Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Bush's flip-flops

Yeah, it's almost dead here. Gonna do something about it?

I compiled a quick list of Bush's biggest flip-flops, from a few different sources. Clip and save!

- There were several versions of the Iraq funding bill put forth. (It was $87 billion.) Kerry voted for one of them and against another. This is the core of the "flip flop" charge, and they run a clip of Kerry saying he voted for it before he voted against it. No one mentions that BUSH also opposed the bill in one of its forms, so he threatened to veto it before he signed it. (Kerry wanted the money to be a LOAN to Iraq, repayable with their oil profits, and Bush wanted it to be a GRANT to Iraq, no strings attached.) Kerry and Bush behaved identically towards the funding bill.

- In 2000, Bush said that he would not spend us into a deficit. Then he launched a huge tax cut for the rich, and put us into deficit. The worst part of all is that he lied about it by saying that when he was campaigning he said he would "only in times of war, in times of economic insecurity as a result of a recession, or in times of national emergency. Never did I dream we'd have a trifecta." He actually said that - 9/11 was LUCKY for him!

- Bush said that sailors put up the big "Mission Accomplished" banner he spoke in front of in 2003. Later he admitted that it was his own advance team.

- Bush was in favor of fingerprinting and photographing Mexicans who entered the US. He met with Mexican president Vincente Fox and then decided he was against it. Because the last thing we need now is more secure borders!

- In 2001, Bush said that he would bring back Bin Laden "dead or alive." When we screwed up his capture in Tora Bora, and we realized we couldn't get him, Bush transferred our national anger to Saddam Hussein and said that where Bin Laden was was unimportant.

- In 2000, Bush said that we should not be in the business of "nation building." Iraq is the biggest nation building project since WW2 ended.

- Bush said that we should have a more "humble" foreign policy. Now he makes fun of Kerry for saying we should have a more "sensitive" foreign policy, and we are the exact opposite of "humble."

- In July 2002, Bush opposed the formation of an independent 9-11 commission. He agreed to it in Nov 2002.

- In Jan 2004, Bush opposed the formation of an independent WMD commission. A month later he agreed to them provided their findings came in after the election.

- In March 2004, Bush said that we would go to the UN and ask for a vote on the Iraq war. He knew he would lose it, so he never went back.

- In Oct 2001, Bush said that there was no need for a Department of Homeland Security when Democrats proposed it. He changed his mind and supported it when he realized he could do things like remove whistle-blower protections from the workers affected.

- In 2000, Bush said that it was up to the states to decide what they wanted to do about gay marriage. Now he says that it's an important federal issue, and that it can't be left up to the states.

- In 2000, Bush mocked Gore for proposing tax breaks on hybrid cars. In his 2003 State of the Union, he proposed tax breaks on hybrid cars.

- In 2001, Bush supported extending the assault weapons ban. In 2004, he opposed the extension and let it lapse.