A 'Straight Shooter' Takes Hits - Ronald Brownstein - LA Times

[Trajan]

A 'Straight Shooter' Takes Hits

An inability to explain away Bush's Iraq-Africa gaffe may take a toll on the president's image.

By Ronald Brownstein
Times Staff Writer

July 27, 2003

WASHINGTON — Shifting stories and new revelations concerning the administration's prewar allegations about Iraq's nuclear program are creating the most serious challenge to President Bush's credibility since he took office — and perhaps since he entered politics.

Throughout his career, Bush's reputation as a plain-spoken "straight shooter" has been central to his political appeal. But Bush and his aides have provided an opening for Democrats to assail that reputation through tangled efforts to explain why his State of the Union address in January contained an accusation that Iraq had attempted to purchase uranium in Africa — a charge the administration now says it cannot prove and should not have included in the speech.

From both Capitol Hill and the campaign trail, Democrats are questioning the administration's veracity more aggressively than at any point in Bush's term — using incendiary language like "credibility gap" and "cover-up" that attempt to link Bush to other presidents who lost the nation's trust, such as Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.

"This administration has displayed a disregard for the truth while engaging in a pattern of deception, running from the war in Iraq to the state of the nation's economy, its environment and its schools," Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean charged Friday in Des Moines.

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[punpirate]

1. It's the height of hilarity, in a way...

... to say that a Bush has depended upon a reputation for truth, but, it is true--every one of them have depended upon that image, though reality intrudes at times. If one goes back to Bush's campaign pledges, there's enough dissembling there to make one remark about Niger yellowcake seem trifling.

For years, ever since Bush was first running for governor of Texas, Molly Ivins has been saying, "watch what he does, not what he says." If more people had taken that advice, much of what's happened in the last couple of years would be a non-issue today.

And, then, there's the wisdom of George H.W. Bush informing his son: "There's no profit in the truth."

Cheers.

[msanger]

2. added to "Daily list of lies"

at we TRY to keep track of all his lies, but its a tough job. so many lies, so little time.

michel

[izzie]

3. I hope Dean keeps it up and time for Kerry to add his voice.

Then lets see if Bush does his months vcation. He will want to so he shows this is not getting to him but leaving now will be folly I do believe.This is what his father did, so we saw him talking while sitting on golf carts and mad he was being held up as more people lost their jobs and men were at war in the Middle East. Can this Bush be this stuped and he is sure to add raising money to his vacation.