Sept. 11 Commission Becoming Campaign Factor

[Spazito]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A stream of revelations by the commission probing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has placed President Bush (news - web sites) on the defensive and become an important background factor in the November presidential election, analysts said on Friday.



"Over time, the commission's reports have helped erode Bush's credibility. These issues are going to be front and center in the presidential debates in the fall," said David Birdsell, a political scientist at Baruch College in New York.


At its final hearings this week, the bipartisan commission issued a staff report saying there was no evidence of a "collaborative relationship" between former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) and al Qaeda, blamed for the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

snip

Former White House spokesman Mike McCurry, who served under Democratic President Bill Clinton (news - web sites), said Bush was taking a big risk. "By confronting the commission, they make this a dominant news story for some time to come, to the point that Iraq becomes more and more the definition of the Bush presidency," he said.

more

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=nm/security_campaign_dc

[kerrycrat2k4]

1. Get Out!

Republicans exploiting the war for political gain? Facist thugs brushing off an entire federal government commission as partisan because it proves them guilty? Who would have thunk it.

[lancdem]

2. This is why he's campaigning with McCain

He only does that when he's in trouble.

[LittleApple81]

3. That is why I was horrified that Kerry even considered McCain Repug

for the democratic president's VP. They must have the "goods" on him. For an even minimally self-respecting human being, to campaign with the person who defamed and slimed him during the 2000 campaign, is beyond the pale.

[napi21]

4. Isnt that the truth! McCain's one of the only Pubs with any

credability left! /the rest of the Party hate McCain enough already for opposing lots of their goofball ideas. I think he's announcing the Shrub today for himself, not Shrub!

[calimary]

5. Intriguing barometer with this story.

Note the comments posted to it. Again, mostly anti-bush. And I just noticed something else, too. The only posts with recommendations are the ones AGAINST bush. None of the apologists' pro-bush posts carries a recommendation. What does THAT tell you?