Bush Campaign Seizes on Kerry's Iraq Remark, Tapping into New Nuance in Presidential Election

As President George W. Bush traveled through Florida's conservative Panhandle, he told supporters that Senator John Kerry's recent comment on Iraq had given him a new backer for his decision to invade the country. Mr. Bush cited Mr. Kerry's statement that he would have voted to grant authority for the war even if he had known no weapons of mass destruction would be found, characterizing it as a shift in position and an acknowledgement of administration policy being correct.

Mr. Kerry, however, maintained that his vote had not signaled his favoring the way the president acted, but rather that he thought the president needed sufficient credibility to deal with Saddam Hussein. Mr. Kerry also argued that the Senate vote was necessary to arm the president with credibility. In a rally in Las Vegas, Mr. Kerry said he had been consistent in his stance and emphasized the importance of doing things "right."

Key Takeaways:

• President Bush seized on Senator John Kerry's comment that he would have voted for the war in Iraq even if no weapons of mass destruction were found, portraying it as a shift in Kerry's position.
• Kerry argued that his vote had not signaled his favoring the way Bush acted in Iraq, but rather that he thought the president needed credibility to deal with Saddam Hussein.
• The two campaigns engaged in a war of words over the economy, with the Kerry campaign blaming Bush's tax cuts for increasing the federal budget deficit and the Bush campaign accusing Kerry of failing to provide a clear plan to pay for his proposals.
• Senator John McCain, an occasional thorn in the side of the administration, appeared with Bush in Florida, introducing him as strong on national security.
• Bush criticized Kerry and his running mate, Senator John Edwards, for their votes against funding for Iraq and Afghanistan.

Statistics:

• The Senate vote to grant authority for the war in Iraq occurred five months before the war began.
• Senator Kerry's vote was necessary if the president was to be armed with enough credibility to deal with Saddam Hussein.
• The federal budget deficit has been increased drastically due to Bush's tax cuts, according to the Kerry campaign.

Sources:

• The New York Times, "Bush Campaign Seizes on Kerry's Iraq Remark, Tapping into New Nuance in Presidential Election"
• The New York Times, "Kerry Camp Says Bush Tax Cuts Left Country with $2 Trillion Burden"