Iraq, Service Put Bush on Defensive

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040213/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_on_the_defensive&cid=544&ncid=1480

WASHINGTON - A growing stack of problems, from questions about his military record to faulty intelligence about Iraq (news - web sites), has thrown President Bush (news - web sites) on the defensive, driven down his poll ratings and caused Republicans to fret.

If the election were held today, Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) would beat Bush, according to some polls that are causing GOP anxiety. snip

The credibility problems became noticeable last month when Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill asserted that Bush began laying the groundwork to invade Iraq just days after taking office in 2001. Then former weapons inspector David Kay came out with his headline-grabbing conclusion that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) did not have the weapons of mass destruction that Bush claimed he had as America went to war.


"Obviously there have been some severe jolts to his credibility and it's showing up in a bunch of polls," said Mark Schulman, who conducts national surveys and is not attached to any candidate.

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[JoFerret]

1. Bob Herbert and Paul Krugman

both have cracking columns on Bush today in the NYTimes. Herbert gives a great summary of the Guard story and why it matters; Krugman connects it with the budget and everything else.

[waterman]

2. How long did they think they could get away with this crap anyway?

"The credibility problems became noticeable last month" ..... um...I think it was probably much, much earlier than that for most people with a glint of a clue.