George W. Bush is criticizing Kerry's patriotism over the $87 billion.

[Eric J in MN]

George W. Bush is criticizing John Kerry's patriotism.

Bush is saying in speeches around the country that Kerry's vote against an $87 billion dollar appropriation for Iraq means Kerry doesn't believe in "supporting our troops."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/17/politics/races/17bush.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1090556147-4RspQ88GDDrbBhCyu5iREA

But when the bill was in Congress, Bush himself said he'd veto the $87 billion if part of it was a loan to Iraq. Bush was determined that every cent of the $87 billion add to our national debt.

Please email newspapers and tv stations when they quote Bush or Cheney's criticism of Kerry over the $87 billion without mentioning the full context, including that Bush threatened to veto the bill he's now using as a test of who is "supporting the troops."


More about the $87 billion at MoveLeft Media:

http://www.moveleft.com/moveleft_essay_2004_07_22_respond_to_bush_deceit_about_the_87_billion_for_Iraq.asp

[gratuitous]

1. Yep, just add a couple of inconvenient facts, and . . .

Demogogue-B-Gone does the rest!

But what do we expect, really? Lil George can't run on the ruins of the Twin Towers. He can't run on the bodies of 900 dead soldiers in Iraq. He can't run on the first presidency to show a net loss of jobs since Herbert Hoover.

So . . . he lies.

[mhollis]

3. Half truths...

gratuitous writes:

"first presidency to show a net loss of jobs since Herbert Hoover"

Actually since Bush, Senior. Hmm. Does this run in the family?

Bush (Junior again, though I like Molly Ivin's name for him better, "Shrub.") today just withdrew support for an extension of tax cuts for the middle class, including the $1,000 child tax credit (it goes down to $600) and the so-called "Marriage Penalty Tax" that double-taxes double-income couples if they are married. Hmm, I wonder how that will play with the Middle Class.

Oh, but the "Death Tax" stays. This means the very wealthy can pass their gains on to their children who didn't earn them.

[tritsofme]

14. Nope, there was a net creation 2.6 million jobs under Poppy

He actually never even went into the red, jobs growth was just abysmal.

So far in junior's term there has been a net loss of 1.087 million jobs.

In order to wipe out the losses by election day an average of 217,000 jobs would need to be created a month.

In order to wipe it out by the time he leaves office in January 2005 we need to created 155,000 jobs a month. This is the more likely scenario, especially after June's disastrous report.

But if he does leave with a jobs deficit, he'd be the first since Herbert Hoover.

[Eric J in MN]

25. We also have a growing population, so we need more than net jobs (nt)

nt

[Tom Kitten]

4. besides, the shrub is lying!

ok, lies of ommission but lies nonetheless!

They're getting desperate early, can you hear their banshees howling already?

[Hippo_Tron]

2. Kerry needs to run a chickenhawk ad

We'll see who America thinks is patriotic after that.

[Bush was AWOL]

5. Man..........................I wish Kerry would have just voted

to fund the troops. Regardless, though, if Bush was so concerned about the troops being funded he should've made sure they were funded before he rushed them in to Iraq.

[Eric J in MN]

7. If Kerry had voted for the $87 billion, then they would have filled in

that part of the speech with another military or CIA aprropriation Kerry had voted against.

We wouldn't want a Senator to become President who votes yes on every military and CIA bill.

[Bush was AWOL]

8. Good point

I'm so sick of hearing about it, even though I think I have my defense on that pretty well covered.

[Jack Rabbit]

6. Jack Rabbit criticizes Bush's patriotism over . . .

• Stealing the 2000 election
• Subverting civil liberties
• Showing more concern for artificial persons than real Americans
  • Allowing energy corporations to rob California rate payers blind
  • Allowing Enron to rob its own employees blind
• Lying about the rationale for war in Iraq.

[Zen Democrat]

9. Everybody voted twice for the $87 billion. Everybody flip-flopped.

Kerry voted for it (the first amendment to pay for the $87 billion by reducing the millionaire tax cut) and voted against the final bill.

The Republicans voted against the bill with the provision to offset with the millionaire tax cut, and voted for the final bill that added the full $87 to the deficit.

So, you could say EVERYBODY FLIP-FLOPPED ... except it was two different bills. (Well, Leiberman may have voted for both bills.)

Kerry could wipe the floor with them by exposing the deliberate distortion here ... and I expect he will.

[Thrill]

10. Why can't Kerry just say

Chimpy was going to veto the bill?

[Zen Democrat]

11. I think that's coming. Lettin' em dig that hole.

[Eric J in MN]

12. I've heard a Kerry spokesman say that ( I don't know which one)

but the reporters who cover Bush speeches usually just report what Bush said without mentioning that Bush threatened to veto the $87 billion he's now using as a test of partiotism.

[DemBones DemBones]

18. The reporters also tell you what Bush* said, then show

a clip of him saying it, then tell you again what he said. Needless to say, they don't give Kerry that much coverage!

:grr: fuckin' media whores :grr:

[Fleshdancer]

19. I agree with you

It's been that bad on cable news for a long time now but I never realized how absent Kerry has been from network news until I canceled my cable a month ago. I got to see something on him when he chose Edwards as his VP, but I honestly haven't seen too much since. If I wasn't glued to my computer, I would have a difficult time remembering there's a PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION in 4 months. Scary.

[Eric J in MN]

24. nearly 3 months (nt)

nt

[Hippo_Tron]

28. Didn't he have to sign it to become law?

So how is this true?

[leesa]

13. This argument is so easy to contradict. If the Dems can't do it they

deserve to lose. Bush has repeatedly raped the troops for $$$.

[Fleshdancer]

15. How much of that money went straight to Halliburton???

Then there's the billions of dollars that's unaccounted for, but that news is sooo last month. :eyes:

I can't stand these people.

[CaTeacher]

16. this topic is soooo old. Bush needs to just get over

this and put it in the past!

[Fleshdancer]

17. it's a little fun watching him attack Kerry on crap no one cares about

Well gee, Kerry didn't automatically sign off on 87 BILLION dollars for a war to get those nasty weapons of mass destruction that don't exist??? BASTARD!

He's such a....a...a....an unpatriotic war hero! So there. Vote for Bush. ha ha ha ha

[napi21]

20. I would have voted against the 87 B too, but for different reason.

I even contacted my Sens and Rep to question WHAT this $$ was going to buy. I'm tired of paying too much for everything! I asked them not to vote for this bill because the few expenses I saw were grossly over stated! The cost of garbage trucks, and everything else were absured. I don't view that as being against the troops, but trying to get the best bang for our bucks.

[Eric J in MN]

26. Bush gave Congress just 53 pages to account for the $87 billion.

Congress should have demanded thousands of pages.

[Hippo_Tron]

29. As we saw in F/911, congress doesn't like to do much reading

:eyes:

[Hippo_Tron]

30. Isn't that the reason Kerry voted against it?

He didn't want to give Bush a blank check per se.

[MadProphetMargin]

21. That's okay, because *I* am questioning GWB's patriotism because

he got us involved in a war that is MORE un-American than even Vietnam.

The tard has GOT to go.

[bobbyboucher]

22. When Kerry voted for it, why didn't it pass?

Cause the defecit spending repugnicants voted AGAINST it.

[deacon]

23. An AWOL man doesn't support the troops, or one who cuts soldier

salaries, shuts down vet hospitals, lies and gets them killed. How exactly does Bush support the troops? By undermanning a mission? By underfunding their mission? By having them under equipped and undertrained?

[blm]

27. Mr. Bush, explain how going AWOL was YOUR way of supporting the troops.

Please...take your time.

[Eric J in MN]

31. if only you were asking the questions at the debates (nt)

nt