Tag: Election 2004

Waving the Bloody Shirt.

Team Dubya unveil their 4-part 2004 electoral strategy: 1) visit NYC, 2) wallow in 9-11 nostalgia, 3) invoke the never-ending war, and then 4) spend money like it’s going out of style. I dunno…I could see a WTC memorial campaign seriously backfiring, particularly if the economy is in the toilet. And a late start by Dubya should give the Democratic candidate some time to get his (or her) house in order after what’s sure to be an ugly primary. Speaking of which, on the other side of the aisle, the nine Dems will be holding their first debate next week on ABC…It begins.

Meanwhile, in 2004.

Kerry’s got the loot, Lieberman’s spending too much, Edwards is bleeding support (I’m not sure if losing Shrum is a negative), and, even among nine candidates, Florida Senator Bob Graham has come up with a novel position on the Middle East: He’s against the war in Iraq, for a war in Syria. And we’ve got eighteen months to go, folks.

By George, he’s right.

“During his presidential campaign Bush cried, ‘I’m a uniter, not a divider.’ As one critic put it, ‘He’s got that right. He’s united the entire world against him.'” George McGovern goes house on Dubya, and it’s definitely worth a gander. (Via Looka.) And, if Dubya approaches his religion with anything more than born-again zeal, perhaps he’ll take a moment’s reflection on this: “We will, of course, win the war with Iraq. But what of the question raised in the Bible that both George Bush and I read: ‘What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul,’ or the soul of his nation?“

Kerrying a Torch.

Continuing with his newfound Chris-Rock-in-Head-of-State candor, John Kerry announces he will only appoint pro-choice Supreme Court justices if elected. (He also takes the time to differentiate between political “litmus tests” and the defense of constitutional rights.) Kerry’s really onto something lately with the whole anti-Gore, Straight-Talk-Express bit…let’s hope it continues.

Over Here.

To the vast credit of our armed forces, the Iraq war now seems to be going as well as it possibly can. (As I’ve said several times before, I fear the Iraqi peace will be somewhat tougher.) But the Bushies aren’t in the clear yet. For, despite all the work Karl Rove’s doing to paint Dubya as Eisenhower for the reelection campaign, it’s still the economy, stupid. And despite our military successes outside Baghdad, the deficit is soaring, the GOP is repudiating their own budget, and the economy is now clearly poised for the Dubya-dip. Like father, like son?

Rallying the Troops.

“The Republicans have tried to make a practice of attacking anybody who speaks out strongly by questioning their patriotism. I refuse to have my patriotism or right to speak out questioned. I fought for and earned the right to express my views in this country.” John Kerry presses the attack against the gaggle of GOP flaks (with no military experience) casting anti-American aspersions his way, and as a result is now screaming back up the Murphometer. Unlike Daschle, Kerry seems to have learned not to back down after stating the obvious. Let’s hope it’s the start of a trend among Democratic Presidential candidates. Update: Salon posts the text of Kerry’s speech: “I don’t need any lessons in patriotism from the likes of Tom DeLay.” Fellow Dems, this is cause for hope.

Nothing Succeeds like Failure.

Daschle catches flak from Dubya’s yes-men for stating the patently obvious – that this administration’s amateurish diplomacy has embarrassed us before the world and led us to the brink of a globally unpopular, non-UN-sanctioned war. (And as David Chess pointed out by way of Medley, “the idea that the U.S. must defy the U.N. in order to punish Iraq for defying the U.N. is simply absurd.“) Of course, Daschle’s comments notwithstanding, there’s also a convincing case to be made (as Maureen Dowd does here) that the Bushies wanted diplomacy to fail from the very beginning, so as to further weaken the UN’s international standing. Inept or corrupt…take your pick. Update: Kerry gets involved as well, although, in what’s becoming a troubling pattern, he’s hedged his bets a bit.

Running Scared.

Two choice nuggets from Follow Me Here: 1) Frantically afraid of even remotely tough questions, the Bushies have declared war on Helen Thomas (and the Washington Post.) 2) A new poll has Dubya losing to a theoretical Democrat in 2004. Of course, it’s putting this theory in practice that will be the main problem for the Dems next year.