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A Daily Chronicle of Bush Administration Distortion October 19, 2004
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Bush Misleads on Kerry



In a speech yesterday, President Bush made statements that "ignored elements of Mr. Kerry's record and stated positions in a way that paints an incomplete or distorted portrait of his approach."1 Here are two examples:

Yesterday, Bush said, "Senator Kerry's approach would permit a response only after America is hit."2 In fact, Kerry has explicitly said that he would use preemptive force when necessary. During the first presidential debate Kerry said, "The president always has the right, and always has had the right, for preemptive strike...No president, through all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America."3

Bush also said Kerry was "against vital weapon systems during his entire career."4 According to the non-partisan Factcheck.org, the Bush campaign "bases its claim mainly on Kerry's votes against overall Pentagon money bills in 1990, 1995 and 1996, but these were not votes against specific weapons."5 Nonetheless, since Kerry has been in Congress he has voted for 16 of the 19 overall Pentagon funding bills. Therefore, "even by the Bush campaign's twisted logic, Kerry should - on balance - be called a supporter of the 'vital' weapons."6

Sources:
  1. "Bush Adds Teeth to His Attacks on Kerry," New York Times, 10/19/04.
  2. "Transcript: Bush Attacks Kerry's Security Proposals," Washinton Post, 10/18/04.
  3. "Debate Transcript: The First Bush-Kerry Presidential Debate," Commission on Presidential Debates, 9/30/04.
  4. "Transcript: Bush Attacks Kerry's Security Proposals," Washinton Post, 10/18/04.
  5. "More Bush Distortions of Kerry Defense Record," FactCheck.org, 4/30/04.
  6. Ibid.



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