A close look at Bush's forgotten promises of the 2000 debates

[G_j]

http://www.motherjones.com/news/dailymojo/2004/09/09_526.html

September 30, 2004

Debating Dubya
As John Kerry and George W. Bush get down to business in their series of three debates, it's worth taking a look back at the 2000 debates for a reminder of the positions Bush took in his three contests with Al Gore.

A number of the topics Bush and Gore spent much of their time debating -- the RU486 pill, the electoral defeat of Slobodan Milosevic, hate-crimes laws -- are unlikely to come up in this round, Kerry would do well to hold Bush accountable for some of his statements on other issues.

For example, Bush spent a fair portion of the 2000 debates criticizing the Clinton administration's "overstretching" of the military and deriding the practice of "nation building." Here are his responses from all three 2000 debates about when U.S. forces should be deployed:


"Well, if it's in our vital national interests. And that means whether or not our territory is threatened or people could be harmed, whether or not our defense alliances are threatened, whether or not our friends in the Middle East are threatened. That would be a time to seriously consider the use of force. Secondly, whether or not the mission was clear, whether or not it was a clear understanding as to what the mission would be. Thirdly, whether or not we were prepared and trained to win; whether or not our forces were of high morale and high standing and well-equipped. And finally, whether or not there was an exit strategy." (First debate, 10/3/00)

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THE DAILY MIS-LEAD
< www.Misleader.org >
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BUSH MISLED NATION IN LAST DEBATES

As President Bush takes the stage tonight for the 2004 presidential debates, America will be reminded of all the promises Bush made - and subsequently broke - in his debate performances throughout 2000.

In a 2000 debate, Bush said that "by far the vast majority go to the bottom end of the economic ladder." According to the nonpartisan Citizens for Tax Justice, when his tax cuts are fully implemented in 2010, the top 5 percent of income earners will get more than half the tax cuts while the bottom half of Americans will receive less than 8 percent of the benefits.<1>

In a 2000 debate, Bush said he believed gay marriage is a state issue.<2> Then in 2004, he proposed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.<3>

In a 2000 debate, Bush promised not to overuse the military, saying "if we don't stop extending our troops all around the world and nation building missions, then we're going to have a serious problem coming down the road, and I'm going to prevent that."<4> Now, because of Bush's actions in Iraq and efforts to cut soldiers' pay,<5> the military is facing recruitment gaps,<6> morale problems,<7> and troops who are stretched far too thin.<8>

Sources:

1. "Details on the Bush Tax Cuts so far," Citizens for Tax Justice, Fall 2003, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1333383&l=59934 .
2. "Transcript of the South Carolina Republican Debate," CNN.com, 2/15/00,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1333383&l=59935 .
3. "President Calls for Constitutional Amendment Protecting Marriage," The White House, 2/24/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1333383&l=59936 .
4. "The First Presidential Election Debate," AustralianPolitics.com, 10/03/00, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1333383&l=59937 .
5. "Troops in Iraq face pay cut Pentagon says tough duty bonuses are budget-buster," San Francisco Chronicle, 8/14/03, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1333383&l=59938 .
6. "Numbers Challenge," ABCNews.com, 6/02/04, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1333383&l=59939 .
7. "Troop morale in Iraq hits 'rock bottom'," Christian Science Monitor, 6/07/03, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1333383&l=59940 .
8. "Is the Army stretched too thin?," NBC Nightly News, 3/09/04, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1333383&l=59941 .

Visit www.Misleader.org for more about Bush Administration distortion. »

[G_j]

1. kick

[Supersedeas]

2. 2000-if we don't stop extending our troops; 04-hard love for widows

[donkeyotay]

3. So, clearly we didn't go into Iraq on a nation-building exercise

We went because they were a threat and not to free them.

And he went on to say in that first debate:

"I would take the use of force very seriously. I would be guarded in my approach. I don’t think we can be all things to all people in the world. I think we’ve got to be very careful when we commit our troops. The vice president believes in nation-building. I would be very careful about using our troops as nation builders."

People should refresh themselves with the moron from 2000. Why let them get away with the 9-11 changed everything bullshit? They still expect Kerry to be judged by his record.

[G_j]

6. slightly different

than the 'horny for war president' we ended up with. :eyes:

[Awsi Dooger]

4. I reviewed the 2000 debates and sent a list of Bush promises to the media

That was in early summer. Sent them to all the major networks other than FOX plus several newspapers. I specifically alerted Countdown and Hardball and Real Time and The Daily Show. Nothing seemed to happen. I did not receive a single reply. I was on vacation and away from internet/media for more than a month in July/August, so there could have been something in that period but I doubt it.

[donkeyotay]

5. Oh here's the quote from 2000 that is true and consistent

Governor Bush addresses the foreign policy issue in an interview by Jim Lehrer on “The Newshour,” 04/27/2000

BUSH: I'd rate myself very strong on education, fiscal policy, domestic issues that I've lived with as governor, and I would rate myself as somebody who is going to have the best foreign policy team. But I'm a fast learner, and listen, I'm not going to play like I've been a person who's spent hours involved with foreign policy. I am who I am. (Didn't god say that?)

http://www.vote-smart.org/speech_detail.php?speech_id=924&keyword=2000+election&phrase=&contain=

[G_j]

8. pretty scary

"best foreign policy team"

you mean the PNAC crew George?

[donkeyotay]

7. and here he is channeling his post 9-11 self

Remarks made at a campaign rally at the Kansas City Airport, 02/22/2000 by Governor George W. Bush:

I can't wait to talk about my message to make sure that we restore the military to keep the peace. (Cheers and applause.) I'm a cold-eyed realist when it comes to the world. This is still a world of uncertainty. It's an uncertain world. But we're certain of certain things. We're certain that even though the Evil Empire may have passed, evil still remains. We're certain there are people who cannot stand what America stands for. They resent our successes. They resent our freedoms. And we're certain that there are madmen and missiles and terror.

http://www.vote-smart.org/speech_detail.php?speech_id=782&keyword=2000+election&phrase=&contain

He certainly was certain about that.