Bush Faults Kerry Over Iraq; Kerry Pivots To Economy [View All]

[KittyWampus]

Please read final paragraph for the "pay-off".

snip

Kerry... said in the debate that Bush made a ``colossal'' error by failing to exhaust other options before waging war. Campaigning in Florida today, Kerry... shifted his focus to Bush's stewardship of the economy as he prepares for the next debate Oct. 8 in St. Louis.

Kerry said Bush's tax cuts shortchanged programs to protect the U.S. from terrorist attacks. ``He says I don't know
how you're going to pay for all that,'' Kerry told a rally in Tampa. ``This is from a president who created a tax gap
by providing tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans instead of investing in homeland security.''

snip

... Kerry won last night's debate by as much as 16 percentage points.

snipping out of glowing poll numbers for Kerry

Bush isn't used to such encounters because ``with the exception of one or two press conferences over the last year he hasn't faced tough questions from a skeptical person,'' Kerry adviser Joe Lockhart said. ``He never sees anybody but handpicked Republican supporters. That eventually takes a toll. He is insulated.''

Bush's ``constant smirking'' during the debate reflected ``frustration and I guess petulance that somehow, someone would dare to challenge his record,'' Lockhart said.

snip

Bush, in his Allentown speech, said ``the use of troops to defend America must never be subject to a veto by countries like France.'' France opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

A day after criticizing Kerry's comments about allies, Bush ``goes out and ridicules an important ally, a member of NATO, a country that has stood with us on many issues,'' Lockhart told reporters during a conference call. The comment shows the president ``has got his own problems,'' Lockhart said.

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a8tKrfh0PqqQ&refer=us