Kerry Tackles Domestic Issues, Bush Tackles Kerry

[DrFunkenstein]

President Bush and John F. Kerry head toward their final debate on Wednesday night pursuing divergent strategies, with Bush seeking to discredit his rival on terrorism and taxes while rallying his conservative base, and with Kerry aiming at swing voters with stepped-up attention to domestic issues.

The central tension of the campaign was on clear display at the St. Louis debate, with Kerry determined to keep voters focused on what he called the failures of Bush's Iraq and economic policies and with Bush trying to force a close look at Kerry's past positions on Iraq and a 20-year record in the Senate that the president has characterized as mediocre.

With Bush pinned down by troublesome news about his Iraq policies, Kerry has tried to use the debates to boost his acceptability as a potential commander in chief and win the election with a strong focus on issues such as health care, the economy and stem cell research, where his advisers believe his positions are more popular than Bush's.

Bush plans to question Kerry's promise in Friday's debate never to raise taxes for Americans making less than $200,000 by citing the Democrat's past votes for tax increases, an aide said. Privately, Republicans say this was one of Kerry's more effective lines in the debate and one that could soothe voter concerns about Democrats raising taxes over the next four years. The president will continue to talk more about what he says are flaws in Kerry's plans rather than focusing on Bush's agenda on health care and taxes.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1802&e=6&u=/washpost/20041010/ts_washpost/a20881_2004oct9



The Bush campaign's complete inability to adjust to changing circumstances in the race is demonstrated in the one change they have made: instead of a flip-flopper, Kerry is now consistently liberal. I guess that means that his first position is always the conservative one, otherwise this makes zero sense.

[teach1st]

1. Give the President a break!

Furious George obviously can't run on his record or the issues. He's got to talk about something. Plus, maybe lying about Kerry gives Bush wood.

[NVMojo]

2. that headline says it all!