Bush to rely on attack as best form of defense (Guardian)

[JoFerret]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1322354,00.html

George Bush plans to unleash a withering attack on his Democratic challenger in their debate rematch in Missouri tonight, scourging John Kerry's record in the Senate to argue that he would be a dangerous leader.
With the opinion polls suggesting that Mr Kerry's triumph in the first presidential debate last week has made it a closer race, President Bush cannot afford to let him win another round.

The Republican strategy presumes that a high-octane attack on Mr Kerry's fitness for office will deflect attention from Mr Bush's performance as the incumbent and put the Democrats on the defensive. That will handicap Democratic efforts to put the spotlight on Mr Bush's conduct of the war in Iraq.

The urgency of the president's redirection mission grew on Wednesday when Charles Duelfer, the CIA's weapons inspector, concluded that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction, destroying the administration's justification for the invasion of Iraq. Mr Bush conceded the absence of WMD yesterday, but insisted "we were right to take action" against Saddam because he had the "means and intent" to produce banned weapons.

<more>

[A-Schwarzenegger]

1. Yeah, right.

Makes me think of that tough guy character on MadTV
who when it comes time to fight slaps ineffectually
at his foe a few times and then falls down to the ground
in a puddle...

[JoFerret]

3. Well, they can try....

.

[bemildred]

2. Yep, going to punch him in the knee, hard ... nt

[saigon68]

27. HE WILL COME OFF LIKE THIS !!!!

[bemildred]

32. This one's for you, Saigon:

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

[saigon68]

41. THANKS---ITS JUST GREAT !!!!

[edbermac]

4. If Shrub wants to compare Kerry's record against his, I say one thing...

BRING IT ON!!!

Kerry will need more than 90 minutes to detail your screw-ups; and that's just on Iraq...

You bloodied him last time John, Friday night is KNOCKOUT time!!

:spank:

[skordane]

9. No, 7 and a Half Things

Minutes that is

[xxqqqzme]

5. he's gonna what?

whine louder?

If this is saurove's strategy, it is pathetic - like squatter's got a record 2 boast about.

[BayCityProgressive]

7. I think

Iam the only one here actually worried about this debate. i think the persident will use tons of horrible lies and could put Kerry on the defense. Of course the media will only care about how good bush looks and not his substance.

[Steelangel]

10. Ditto. you are not the only one feels that way.

[fearnobush]

11. No, I worry before every debate. But this could indeed backfire

on the Chimp. He is suppose to be likeble and pleasent in public. This attack mode may play very well in to Kerry's "out of touch" card.

[kysrsoze]

16. Yeah, if he can get that kind of baseless crap out of his mouth at all

He was stammering so hard - the idiot couldn't talk. Kerry's gonna take him down HARD. You know they're preparing for anything and everything.

[venus]

46. Hubby thinks Bush will look good for about the first 30 minutes

but then go down in flames because he doesn't know how to fight for anything. Fingers crossed. The pundits on NPR are already saying Bush will et high marks tonight in the Town Hall setting.

[UpInArms]

23. I wonder if his earpiece cord will show

[acmavm]

6. So all we can expect from Fearless Leader is another night of 'terra'

the world is a safer place without Saddam, I would do it all again, and things are great in Iraq now that we killed all those damn terrorists.

Why doesn't the baboon just make a tape loop and make faces as he plays the damn thing over and over and over again. It's all he's got, and it's just lies and bullshit.

I don't think for one minute that Kerry is at any disadvantage, especially after the news that's come out this week. In fact, he's probably got the advantage over bush* simply because of what's come out this week.

A 'high octane attack'? Somehow I don't think this is gonna fly.

Hope someone sent the Kerry campaign the letter from the mother of that marine who's letter was published in Truthout today. That should take the wind out of Georgie Boys sails. Support the troops with no body armor or flak jackets and then billing them (marines) for 'equipment. Puts quite a different slant on the term 'support the troops'.

[pinkpops]

8. Since there will be questions from the audience (screened by

Charlie Gibson yuk) the candidates will have to at least try to give the appearance of answering them before jumping over to talking points. It would seem that Kerry will be more nimble at this. With Bush, I am thinking of the scenes in Tootsie when Dustin Hoffman's characted begins to ad-lib on live TV while the director and crew hang onto their seats.

[Mad_Dem_X]

37. "Don't...don't...don't panic..."

"Move the camera in closer."

"NOT TOO CLOSE!" :hi:

[neomonkey]

12. "Withering"

Who the fuck fed the Guardian this tripe?

"Bush has got to pretend that his weaknesses don't exist, and he has to emphasise that Kerry is a weak leader," said Dave Robertson, a politics professor at the University of Missouri

OK, can someone tell me how this would be
any different from the Idiot King we've known
for 4 years?

[takumi]

35. Preemption Didn't Work Out for Iraq Nor Will It for this Debate!

[Chicago Democrat]

13. Bush is the Incumbent! This Election is about HIS RECORD!!!!

All I have to say is "Bring it ON!!"

Be assured my beloved fellow Democrats, no matter how bad you think Kerry is, HE IS COMPETANT! Bush truly is outclassed and has no true thing to stand on..

[David Dunham]

21. That is correct. Bush will lose the debate.

[are_we_united_yet]

14. Oh

Edit: I though this was referring to his pre-emptive war strategy.

[hlthe2b]

15. Yeah right... Bush* takes on a former prosecutor......

and puts him on the defense? He may try.....

[thecrow]

17. Ahhhh good...

It will be a delight to see Smirky implode on live tv.
<popping corn>
:toast:

[progressivebydesign]

18. Bush and Rove are in full attack mode and can't go back. It's a good thing

My take? I think America has tired of the negative bullshit from them. Bush was supposed to be the likable fellow, and he fell flat in the debates.. coming off as a mean-spirited ignoramus. Cheney, who actually appear semi-likable in his 2000 debates, came off as even meaner and sleazier. Then.. Bush dupe the cable outlets into covering his "policy" speech, which is a blistering attack, and more juvenile name-calling against Kerry. NOW Bush is planning to continue with the Bush/Cheney Assholes for America 2004 theme tomorrow night?

WTF is Rove thinking? Mean isn't working. People want answers, and Kerry is moving ahead because the attacks are backfiring, as I knew they would.

Kerry has to do nothing but be intelligent, sincere, informed, and strong in the debate. Guess what? That is WHO HE IS. He won't pull a Bush or Cheney and become some evil creature all of a sudden. He has shown the world who he is. Bush is making the mistake of wasting precious time for undecideds to gauge him and his plans, instead opting for personal destruction. Kerry has NOTHING to prove. Bush will not win people over by managing to function like a normal human being this time.. and especially while being a prick. How does he plan to launch these "withering attacks" if he's responding to town hall questions? This could be the funniest thing of all.

People LOVE town hall formats because they WANT information about the candidates, NOT attacks about the other guy. I hope Kerry also realizes this.. and does not spend all his time attacking, either. People loved what they saw in him last time. He won because HE WON, not because Bush was scary and mean.

[FormerOstrich]

20. Yes!!

We posted at the same time...glad to see you think the same way..you explained it much more eloquently. Thanks!

[n2mark]

24. Don't give too much credit to the Amercan people

they love it when people are being personally attacked.

[saigon68]

26. They are SHEEP who love to see Scott Peterson Squirm

They would love to see a good electrocution live on TV maybe a real live castration of a rapist too. All lot of them would have loved to work at Auschwitz getting rid of those pesky "Sub-Humans"

[cliss]

30. Good point.

The Town Hall format is completely inappropriate for a testosterone fist-pounding, screamfest. Although Karl Rove might approve. He seems to feel he's such a good judge of the American character.

Isn't it interesting how they phrase these new lines of attack, "new mode" or "new format", it's like they have to keep re-inventing BeelzeBush. I've seen recent photos of Bush out on his speeches, and his face looks ridiculous. There's a gaping hole for his mouth, and his fist is swiping in mid-air. His eyes have an intense look on them, as if to convey passion, or dedication. He just comes off looking like a possessed fool. Get him an exorcist.

[Mad_Dem_X]

39. Exactly Right!!!

(((applause!)))

:thumbsup:

[FormerOstrich]

19. Wrong format....

this is a townhall forum debate...not like last week and not like next week. I think success will be measured by connecting with the person asking the question.

I think scrimping on the answering and launching an attack on the other won't play well. So *...you go for it baby. Kerry needs to answer the questions...get the zings in subtle as part of the on-topic response. The hammer comes out next week. Warm and fuzzy this week.......IMHO

[Thurston Howell IV]

25. Agreed

I agree about the inappropriateness of the format for hardcore attacks. So Bush could really screw himself here by being too aggressive, and not answering the average joe's questions.

But it seems that Kerry needs to address the attacks in some manner. While at the same time "feeling the pain" of the questioners. It will be an interesting juggling act.

[Insomnicole]

22. How do you spell "desperate"?

D-U-B-Y-A.

Not to say it might not pay off for him, because who the hell knows what the SCLM will choose to focus on, but these people sound increasingly panicked.

[truthisfreedom]

28. attack? *snort* ...read "smear"...

[gavodotcom]

29. CATASTROPHIC SUCCESS! ...for five minutes...

allowing 85 minutes of--let me finish--Kerry come-backs. Oh, and Poland.

[The_Casual_Observer]

31. This approach will fail. At this point people want to hear some good news

or at least the promise of good news. This kind of shit will backfire on the bastard and make him look even worse (if that is possible).

[info being]

33. Kerry can destroy him with one sentence:

"It says a lot about the character of a man when he has 4 years to show what he's capable of, and then when its time to back it up, he attacks the challenger."

[SammyWinstonJack]

40. Oh! That's good!

:evilgrin: The Chimp would fold on that one.

[PATRICK]

34. Just posted that!

But the Guardian neglects the ineffectual performance of this tactic by Cheney. They'd have to be real stubborn to stick to that one while Kerry is free to win the debate again.

Rove must be wondering why all his options are dumb. Then again he might be wishing Bush had a smarter twin.

[takumi]

36. Preemption didn't work for Iraq NOR will it for this Debate!

Sorry Bushy!

[slinkerwink]

38. Here's how Kerry should respond

"All the personal attacks on me won't change the fact that more Americans are uninsured, that over a thousand of our young men and women are dead in Iraq, that over a million jobs have been lost, all on this president's watch."

[sangh0]

42. Good!! It will only reinforce the "bush* angry" meme

He is attacking because he's mad that he lost the first debate.

[jbond56]

43. Kerry's response to shrub attack

"Folks the Bush Doctrine is in full force tonight your witness to a preemptive attack based on lies."

Smile at him and say

"This election is about Credibility."

[killbotfactory]

44. Bush just loves to attack

Too bad he sucks at the followthrough...

[Barrett808]

45. Bring it on, Monkey Boy

I am so hoping Kerry puts him away tonight.