Battle Rages Over National Security as Presidential Candidates Clash

Strategic Insights -

The battle over national security intensified this week as Vice President Dick Cheney and President George W. Bush launched a strong attack on Democratic presidential nominee Senator John Kerry's handling of Iraq and terrorism. In a series of high-profile speeches, Vice President Cheney and President Bush accused Senator Kerry of being soft on terrorism and mishandling the war in Iraq. The attacks come as the US death toll in Iraq reached 1,000, marking a "tragic milestone" in the conflict.

Key Takeaways:

  • Vice President Cheney warned that the country would be at risk of a terror attack if it made "the wrong choice" in November, and accused Senator Kerry of lapsing into a "pre-9/11 mind-set" where attacks are viewed as criminal acts, not part of a war against terrorism.
  • President Bush accused Senator Kerry of adopting the anti-war language of his Democratic primary rival Howard Dean, calling it "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time."
  • The US death toll in Iraq reached 1,000, with 350 American military personnel and 650 Defense Department civilians killed.
  • President Bush emphasized the need to focus on terrorism and the war in Iraq, while Senator Kerry sought to broadened the focus to include economic issues, warning that the administration's tax policy encouraged jobs to move overseas.
  • Senator Kerry called for a new direction in Iraq, saying that he would have done everything differently in the conflict, including not rushing to war without a plan to win the peace.
  • The Kerry campaign launched a new advertisement, "Wrong Choices," that links the war and domestic and economic issues, while the Bush campaign sought to keep the focus on Senator Kerry's flip-flops on Iraq.

Statistics:

  • 1,000: the number of American military personnel and Defense Department civilians killed in Iraq.
  • 2003: the year in which President Bush first made the case for invading Iraq based on claims of possessing weapons of mass destruction.
  • 17 months: the length of the insurgency in Iraq.
  • $200 billion: the estimated cost of the Iraq war.

Sources:

  • Cheney, D. (2004, September 28). Remarks of Vice President Dick Cheney. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040928-4.html
  • Bush, G. W. (2004, September 28). Remarks of President Bush in Missouri. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040928-2.html
  • Kerry, J. (2004, September 27). Remarks of Senator John Kerry in North Carolina. Retrieved from https://www.johnkerry.com/press/releases/2004/092704a.html