Kerry Vows to Be President Who Tells the Truth

NEWARK, Ohio (Reuters) - Democrat John Kerry on Friday dismissed the Republican convention as "bitter and insulting" and promised to be a president who would tell Americans the truth.

"Every time they open their mouths they can't tell the truth," Kerry said at a rally. "It's time for us to have a president of the United States who can look you in the eye and when he does, you know you're being told the truth."

The newly combative senator from Massachusetts said he would not allow President Bush or others to question his fitness for the White House.

"Not gonna do it, not gonna happen," Kerry said. "I will not have my commitment to defending this country questioned by those who refused to serve when they had a chance and I will not have it questioned by those who misled this nation into war in Iraq."

Neither Bush nor Vice President Dick Cheney, who scathingly attacked Kerry's national security credentials at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night, fought in Vietnam. Bush served in the Texas Air National Guard and Cheney obtained five draft deferments.

Kerry, a decorated Navy lieutenant who commanded gunboats in the Mekong Delta, has been criticized for failing to react quickly or strongly enough to advertisements challenging his service and his qualifications for the presidential role of commander-in-chief. On Friday, he assailed Bush for a "record of failure" on everything from jobs to Iraq.

He listed some of Bush's reasons for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq -- weapons of mass destruction and connections to al Qaeda -- and added after each: "That wasn't true."

NEGATIVE POLITICS

Kerry said Republicans had distorted his 20-year record in the U.S. Senate, including his vote authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein and his subsequent vote against $87 billion to fund operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He predicted voters would reject cynical politics when they went to the polls on Nov. 2.

"All this negative advertising, blah blah blah," Kerry said. "It turns people off."

After ceding much of the political stage to the Republicans this week, Kerry hit the campaign trail with a two-day bus tour of Ohio, a critical battleground state hit especially hard by manufacturing job losses.

"There seems to be such a great gap, it's as big as the Grand Canyon, bigger, between the kind of things they talk about and the problems that are represented in people's lives," he said.
Kerry ridiculed the Bush administration's "celebration" of the August job numbers released on Friday that showed the unemployment rate had dropped from 5.5 percent to 5.4 percent with the creation of 144,000 new jobs.

"At the rate that this administration is creating jobs, you're not going to have a net plus-one job in the state of Ohio until the year 2011," he said. "I don't think this is something to celebrate. I think it's something to get to work on."

Kerry aggressively criticized the just-concluded Republican convention in New York that formally nominated Bush for re-election, although he said he "listened to zero of it."
"I read the speech last night of the president and I guess I'd sum it up in just four words: all hat, no cattle," he said.

"What we've learned now is that the president and the Republican Party will say anything and do anything in order to try to get re-elected -- anything except really take care of middle class American families that are struggling in this country."

With A Little Help From Our Friends

With all their attacks as opposed to discussing the issues, the Republicans did give one issue which we could use against them--our relationship with other countries.

Once we clarify that Kerry does not plan to "ask permission" of France, Germany, or the UN to defend us, as they falsely claimed, there remains a real issue here. It should be easy to convince people in the middle that we can more effectively fight the war on terrorism with allies at our side.

American defends itself when needed--but has always done so with allies when needed. France supported us in the American Revolution. Democratic Presidents won two world wars in the 20th century with allies. Our allies in NATO helped win the cold war. It will also be easier to beat terrorists if we don't try to do it alone.

We would have also been better off in Iraq if we had allies fighting with us. Even Bush's father understood that. While I doubt we would have been in Iraq if Kerry was President, imagine if it had still come to war. Under Bush, we quickly went thru areas, defeated the Iraqi army, and moved on. We now face the consequences of this as this allowed for anti-American forces to become established.
We would have been much better off if we had German or French peace keeper troops to stabilize these areas.

If we are to win the war on terrorism, a goal which Bush has flip flopped on recently, our chances are much greater with assistance from other nations. History has taught the lesson of what happens to empires which become over-extended. Of course, we know that George Bush does not read history (or much of anything else more complicated than My Pet Goat).

'We Can, We Must' Win Terror War

Kerry: 'We Can, We Must' Win Terror War

By Nedra Pickler, Associated Press Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, seizing on President Bush's suggestion that victory in the war on terrorism might not be possible, declared Tuesday that "we can, we must and we will win the war on terror."

Kerry told about 1,000 people gathered at a late-night airport rally that he would fight a smarter, more effective war by bringing in help from allies who have been opposed to Bush's military leadership.

Kerry said he has not been watching the Republican National Convention on television this week, but he has been reading coverage of it in the newspaper.

"All they're talking about is the war on terror, which the president yesterday said he doesn't think we can win," Kerry said in his first campaign appearance since the beginning of the convention. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you something: We can, we must and we will win the war on terror."

Bush said in an interview aired Monday on NBC's "Today" show that he didn't think the war on terror is winnable. On Tuesday, he told the American Legion that "we may never sit down at a peace table, but make no mistake about it, we are winning and we will win."

Kerry was to address the American Legion, the nation's largest veterans organization, on Wednesday. He planned to use the speech to spell out what he sees as Bush's miscalculations on the war on terror and declare that he has the best plan to win, said Kerry adviser Joe Lockhart.
"When the president admits that he's not confident they can win the war on terror, that's what people in politics call a problem," Lockhart said.



Kerry Blogger "tennesseeanforkerry", who was at the late-night rally reported this on the Kerry Blog 1:23 AM:

"Great speech by Kerry this evening before 2000 people standing crammed into a hangar at the Nashville airport. It all began with the wonderful sight of the campaign plane pulling into view the wide open front doors of the hangar where people had been standing for 2 hours. Tremendous cheers came from the crowd as Kerry descended the onto the tarmac and walked into the hangar, greeting a score of local veterans along the way. "

"The stage was complete with the leaders of the Tennessee Democratic party starting with Governor Bredesen, Congressmen Cooper, Gordon, and Ford, and Mayor Purcell of Nashville. A surprise treat was the appearence of John Glenn who looked like he could still fly in a Mercury capsule. And just like Glenn, John Kerry proved that he too has "the right stuff"."

80 Questions for George W. Bush

On the eve of the Republican National Convention is New York City, a few Kerry Bloggers have posed the following questions for George W. Bush:

1. Why is it that you did not inform congress of the CBO's estimate that the Medicare bill was going to cost more than you promised even your own congress? (They had set a limit)
2. Why did you sign it months before you told anyone it would cost more?
3. Why did Cheney choose to fight to hold on to his energy meeting records, right up to the Supreme Court?
4. How many secrets of what you have done, are we going to discover after you have departed?
5. What joy have you brought to this world? Our people are booed at the Olympics-Powell could not even go there...The world despises us, the middle glass is mired in debt, there is more poverty, less education, less first responders, less security (except for you and congresses shelter) less of everything. You have almost succeeded in ripping the hope from the hopeful in America.
6. How much does a gallon of milk cost?
7. How many total deaths & casualties in Iraq war? (U.S.Coalition/Iraqi/Journalists/Workers)
8. If you knew then what you know now, would you have invaded Iraq?
9. Did you foresee the Iraq war costing 200 billion dollars and thousands of American soldier’s lives & limbs?
10. Do you know who exposed Valerie Plame as an undercover agent?
11. What is the percentage of earnings a working class family pays for housing? Food? Healthcare?
12. What is the effect of healthcare costs on the economy? Employment?
13. Would you advise your daughters and nephews to enlist for service in Iraq? Have you?
14. Now that you have liberated Iraq, will you support their desire for a Fundamentalist government?
15. Why did the lucrative school testing contracts, which are the main part funded from the "No Child Left Behind" bill, get passed along to your cronies?
16. Can you bring us up to date on the Enron investigation?
17. Can you bring us up to date on the Halliburton investigation?
18. Can you bring us up to date on the Harken investigation?
19. Recently, a Fox News reporter was fired for refusing to report a lie. She sued for wrongful termination, but on appeal, the courts held that the United States has no law that requires news to be true. Do you support this opinion?
20. Your father has had several skin lesions removed from his face. Why do you oppose environmental legislation that would reduce skin cancer rates?
21. Do you believe that certain parts of the Constitution are outdated?
22. How many convicted felons are currently serving in your administration?
23. In your State of the Union speech, you stated that the presence of "25,000 liters of anthrax ... 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin ... materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent ... upwards of 30,000 munitions capable of delivering chemical agents" posed an imminent threat to this nation.
24. Where are the WMD?
25. How did you get your position in the TANG considering your extremely low test score?
26. And to follow-up, how did you get an Honorable Discharge when you failed to complete your service?
27. Who short sold United and American right before 9-11?
28. After Andrew Card notified you on 9-11 that America was under attack, why did you spend almost 20 minutes reading a story about a pet goat?
29. How do you plan to balance the social services spending in Iraq vs. in the United States?
30. Your first round of tax cuts resulted in a loss of over 2 million jobs. You promise your next tax cut will create 1 million new jobs. Can you do the math?
31. Three times, you have stated that it would be easier if you were a dictator. Why do you think that's funny?
32. What possessed you to use the 9/11 national tragedy as a punch line in your 'Trifecta' joke? And to follow up, why did your partisan republican audiences laugh with you?
33. Why did you ask the president of Brazil if there are any blacks there?
34. Why did your administration lobby Tom Daschle to drop the investigation of 9-11?
35. Why haven't you let the public see the 800-page 9-11 investigation report?
36. Are you actually afraid of Helen Thomas?
37. When Florida was called for Gore, why did you insist that results were going to change?
38. How do you explain the worldwide animosity America now faces? Would you agree that the sentiment is more anti-Bush than anti-America?
39. Why didn't you take steps to protect the hospitals, museums and nuclear power plants in Iraq?
40. Where is Saddam Hussein?
41. Where is Osama bin Laden?
42. Why didn't you remove any doubt about your presidency by demanding a full recount of the Florida vote?
43. If universal healthcare is important for Iraq, why not here?
44. Will you take the tests that you require schoolchildren to pass?
45. Why did you tell the FBI to back off the bin Laden family?
46. You know that your National Security Advisor lied about the possibility of commercial aircraft being used as weapons. Why didn't you fire her?
47. How many federal employees were fired following the catastrophic intelligence failures on 9/11?
48. What will you do to make sure elections are properly audited in the next election?
49. Why did you and Secretary of State Colin Powell cite a forged document as evidence of Iraq's alleged nuclear program?
50. Can you explain why did NORAD deviated from Standard Operating Procedure on the morning of 9-11, failing to scramble jets? If not, can you tell us the status of that investigation?
51. Why did your spokesperson deny that you were drafting a second Domestic Security Enhancement bill (Patriot Act II)?
52. With Homeland Security initiatives like First Responders being under-funded, how do you reason that creating more foreign enemies is making us any safer?
53. Can you explain why $50 million allocated to investigate the Columbia Shuttle disaster, yet only $3 million was allocated to investigate 9-11?
54. Why has your Justice Department consistently refused to supply information to Congress on how the USA PATRIOT Act is being implemented, especially in light of the fact that passage of the act was conditional upon adequate oversight by Congress? 55. Why are you so obsessed with secrecy? Do you have something to hide?
56. Why did you renege on your campaign promise to support the Kyoto Treaty on global warming?
57. Why did you fail to fund your "Leave No Child Behind" initiative?
58. Where were you, Mr. Bush, between 1972 and 1973 when you were supposed to be in the national guard?
59. How do you justify the budget cuts for veterans benefits at precisely the time you are ramping up the military for permanent war?
60. Is it true that you are recruiting soldiers in Mexico?
61. Why did you and others in the White House start taking Cipro right after 9/11? What did you know that the rest of the American people didn't?
62. Would your administration be more concerned with finding the anthrax killer if republican senators and the Washington Times had been targeted?
63. Do you think anyone buys your 'cowboy' act? Isn't your 'ranch' a cynical campaign prop?
64. It has been reported that you said, "who cares what you think?" to a man that questioned your policies in Philadelphia. Is this 'compassionate conservatism' or simple contempt?
65. Mr. Bush*, do you still "not give a damn" where Osama Bin Laden is?
66. When was the last time you gave a speech before an audience that was not handpicked?
67. Do you believe that dissent is unpatriotic?
68. Why are people who would protest your appearances rounded up and arrested before the events, held without charges, and then released?
69. In 1989, you reportedly said that you are a media creation. Has anything changed?
70. Do you believe that the apocalypse is underway?
71. What is your role in the apocalypse?
72. When will Christ return? What are the signs?
73. How can you expect people to be excited about your “Ownership Society” when they cannot pay their bills and put food on the table?
74. How many people are really unemployed?
75. Why are there no unemployment extensions?
76. What are your real plans for Social Security?
77. How can you expand reforms to higher grades and junior colleges, stressing basic skills for the workforce of the future, when NCLB has not been successful?
78. Why did you cut funding for Mine Safety Enforcement by $15 Million?
79. What exactly does "catastrophic success” mean?
80. What does “Separation of Church and State” mean to you?

Kerry Supporters in the San Fernando Valley!

Out on the streets of the San Fernando Valley today there was a lot of Kerry action going on...

A trip to the Studio City Farmer's Market found a large crew manning the Kerry Table that has been there for well over a year now. I found the group to enthusiastic and well informed on Kerry's positions. Also down the way from the Kerry table was Studio City Neighbors for Peace & Justice who also had a wealth of anti-Bush material.



I was wearing my favorite "No More Bushit 2004" t-shirt, which always get's a wealth of postive commentary. I ran into Tony who was sporting a classic, "He's Not My President" t-shirt. We had a mini protest of our own going on!



After the Farmer's Market I headed over to the local Raplh's supermarket in NoHo (North Hollywood) and I was pleasantly surprised by this new addition to the local tabling effort...

They've Got the Whole World in Their Hands!

(AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta )


(REUTERS/Henny Ray Abrams)

Protesters carrying an inflatable globe join tens of thousands of others who showed their opposition to the policies of the Bush administration by marching in front of Madison Square Garden, site of this week's Republican National Convention, August 29, 2004.

United for Peace and Justice organized the march which gathered 360 groups to protest the policies of the current administration the day before the convention opened.

Elections Protest Slideshow

Hundreds of Thousands March Against Bush in NY

"Hey Ho, Hey Ho, Bush Has Got to Go."

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators toting colorful banners and shouting "no more Bush" took to the streets of New York on Sunday, the day before the Republican convention was to open, to decry the U.S.-led war in Iraq and President Bush's policies.

Organizers for United for Peace and Justice coalition estimated 400,000 people marched for more than five hours in summer heat and humidity. Police declined to estimate the size of the crowd, but it stretched out more than a mile along two main avenues in central Manhattan.

"I am just burning with anger about what our country is doing," said protester Cornelius Boss, an ex-Marine from Columbus, Ohio, about Bush's foreign policy...


Hundreds of people lay on the grass in the park and formed a massive human peace sign...

In the march, people of all ages and demonstrating on a wide array of issues from the war, to health care, the environment and the economy, chanted, "Hey Ho, Hey Ho, Bush Has Got to Go."

"He (Bush) is ruining the country that I knew as a child growing up," said Joan Azulay, a retiree from Austin, Texas.

One group carried 1,000 coffins as a tribute to American soldiers dead in Iraq and to highlight what they see as the true cost of the war there.



UFPJ march organizer Leslie Cagan told Reuters that the event had gone "very, very well" and "people have come to protest the Bush administration on very many issues, but today we were united in speaking out against the Bush agenda."

Massive anti-Bush rally in New York

Tens of Thousands Protest Bush in NYC

No Major Violence Reported at NYC Protests

Hiding The Real Bush Views--At the Convention, And On The Blog

It is no surprise that the Republican National Convention will feature whatever moderates they can dig up and hide those with views more representative of the Bush Administration. The same principle just might explain why they don't allow comments on their blog.

The most common assumption is that they are afraid of liberal dissent, but in reality they have far more to fear what their own supporters would write about. This might spill the beans, and let the general public know how extreme the current Republican Party has become under George Bush.

Presumably, if Bush supporter were allowed to comment on the campaign's blog, we would see the same type of discussion as is present on other conservative boards, and what we often see from trolls on liberal blogs.

When discussing foreign policy, we would see Bush supporters excited about the prospect of a more interventionist foreign policy, with Bush supporters excited about going into countries such as Iran, and maybe even Saudi Arabia, in a second term. So much for pretending their foreign policy is based upon fighting terrorism.

Getting to domestic policy, we would see the excitement from Bush supporters over how Bush's proposals for Social Security and Medicare would finally kill off these programs as we know them. So much for compassionate conservatism.

Undoubtedly we would also see the argument going around in conservative circles that separation of church and state is a myth. Even some traditionalist conservatives, who respect the principles this country was founded upon, might become a bit nervous over some of the views which are commonplace among Bush's supporters, and key advisors.

Keeping Perspective

There's been quite a bit of negativity surrounding a couple of polls which now show Kerry behind Bush, but within the margin of error. The joke going around is "John Kerry read that this was his race to lose, and he's giving it his best shot." Some of the negativity this week reminds me of the feelings a couple of month before the Iowa caucus, when people had Kerry written off. What is important is what happens on voting day, and there is a lot more to come in this campaign.

This could be the high point of Bush's campaign (and could stretch through the immediate post-convention bounce.) Right now polls reflect all the negative impact of the Swift Boat Liars' attacks without yet reflecting his defense. All the articles from the last few days verifying Kerry's war record could help in the end, and there may yet be a backlash against Bush's negative campaign tactics.

Kerry's advertising campaign is also on a hiatus this month. Initially Kerry planned to refrain from any advertising in August to save the matching funds, but did ultimately have to respond to the Swift Boat ads. Full resumption of the ad campaign in September should also have an impact.

We must also look at the task each candidate has to face. The undecided voters believe Bush has done a poor job, but don't yet feel comfortable about Kerry.

Bush must convince people who already dislike him to vote for him. He's trying to do this by making Kerry seem even worse. Kerry just has to win over the people who don't know enough about him--they already dislike Bush.

Perhaps this election will also come down to whether people vote based upon the trivial arguments of the Bush ads, or look at the big picture.

If people decide on Bush's terms, then Bush will win based upon all the nonsense in the ads. The Republicans are masters of going negative and obfuscating the real issues.

If Kerry can get people to look at the big picture, as to what type of country and world we will have for the next decade, and ignore the nonsense attack ads, then he wins.

Right now the media, especially cable news, is concentrating on the type of arguments seen in the attack ads. In September and October, Kerry will further define the differences between himself and Bush, and further show where this country is going should we be faced with four more years (and perhaps four more wars).

This difference will also be seen in the debates as the two candidates get a chance to show the direction they want to take the country in. Kerry can present an alternative to Bush's future of a United States isolated in the world, with a government reduced to the point of doing little more than helping the super-wealthy.

When confronted with these differences, hopefully most Americans will want to be part of the world community, and understand that this is essential to waging an effective war on terrorism. Hopefully they will understand the need to preserve Social Security and Medicare, and to protect the air we breath and water we drink.

This reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw yesterday:

Save The World
Vote for Kerry

They Voted for Bush in 2000; Kerry in 2004

Now that Kerry has been hurt by negative advertising, there have been some suggestions that Kerry needs to go negative. There may be some need to hit Bush harder, and I suspect that Kerry plans to do so as we get closer to the election, but there are also risks to running negative ads. Here's my suggestion as to how to somewhat go negative while minimizing the risks of being perceived as negative.

I suggest a series of ads (if they would be willing to go along) of prominent people who have endorsed Kerry saying they supported Bush in 2000, but now are supporting John Kerry.

I'd start this with Lee Iococa, who did ads for Bush in 2000 but now supports Kerry, and have him talk about the economy.

I'd include the retired generals and national security experts who have endorsed Kerry, the Nobel Award winning scientists, the economists, and business leaders. This would highlight the major issue, and have people attack Bush for his failings, without Kerry appearing to be negative. Such a series could also generate some media buzz, and we've seen with recent ads how the media can greatly increase the impact of ads.

As long as I'm laying out my fantasy ad series, I'd conclude it just before the election with Donald Trump repeating what he has said in interviews, both that the economy does better under Democrats, and that he'd fire George Bush for his handling of Iraq.

O'Neill In Cambodia

We got lucky with the finding of the tape of O'Neill saying he was in Cambodia (per the previous posting here), contradicting his current statements. While there's been plenty of evidence backing Kerry's side on the other questions raised by the Swift Boat Liars, there has been no good evidence for either side on the Cambodia issue. Some articles have come out arguing that it was possible for Kerry's account to have been true, but no good evidence.

The Cambodia question came down to a question of Kerry's word versus O'Neill's word. All of us here (other than the trolls) were already willing to take Kerry's word over O'Neill's, especially considering the number of lies his group was already caught in.

Finding the tape of O'Neill's statement that he was in Cambodia clinched this issue for Kerry on two counts. It further tipped the balance, if this was necessary, as to who to believe if it should come down to Kerry's word versus O'Neill's word. It also makes Kerry's report of having been in Cambodia sound much more plausible now that we know that O'Neill was there.

I Was In Cambodia Before I Wasn't

Maybe that's not exactly what O'Neill said, but that sure sums it up.

The AP also sums it up with this headline:

Swift Boat Writer Lied on Cambodia Claim

Wed Aug 25, 7:17 PM ET

By ELIZABETH WOLFE, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The chief critic of John Kerry's military record told President Nixon in 1971 that he had been in Cambodia in a swift boat during the Vietnam War — a claim at odds with his recent statements that he was not.
"I was in Cambodia, sir. I worked along the border," said John E. O'Neill in a conversation that was taped by the former president's secret recording system. The tape is stored at the National Archives in College Park, Md.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, O'Neill did not dispute what he said to Nixon, but insisted he was never actually in Cambodia.

"I think I made it very clear that I was on the border, which is exactly where I was for three months. I was about 100 yards from Cambodia," O'Neill said in clarifying the June 16, 1971, conversation with Nixon.

Chad Clanton, a spokesman for the Democratic presidential candidate, said the tape "is just the latest in a long line of lies and false statements from a group trying to smear John Kerry's military service. Again, they're being proven liars with their own words. It's time for President Bush to stand up and specifically condemn this smear."

O'Neill served in Vietnam from 1969-70 and says in a recent book that he took command of Kerry's swift boat after the future Massachusetts senator returned home from the war.

O'Neill has emerged as a leading figure in the attacks on Kerry's war record. He is co-author of "Unfit for Command," which accuses Kerry of lying about his record, and is a member of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which has aired two television commercials harshly critical of Kerry.

In the book, O'Neill wrote that Kerry's accounts of having been in Cambodia on Christmas Eve of 1968 "are complete lies."

"... Kerry was never ordered into Cambodia by anyone and would have been court-martialed had he gone there," he wrote. O'Neill wrote that the Navy positioned its own craft along the border area to make sure no American vessels strayed across the border from Vietnam.

In an interview Sunday on ABC's "This Week" O'Neill said: "Our boats didn't go north of, only slightly north of Sedek," which he said was about 50 miles from the Cambodian border.

Kerry's campaign has acknowledged that he may not have been in Cambodia on Christmas Eve of 1968, as he has previously stated. The campaign says Kerry does recall being on patrol along the Cambodia-Vietnam border on that date, although it's unclear if he crossed into Cambodia.

Referring to the tape of the Oval Office meeting with Nixon, O'Neill criticized Kerry for making claims, including in the Senate, that he was in Cambodia.

"I've never represented on the floor of the Senate, or told people 50 times like John Kerry did that I was in Cambodia. That never happened. And I don't think he was ever there either," O'Neill said.

The snippet of taped conversation surfaced after more than a week of controversy surrounding claims that Kerry lied about his actions in a war in which he won five military medals. The Democrat and his allies have vigorously attacked such claims as a smear, laboring to undermine the charges as well as cast doubt on the men who are making them.

For his part, Kerry accused the swift boat group of being a "front group" that was doing Bush's dirty work.

The Bush campaign denies any involvement with Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

___

Associated Press writer Jennifer C. Kerr contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&u;=/ap/20040825/ap_on_el_pr/kerry_critic_swift_boats_1&printer=1