Bush Flip-flops Again

''We have a clear vision on how to win the war on terror and bring peace to the world.'' Bush in Springfield, MO - JULY 2004

'When asked “Can we win?” the war on terror, Bush said, “I don’t think you can win it.''' - Bush in August, 2004 on NBC-TV

Why Bush Must Smear Kerry

This guy William Rivers Pitt is a best-selling author and also writes for the New York Times. He seems to have a pretty good grasp of what's going on with the Bush campaign.

''In other words, nauseating activities like the Swift Boat smears and the Purple Heart Band-Aid-wearing cretins do not bubble up from the slime of their own accord. This is standard-issue East Texas political assassination, and the smell of it trails all the way from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to the doorstep of this Republican convention. This is leadership from the top down, Bush-style.

Why?

When your war is a disaster, when your economy is a mess, when your people are out of work by the millions, when the environment is under total assault because of your policies, and when your best pals are pocketing billions of dollars in taxpayer money on the sneak, you’d do well to avoid discussing the issues. Unfortunately for Bush, the manner in which he and his campaign are attempting to change the subject is becoming an issue in and of itself.''

Swift Boats? In Cambodia? Say It Ain't So

Did I predict we'd catch O'Neill lying again? Yes, I believe I did. He went on ABC's This Week and had this to say about swift boats getting into Cambodia.

O’NEILL (8/22/04): You asked about Cambodia. How do I know he’s not in Cambodia? I was on the same river, George. I was there two months after him. Our patrol area ran to Sa Dec, it was 50 miles from Cambodia. There isn’t any “watery border.” The Mekong River's like the Mississippi. There were gunboats stationed right up there to stop people from coming. And our boats didn't go north of, only slightly north of Sa Dec. So it was a made-up story. He’s told it over fifty times, George. That was on the floor of the Senate [in 1986].

But in 1971, he had THIS to say about swift boats getting into Cambodia.

O'NEILL (1971): I was in Cambodia, sir. I worked along the border on the water.

NIXON: In a Swift boat?

O'NEILL: Yes, sir.

Someone help me here. Did O'Neill lie to Nixon? Or did he lie to ABC?

Thanks to the Daily Howler for highlighting the discrepancy here.

O'Neill Lies Again

Okay. It took me nearly two weeks, but I finally found it. O'Neill went on CNN's Crossifre, and on MSNBC's Hardball on August 12, and claimed that Kerry's wound that resulted in his first Purple Heart was self-inflicted. [This, by the way, is no great shame even if true. Bob Dole can attest to that.] To support his claim, he cites the name of William Schachte, claiming Schachte was on the small skiff Kerry manned that night.

On both programs, other guests accused O'Neill of lying about this. At first, O'Neill countered that Schachte himself would verify it. By the time he made it to Crossfire, though, he had begun to waffle a bit. By then he was willing to say only that there were three and possibly four people on the boat.

A writer for the Boston Globe located the two other men with Kerry that night and asked who was on board.

"Myself, Pat Runyon, and John Kerry," says Zaladonis, the engineman on Kerry's first swift boat, "we were the only ones in the skimmer."

"There definitely was not a fourth," says Runyon. Though the two assume they took hostile fire, both men acknowledge they aren't completely certain. But they also firmly reject the claim that Kerry somehow wounded himself by using an M-79 grenade launcher.

Dang, this guy, O'Neill, just keeps getting nuked right and left.

When will the media stop allowing him to go before the cameras and lie?

Simply Friggin Unbelievable

In an act of desperation so ludicrous that it defies reason, smear boat thug, John O'Neill, has suggested that we suspend disbelief for just a few moments and accept the notion that John Forbes Kerry's initials are "KJW." Read about it in the Washington Post:

O'Neill has said that the initials "KJW" on the bottom of the report "identified" it as having been written by Kerry. It is unclear why this should be so, as Kerry's initials are JFK. A review of other Swift boat after-action reports at the Naval Historical Center here reveals several that include the initials "KJW" but describe incidents at which Kerry was not present.

That's right, folks. You heard right. O'Neill cites the initials "KJW" as proof that Kerry wrote the after action report and embellished the account by falsely claiming they were under fire that day in March of 1969.

O'Neill offers no explanation for this incredible claim. He simply asks us to believe it. Perhaps, by this time, O'Neill realizes that thinking people have already figured out that he's a liar and that Bush is too. Perhaps his goal now is simply to trick the REALLY frigging dumb voters into going against Kerry. This is not the last time we'll catch O'Neill in a lie.

Smear Boat Lies

We've caught these smear boat guys in so many lies now - why is it that the news media continues to haul these guys into their studios to provide them a nationwide forum from which to smear a good man? Can you believe Bob Dole has joined in the smearing? On CNN's Wolf Blizter this weekend, Dole accused Kerry of frivilously getting two Purple Hearts in one day.

The fact is that Kerry got his three Purple Hearts in three separate months. No one can seriously believe that I know this and Dole doesn't. By the way, it was sort of hypocritical of Dole to criticize Kerry for only spending four months in Nam - considering that Dole himself was only in combat for 7 weeks. Further, Dole didn't tell Blitzer that one of his Purple Hearts was for a minor self-inflicted wound.

" I took a grenade in hand, pulled the pin, and tossed it in the direction of the farmhouse. It wasn't a very good pitch (remember, I was used to catching passes, not throwing them). In the darkness, the grenade must have struck a tree and bounced off. It exploded nearby, sending a sliver of metal into my leg -- the sort of injury the Army patched up with Mercurochrome and a Purple Heart." - - Bob Dole writing in his 1988 autobiography, Unlimited Partners

Well, anyway. Dole lied about Kerry; O'Neill lied about Kerry, and he'll be caught lying again. Mark my words. But they'll keep parading him before the cameras and recording his every lying smear. It's the new media script they've adopted in their campaign to help Bush retain power.

Double Standards

Have you wondered like I have? What's the deal with the news media. Bush has put a moratorium on questions about his early days - like where was he when he was supposed to be serving in the guard; did he ever use cocaine; did he have a drinking problem, etc.



Yes the media goes along with Bush on this moratorium and honors his request that they not inquire about these things. The media and Bush's supporters hold Kerry to a different standard, though. I've heard people demand that Kerry release his medical records from his days in Nam; that he show his xrays to prove he carries shrapnel in his thigh; and that he explain his whereabouts and conduct going back to when he was in his mid-twenties.



Why won't our media hold Bush to the same standard? Any guesses?

Swift Response

Thank goodness for Moveon.com for swiftly resonding to attack ads smearing Senator Kerry. This is the story voters need to hear again and again.

Smear Boat Vets Tied to Bush

Uh-oh! Thanks to the Austin American-Statesman for this bit of reporting.

The [Swift Boat] group was organized last spring with the assistance of Merrie Spaeth, a Republican public relations executive from Houston, who also was a public relations consultant to independent counsel Kenneth Starr during his investigation of former Democratic President Bill Clinton. Her late husband, Tex Lezar, ran for lieutenant governor of Texas on George W. Bush's GOP ticket in 1994.

Looks like these guys are all in bed together and that they are professional smear artists.

Kerry's Journal

Some are saying that Kerry's journal entry belies his claim that he was in Cambodia on Christmas Eve of 1968. I'm not sure about that. I've read parts of the journal, and he definitely says he's heading up the river later that day toward Cambodia.



Neither does the journal specifically say where he was at the momemt he made an entry in it regarding it being Christmas Eve. For that matter, he mentions little regarding his whereabouts.

Another Leak in the Smear Boat

John O'Neill and Larry Thurlow have consistently alleged that on the day John Kerry rescued James Rassmann from the river, that there was no enemy fire. Kerry's crew and Rassmann have stated repeatedly that they were under fire and that Kerry was "crazy" to risk his life the way he did. Who's telling the truth?

When I first read this quote by John O'Neill, I thought it sounded fishy. Why would O'Neill say that Thurlow was the hero that day if the boats were not under fire? It just didn't add up?

"Larry Thurlow was the hero of that day, not John Kerry . . .Larry Thurlow and others . . . Kerry fled. They stayed. They could have been killed that day if there was fire. But there was no fire." - - John O'Neill

Fortunately, the Washington Post wondered the same thing and looked into the Navy record book to see what really happened that day. You guessed it. The record states that all the boats in the flotilla were under fire.

Thurlow's military records, portions of which were released yesterday to The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act, contain several references to "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" directed at "all units" of the five-boat flotilla. Thurlow won his own Bronze Star that day, and the citation praises him for providing assistance to a damaged Swift boat "despite enemy bullets flying about him."

Fact is, folks, nothing these smear boat guys tell us should be taken as the truth.

Playing to Lose

Gene Lyons, of The Arkansas Democrat Gazette has been a burr under the saddle of the rightwingers for years. This was an interesting column he penned for today's paper.

Cheney went on rightwing talk radio to mock Kerry for backing a more "sensitive" war on terror. Laughing, he said, "It strikes me the two words don’t really go together, sensitive and war. If you look at our history, I don’t think any of the wars we’ve won were won by us being, quote, ‘sensitive.’ "



Same show, minutes later: Why weren’t U.S. troops storming the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf where Shiite militiamen are holed up?



"Well, from the standpoint of the shrine," Cheney said, "obviously it is a sensitive area, and we are very much aware of its sensitivity."

Republican Bolts

"Now we are immersed in a dangerous, costly mess, and there is no easy and quick way to end our responsibilities in Iraq without creating bigger future problems in the region and, in general, in the Muslim world." - Republican Rep. Doug Bereuter, Vice Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee

Bush's Accomplishments

This has been making the rounds via email. I thought you'd be interested in bookmarking this for future reference.

Was it for the oil?

Interesting piece here by John Dean.

"Recent statements by one of the high-level officials privy to the decision making process that lead to the Iraqi war also strongly suggest manipulation, if not misuse of the intelligence agencies. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, during an interview with Sam Tannenhaus of Vanity Fair magazine, said: "The truth is that for reasons that have a lot to do with the U.S. government bureaucracy we settled on the one issue that everyone could agree on which was weapons of mass destruction as the core reason." More recently, Wolfowitz added what most have believed all along, that the reason we went after Iraq is that "[t]he country swims on a sea of oil." "

Clinton Did TOO Do Something

For those who forget how the rightwingers reacted on 9/11, this might be some interesting reading. It recalls how the rightwingers blamed President Clinton for 9/11. They say Clinton didn't do enough to counter terrorism while he was president.

But the rightwingers ignored in the aftermath of 9/11, that they fought Clinton almost every step of the way when he was president. Interesting read here by Bill Press.

Kerry Dodged Guard Service

I'm not sure where this originated, but it's hilarious.



Breaking News



GOP: KERRY WENT TO VIETNAM TO AVOID SERVING IN ALABAMA NATIONAL GUARD



Guard-Dodging Charges Haunt Campaign



A new Republican-financed negative ad is accusing Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry of fleeing to Vietnam to avoid serving in the Alabama National Guard.



The ad, airing in most of the so-called battleground states, attempts to contrast Sen. Kerry’s alleged guard-dodging with the storied Alabama National Guard heroism of the Republican nominee, President George W. Bush. In the ad, a narrator asks, “When the Alabama National Guard called young Americans to serve, where was John Kerry? Thousands of miles away, in Vietnam.”



The commercial ends with a black-and-white freeze-frame of Mr. Kerry, over which the narrator asks, “John Kerry… reporting for duty?” The attack ad is hitting the airways just as an organization of Mr. Kerry's former swift boat comrades is holding its first annual anti-Kerry convention in San Diego.



The organization, The Anti-Kerry Boatmates of America, is believed to number over ten thousand members, all of whom openly despise the Democratic nominee.



A spokesman for the Kerry campaign attempted today to discredit the group, saying, “There were a lot of people on John’s boat who hated his guts, but not enough to fill the San Diego convention center.”



Such criticisms aside, the organization is moving ahead with plans for negative ads of their own, including one in which they claim Sen. Kerry’s swift boat was neither swift nor a boat.

Bush's Record

Does bush want to talk about his accomplishments?



Record deficits; losing 3000 people on 9/11; intelligence failures; losing the war in Iraq; invading the wrong country; failure to find WMD?



For some reason, we hear very little from Bush about what he's accomplished.

More on the Smear Boat Vets

More on the Smear Boat Vets. The people at Snopes have done a pretty good job of monitoring the current smear effort directed at destroying John Kerry's candidacy. All in all, it appears that only one of the veterans speaking out against Kerry actually served on his boat, and his story is at odds with that told by all of the remaining survivors.

The other critics either didn't know Kerry at all, served on other boats in the area, or "served in various capacities connected with swift boat operations."

Official Navy records, and comments made earlier by some of his accusers belie the allegation that Kerry was an unfit commander. As the election nears, expect the rightwingers to get nastier and nastier and more and more desperate.

Bush Calls for a More 'Sensitive" Use of Power

Senator Kerry isn't the only one who believes the US should exert its power sensitively. So does George W. Bush.

"Precisely because America is powerful, we must be sensitive about expressing our power and influence. Our goal is to patiently build the momentum of freedom, not create resentment for America itself. We pursue our goals; we will listen to others; we want strong friends to join us, not weak neighbors to dominate."

Creative Editing

There is a sound file out there on the internet being shared by rightwingers that you should know about. The file depicts a young John Kerry in 1971 saying, "Yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed, in that I took part in shootings in free-fire zones, I conducted harassment and interdiction fire, I used .50-caliber machine guns which were granted and ordered to use, which were our only weapon against people. I took part in search-and-destroy missions."



But listen carefully, it seems there is something missing? Yes, indeed, the file was doctored to remove two independent clauses that precede the "yes." Here is what he really said.

"There are all kinds of atrocities, and I would have to say that, yes, yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed, in that I took part in shootings in free-fire zones, I conducted harassment and interdiction fire, I used .50-caliber machine guns which were granted and ordered to use, which were our only weapon against people. I took part in search-and-destroy missions, in the burning of villages..."

Placed in its context, the statement by Kerry makes sense. He was not confessing to having committed the kinds of war atrocities he'd told the Senate about. He was discussing the fact that in his opinion there are many kinds of atrocities. Obviously, Kerry believed then that some of the conduct of war he'd taken part in was atrocious. A fine distinction perhaps, but worth keeping in mind when some rightwinger tries to make you think Kerry admitted to real atrocities.

O'Neill Caught in Another Lie

Special thanks to David Brock's Media Matters for this revealing piece.

"Appearing on CNN's Crossfire on August 12, John O'Neill, co-founder of the anti-Kerry group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and co-author of the Regnery book Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry, denied he had links to the Republican Party: "I've had no serious involvement in politics of any kind in over 32 years."

But, as Media Matters for America noted on May 4, O'Neill has long-standing ties to the Republicans, having worked under the direction of the Nixon White House and clerked for Chief Justice of the United States William Rehnquist in 1990.

Moreover, since 1990, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, O'Neill has contributed $14,650 to federal candidates or national political organizations -- all Republicans:

2004: $2,000 to Duane Sand (ND)

1999: $1,000 to Peter Staub Wareing (TX)

1998: $250 to Rudy Izzard (TX)

1996: $1,000 to Brent Perry (TX)

1994: $2,500 to Texas Republican Congressional Committee

1993: $2,500 to Texas Republican Congressional Committee

1992: $1,000 to Texas Republican Congressional Committee

1992: $1,000 George H.W. Bush

1992: $1,000 to Clark Kent Ervin (TX)

1991: $1,000 to Clark Kent Ervin (TX)

1990: $400 to Hugh Dunham Shine (TX)

1990: $1,000 to A Tribute To Ronald Reagan

Bush Lies re Military Record

Thanks to the Boston Globe's Walter V. Robinson for this bit. In his autobiography, A Charge to Keep, Bush falsely claims that he continued flying for "several years" after completing flight training. He completed his flight training, though, in June of 1970. He then stopped flying in April of 1972 after being suspended for not taking his flight physical. Bush's "next several years" was actually less than two years.



The US State Department published an exaggerated account of Bush's service record as well, stating, "George W. was commissioned as a second lieutenant and spent two years on active duty, flying F-102 fighter interceptors. For almost four years after that, he was on a part-time status, flying occasional missions to help the Air National Guard keep two of its F-102s on round-the-clock alert." That website has since been removed.



It's interesting. With all the focus on alleged exaggerations by John Kerry of his service in Nam, will the media take another look at claims made by Bush about his service?

Rassamann Speaks Out

"But when the noise and fog of their distortions and lies have cleared, a man who volunteered to serve his country, a man who showed up for duty when his country called, a man to whom the United States Navy awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts, will stand tall and proud. Ultimately, the American people will judge these Swift Boat Veterans for Bush and their accusations. Americans are tired of smear campaigns against those who volunteered to wear the uniform. Swift Boat Veterans for Bush should hang their heads in shame."

[This column originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal on August 10, 2004.]

Mr. Rassmann, a retired lieutenant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, served with the U.S. Army 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam 1968-69.

O'Neill Fudges on the Truth

"We believe, based on our experience with him, that he is totally unfit to be the Commander-in-Chief." -- John O'Neill

The fact is that Kerry was back in the states by the time O'Neill arrived in Vietnam.

Franks: Kerry Is Qualified

Asked if Senator John Kerry is qualified to be commander in chief, retired Gen. Tommy Frauks responded, "Absolutely."

Smear Smells

Some of the Smear Boat Vets claim there was no fire from the enemy during the episode that earned Senator Kerry his Bronze Star. Official military records, however, raise no such question.

The senior sailor on Kerry's boat that day reports that there was a "hellacious firefight." "I don't know how these guys can stretch the truth like this," says Del Sandusky. Sandusky's account is backed by the Green Beret Kerry rescued from the river that day. James Rassmann said in a statement that the critics' story was "a pure fabrication. . . . I was in the middle of the firefight."

Elliott Nominated Kerry

''In a combat environment often requiring independent, decisive action LTJG Kerry was unsurpassed. ... He constantly reviewed tactics and lessons learned in river operations and applied his experience at every opportunity. ... LTJG Kerry emerges as the acknowledged leader in his peer group. His bearing and appearance are above reproach.''

Capt. George M. Elliott
Writing in Kerry's Fitness Report
December, 1969

Elliott Flip-Flops

Just as some predicted, the smear boat campaign has blown up in the faces of those who hoped to derail the Kerry campaign. One of the prime suspects in the campaign has retracted a statement he signed accusing Kerry, saying that that it was a "terrible mistake" for him to have signed it. George Elliott, who has been one of Kerry's most vocal critics retracted his criticism of Kerry and says now that Kerry indeed did deserve the Silver Star.

Some expect others in the group to join Elliott in renouncing the lies they told. Elliott has admitted that he was pressured in to signing the false affidavit. Some may recall that the group has ties to Richard Nixon and Kenneth Starr.

Collect for Purity

Those of you who don't know me may be surprised to learn of my Christian Faith. I offer you this powerful prayer in the hopes that you will be as moved by it as I am.

Listen and you will hear:

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Smear Boat Vets

Some of those featured in the smear boat ad are on record as having previously praised Kerry. George Elliot nominated Kerry for his Silver Star. Rear Amiral Roy Hoffman sent cables to Kerry and his crew praising their achievements in river skirmishes.

Now they say he is unfit. I wonder who got to them? Their stories aren't adding up.

One thing they don't want you to know is that the people behind this smear operation have ties to Richard Nixon's dirty tricks squad. Read Joe Conason's take on this here.

One of the ringleaders of the smear campaign is John O'Neil who was recruited by Nixon's Chuck Colson to assist in plans to "destroy" John Kerry back in 1971. The group's media consultant, Merrie Spaeth, was Kenneth Starr's coach who prepared him to deliver his testimony urging the impeachment of President Clinton. This arrangement was set up by none other than Ted Olson, who was also a key figure in the smear campaign digging up dirt on President Clinton in Arkansas (The Arkansas Project).

For more, read Joe Conason's piece in Salon. Also visit the Snopes Urban Legends Reference site.

Bush Tells the Truth

Bush inadvertently told the truth in a speech before he signed a spending bill.

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

Some of us wish Bush would STOP thinking of new ways to harm us and our country.

Bush Flip Flops

Special thanks to Jackson Thoreau for this:

The next time someone criticizes John Kerry for being a flip-flopper remind them:



Bush was against campaign finance reform; now he's for it.



Bush was against a Homeland Security Department; now he's for it.



Bush was against a 9/11 commission; now he's for it.



Bush was against an Iraq WMD investigation; now he's for it.



Bush was against nation building; now he's for it.



Bush was against deficits; now he's for them.



Bush was for free trade; then he was for tariffs on steel, and now he's against them again.



Bush was against the U.S. taking a role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; now he pushes for a "road map" and a Palestinian State.



Bush was for states' rights to decide on gay marriage; now he is for changing the Constitution to outlaw gay marriage.



Bush said he would provide money for first responders (fire, police, emergency); then he doesn't.



Bush said that "help is on the way" to the military; then he cuts their benefits and health care.



Bush claimed to be in favor of environmental protection; then he secretly approved oil drilling on Padre Island in Texas and other places and took many more anti-environmental actions.



Bush said he is the "education president;" then he refused to fully fund key education programs and rarely does his homework, such as read position papers so he will be more knowledgeable on issues.



Bush said that him being governor of Texas for six years was enough political experience to be president of the U.S.; then he criticized Sen. John Edwards for not having enough experience after Edwards had served six years in the U.S. Senate.



During the 2000 campaign, Bush said there were too many lawsuits being filed; then during the Florida recount, he was the first to file a lawsuit to stop the legal counting of votes after Gore took advantage of Florida law to ask for a recount.



On Nov. 7, 2000, the Bush campaign supported Florida county officials drawing up new copies of some 10,000 spoiled absentee votes in 26 Republican-leaning counties that the machines did not read and marking them for the candidates when they showed "clear intent;" they opposed doing the same thing after Nov. 7 when Gore asked for such recounts. Bush dominated absentee balloting in Florida by a two-to-one margin.



Bush said during the 2000 campaign that he did not have a "litmus test" for judges he appointed to be against abortion; then he mostly appointed judges who were against abortion.



In the early 1990s, Bush led a campaign to raise taxes in Arlington, Texas, to build a new baseball stadium for the team he partly owned; he later criticized politicians for supporting tax increases ñ after he got rich by selling the team with the new stadium to a wealthy campaign contributor.



Bush opposed the U.S. negotiating with North Korea; now he supports it.



Bush went to the racist and segregationist Bob Jones University in South Carolina; then he said he shouldn't have.



Bush said he would demand a U.N. Security Council vote on whether to sanction military action against Iraq; later Bush announced he would not call for a vote.



Bush first said the "mission accomplished" Iraqi banner was put up by the sailors; he later admitted it was done by his advance team.



Bush was for fingerprinting and photographing Mexicans who enter the U.S.; after meeting with Mexican President Fox, he decided against it.



Bush was opposed to Rice testifying in front of the 9/11 commission citing "separation of powers;" then he was for it.



Bush was against Ba'ath party members holding office or government jobs in Iraq; now he's for it.



Bush said we must not appease terrorists; then he lifted trade sanctions on admitted terrorist Mohammar Quaddafi and Pakistan, which pardoned its official who sold nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya, and North Korea.



Bush said he would wait until after the Nov. election to ask for more money for the war effort; then he decided he needed it before the election, after all.



Bush said, "Leaving Iraq prematurely would only embolden the terrorists and increase the danger to America." His administration now says that U.S. troops will pull out of Iraq when the new provisional authority asks. Then he said they'll stay "as long as needed" again. Now he's



saying that the Iraqis can ask the troops to leave, and they will. Or is he?



The Bush administration officials said that the Geneva Conventions don't apply to "enemy combatants." Now they claims they do.



Bush officials said before the Iraq invasion that Iraq posed an "imminent threat" to U.S. security and that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and even nuclear weapons; after the invasion, they denied saying the word "imminent" and saying that Iraq had WMDs and nuclear weapons, even though they were caught on tape making such statements.



"The most important thing is for us to find Osama Bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." - George W. Bush, Sept. 13, 2001



"I don't know where he is. I have no idea, and I really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." - George W. Bush, March 13, 2002



Are you getting tired of this? Well, some in the American military are getting tired of this, too: "The (Bush) administration has an overly simplistic view of how and when to use our military. By not bringing in our friends and allies, they have created a mess in Iraq and are crippling our forces around the world." -Retired Admiral William Crowe, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs under Ronald Reagan

If you have a good Bush flip-flopping example, send email to Mr. Thoreau.

Bush Promises

This might be a good time to refresh our memories of some of the things Bush promised the nation when he accepted the nomination in 2000.

Bush: I will extend prosperity to all Americans.



Hollow Promise: Real income and wages have plummeted under Bush. [US Department of Labor; US Census]



Bush: I will fix the schools.



Hollow Promise: Bush Budgets broke promise to fund school reforms by $27 billion over past four years. [Presidents FY 02-05 Budget, www.ed.gov]

Well, you get the idea.

Saudis Bestow Family Jewels on Bush

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. The Washington Post reports that Crown Prince Abdullah scarfed over $128,000 worth of fine jewelry to Bush, family, and aides.



Must be nice. More Later.

White House West

A hilarious new fake "ad" by Will Ferrell. You should check it out.

Cable News Slanting for Bush

Did you catch CNN's Bill Schneider fudging on the truth during the convention? Is there any limit to how low the media whore's will sink?

Special thanks to David Brock's Media Matters for exposing CNN's deceipt of its viewers.

Here's how Brock reported it.

''On July 26, CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider used a false and misleading description of recent poll results to portray Democratic convention delegates as more liberal than they really are.

Schneider -- who is also a resident fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI) -- falsely claimed, "A liberal consensus prevails among the Democratic delegates in Boston. Three-quarters endorse abortion on demand." [emphasis Schneider's]

But the on-screen graphic accompanying Schneider's commentary suggested he was off base. The graphic indicated Schneider was basing his comments on a recent CBS News/New York Times survey of delegates, and that 75 percent said abortion should be "generally available" -- not at all the same as available "on demand."''

Bush Goes Dirty

Uh-oh. We TOLD you this was going to happen.

By Andrew Buncombe in Washington, The Independent

"President George Bush's senior strategists have vowed to use the month of August to mount derisive and personal attacks on the Democratic candidate John Kerry in what is becoming an increasingly bitter election campaign."

Ron Reagan Blasts Bush

What do you think? Is Ron Reagan pulling for Bush this time around?

"Politicians will stretch the truth. They'll exaggerate their accomplishments, paper over their gaffes. Spin has long been the lingua franca of the political realm. But George W. Bush and his administration have taken "normal" mendacity to a startling new level far beyond lies of convenience. On top of the usual massaging of public perception, they traffic in big lies, indulge in any number of symptomatic small lies, and, ultimately, have come to embody dishonesty itself. They are a lie. And people, finally, have started catching on." - Ron Reagan writing in Esquire.