, Bush claimed that his budget boosted spending for elementary and secondary education to $53.1 billion -- a 26 percent increase.
FACT: Bush’s budget for elementary and secondary education is only $34.9 billion (his entire education budget is $53.1 billion) and the boost he refers to is actually a $900 million cut. (Corn – The Nation 09.15.03)
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
CLEAN AIR
LIE: The Bush administration claims it has imposed “stringent new rules on power plant emissions”.
FACT: The new Bush rules gutted Clean Air Act restrictions to allow utilities to avoid having to install expensive new anti-pollution equipment when they modernize their plants. The EPA’s civil enforcement chief resigned in protest, while another senior EPA lawyer wrote to Christie Whitman that the administration “seems determined to weaken the rules we are trying to enforce. A study commissioned by the administration demonstrated that current policies on power plant emissions led to the death of 24,000 people each year. (Center for American Progress 12.13.03, New York Times 06.10.04)
LIE: The Bush administration claimed its new air pollution standards for plywood manufacturers, which are about “10,000 times less stringent than the level previously used by EPA”, were consistent with public health needs and available science.
FACT: In issuing the new rules, the administration relied on studies prepared by the chemical industry and ignored by the National Cancer Institute and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health that showed exposure to formaldehyde used in manufacturing plywood caused leukemia in humans. (Miller & Hamburger – Los Angeles Times 05.21.04)
LIE: On her final day as EPA administrator, Christine Todd Whitman assured members of Congress that EPA would do required economic and technical studies before proposing a rule to reduce mercury emissions from power plants. After her departure she denied any knowledge that the analysis was not being conducted.
FACT: Whitman had knowledge that EPA was not doing the required analysis, as her assurances came in letter to lawmakers concerned about reports that the studies had been tabled by the White House. When the pro-industry rule weakening Clean Air Act requirements for mercury emissions came out, it was discovered that the analyses was not done and, instead, EPA only studied options that would support the White House’s desired outcome. (Miller & Hamburger – Los Angeles Times 03.19.04)
LIE: The administration claims that it has offered stringent new rules that will result in dramatic reductions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury.
FACT: The administration’s new rules weaken Clean Air Act requirements for mercury emissions by requiring that plants reduce such emissions by only 1/3 of what is required by the Clean Air Act – reducing current emissions from 48 tons to 34 tons by 2010 instead of a reduction to 5 tons by year 2007. The rules also will result in 1.4 million tons more of air pollution. (Daily Mis-Lead 12.05.03, Center for American Progress 12.13.03)
LIE: In 2002, EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Air Quality Holmstead told two Senate committees that the proposed rule changes