Trippi: "Likely target, Bush debate attack: Kerry's "no" vote, Gulf War 1"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5445086/

The likely target for George Bush to launch his attack will be John Kerry’s “NO” vote against Gulf War I.

In an attempt to further question Kerry’s ability to lead, and to further depict Kerry as a flip-flopper, George Bush will likely ask Kerry to square his vote in opposition to Gulf War I with this vote in support of Gulf War II.

Bush will use the specter of Saddam’s Army crashing through Kuwait, massing on the Saudi Arabian border, his willingness to launch Scud missile attacks on Israel, multinational support, and troops from Muslim countries on the frontlines and ask Kerry why when Saddam was visibly such an imminent threat at the time that even Al Gore and Howard Dean supported Gulf War I – the Senator from Massachusetts opposed it.

I have a deep respect for John Kerry’s debating skills but as Frank Rich said on MSNBC’s Hardball show when Chris Mathews asked him this same question “John Kerry better have a damn good answer to that question.”

[NewYorkerfromMass]

1. And here's proof we needed more time before Gulf War I

the Kuwaiti oil wells were not secured and were allowed to be torched.

[Kahuna]

2. Kerry's response: Our national security was not at issue in 1991.

nt

[Leilani]

3. I posted this theory the other day

because if Kerry attacks Bush for not building a coalition, Bush will come back with Kerrys no vote on Gulf War I.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

6. So what would your response be to that if you were Kerry?

Assuming Joe Trippi is right, and the question is "make-or-break."

[Leilani]

20. I really don t know what a good answer is.

J17 started a thread the other day, asking what Bush would use against Kerry in the debates, & I posted that because I see it as a problem.

Kerry can say that Bush Senior exaggerated the situation, or that he wanted more time for diplomacy, but Hussein had invaded Iraq.

Quite honestly, I believe Kerrys honest impulse is to vote against using military force, but on Iraq this time, he voted politically.

If I was a Senator, I would have voted yes on Gulf War I & no on IWR, the exact opposite of Kerrys vote.

[Union Thug]

4. Sidenote: Massing on the saudi border?

Funny how there are two different satellite photos of this alleged occurance that tell different stories. Maybe Bush could bring up the babies being thrown out of their incubators onto the floor by the Iraqi troops, as well.

[Radio-Active]

14. "babies thrown out of the incubators"

I'm sure you realized this.. but that was a lie used for great propaganda effect.

[Bandit]

18. Whoop right over the head

You do realize he was talking about the "Massing at the Saudi border" as also being a big propaganda LIE as well. That was the reason the babies were even mentioned. If one lie is to be brought up why not some of the other one's as well like the babies being thrown out of incubators. :shrug:

[Radio-Active]

19. thanks, I had not heard about this..

will do a search

[Union Thug]

23. Sorry, my sarcasm sometimes gets in the way...

..of my clarity. Yes, I was referring to the saudi border as yet another line of propaganda fed to us by the war pigs in the Bush I admin.

[still_one]

5. all Kerry has to say is the flip/flop bush I did

First he had our ambassodor to Iraq tell Saddam we wouldn't do anything thing if they invaded Kuwaitt, then when they started to, the whole bush administration suddently changed their minds

In addition, it was bush I along with Cheneny and PNAC who helped arm Saddam with weapons that were used to kill Shiites and Kurds in Iraq

Kerry's main reason for voting no at that time was because he wanted to give diplomacy more of a chance to work

As far as those talking heads on hardball, maybe their children will get a chance to see Iraq

[Kolesar]

11. April Glaspie was the "diplomat" or should I say "messenger" eom

[LuminousX]

7. Kerry's position is consistent

The vote regarding Gulf War was for war. The recent vote was to autorize the President to essentially make plans for war - strengthening the hand of the President. Two entirely different resolutions.

[Radio-Active]

15. YES!

this would be a great opportunity for Kerry to clarify what the vote for IWR really was!

[DrFunkenstein]

8. Bush I Earned Kerry's Respect By Putting Together A Real Military Campaign

He misguidedly used that respect with Bush II, who literally couldn't have done a worse job.

[AmerDem]

9. Kerry needs to hit shrub with PNAC and the scandals

His team have been part of. He has hit these issues hard and often. Hell, no one is talking about any of it and it's at the core of why we went into Iraq.

I still shake my head in disbelief over this!

[Raya]

10. Kerry is truly a RELUCTANT WARRIOR. Sadly, folks want a vicious killer.

[seabeyond]

12. i called this one

i wanted kerry to get ahead of it and define himself before bushco did

people dont know shit about kerry. this is going to confuse them

[seabeyond]

17. my cousin vinny

this is all vinnie.

didnt trust them in '91. k they did it. i learned. i will trust bush to do the same.........f*ck he f* up. go figure. now gotta fix the stuff. maybe it was bush 1 holding to a promise to the world not to invade iraq.

[MattNC]

13. From The New Republic

http://www.thenewrepublic.com/etc.mhtml?pid=1261

"Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition ... to the early use of military force by the US against Iraq. I share your concerns. On January 11, I voted in favor of a resolution that would have insisted that economic sanctions be given more time to work and against a resolution giving the president the immediate authority to go to war."

--letter from Senator John Kerry to Wallace Carter of Newton Centre, Massachusetts, dated January 22 <1991>

"Thank you very much for contacting me to express your support for the actions of President Bush in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. From the outset of the invasion, I have strongly and unequivocally supported President Bush's response to the crisis and the policy goals he has established with our military deployment in the Persian Gulf."

--Senator Kerry to Wallace Carter, January 31 <1991>

[seabeyond]

22. in other words.........

we shouldnt go in right now

now that we did go in, bush 1 has my full support

that is not something to shy away from. that is cool. he can stand on that

[WI_DEM]

16. Bush better have a damn good response to why he let Bin-Laden

off the hook to divert the worlds attention to Iraq.

[farmbo]

21. "Your last opponent, Al Gore, voted for the GWI resolution...

...yet you still accused him in your ads of being soft on defense."

"Let's talk about issues that matter to our troops Now."