From the NYT, By ELISABETH BUMILLER Published: August 31, 2004
ASHUA, N.H., Aug. 30 - President Bush, in an interview broadcast on Monday, said he did not think America could win the war on terror but that it could make terrorism less acceptable around the world.
Lest one think there might be a ray of realism in W’s fog, along come Scott McClellan and the rest of the Republican goons to quash that notion:
From the NYT, By DAVID STOUT Published: August 31, 2004
President Bush tried today to stop the political fallout over his comments last weekend that the war on terror might not be winnable. Indeed, �we will win� that war, Mr. Bush told the national convention of the American Legion in Nashville.
Is is better to protect the nation from reality and feign strength than to acknowledge truth and be portrayed as indecisive? Only when you’re weak.
The Electoral College is changing quickly. The latest polls when factored into the elctoral calculus put Bush ahead and with more than the 270 votes. Very interesting change in the matter of weeks. Who knows the reason, but the Swift Boat ads and Kerry’s virtual disappearance from the news coverage in the past few weeks are surely factors.
This may make the “bounce” from the RNC non-existent because it appears to be happening before the convention is even over.
I don’t count Kerry out given his dramatic comeback in the Dem primaries, but his campaign is certainly on the wrong course at the moment.
Although I don’t think anyone was watching last night, this portion of Rudy’s speech caught the right tone:
I don’t believe we’re right about everything and Democrats are wrong. They’re wrong about most things. [Big laugh.] But seriously, neither party has a monopoly on virtue. We don’t have all the right ideas. They don’t have all the wrong ideas. But I do believe there are times in history when our ideas are more necessary and more important and critical and this is one of those times when we are facing war and danger.
I think that tone will play well with any voters who did see it. Later, Giuliani honored Kerry’s military service, and the crowd spontaneously — and genuinely — applauded. That type of response would be unthinkable at a Democratic rally today, but what Democratic operatives don’t understand is that this administration and Republicans generally really do honor military service — it’s not a political posture.
Later, Guiliani criticized Kerry’s record and history of flip-flopping, as Ann Althouse describes:
Bush sticks with his position, and Kerry changes. Kerry voted against the Gulf War, Giuliani says, and when the crowd boos, he ad libs, “Ah! But he must have heard you booing,” because Kerry later supported the war. Giuliani is animated and comical as he talks about Kerry. He quotes Kerry’s famous voted-for-it-voted-against-it line and does a cool New York shrug with perfect timing.
Giuliani remained lighthearted, and no one will be able to say he was nasty, but it’s a bad sign for Dems that Republicans are in a position to mock the opposition.
So far, so good.
m. ferguson makes an interesting point about why america’s conservatives should possibly hope for a kerry victory in november.
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