Kerry: "Only Bush could be for Supporting toops before he was against it" Bush vetoes Military Bill

[KittyWampus]

Mr. Bush’s veto surprised and infuriated Democratic lawmakers and even some Republicans, who complained that the White House had failed to raise its concerns earlier.

And it gave Democrats a chance to wield Mr. Bush’s support-the-troops oratory against him, which they did with relish.

“Only George Bush could be for supporting the troops before he was against it,” Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, said in a statement, reworking a familiar Republican attack during his unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2004 that he supported the war in Iraq before he turned against it.

The veto was an embarrassment for administration officials, who struggled on Friday to explain why they had not acted earlier to object to the provision, Section 1083 of a 1,300-page, $696 billion military authorization bill. It would expand the ability of Americans to seek financial compensation from countries that supported or sponsored terrorist acts, including Libya, Iran and Iraq under Saddam Hussein.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/29/washington/29bush.html?ex=1356584400&en=b8af5d33cf4a220a&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

[Toots]

1. Why would Kerry use such a stupid line?

I always considered kerry a very intelligent man. This is just obvious sour grapes. Only Bush* would do what Kerry did?????Come on.....

[MH1]

2. Because we live in sound-bite America.

And, Kerry DIDN'T do that.

Hmmm, maybe he'd love for some pundit to raise that point so he could rebut it.

[Toots]

3. Kerry did indeed make the comment he was for it before he was against it

I heard it out of his own mouth..Also I am and have been for quite some time a Kerry supporter but sometimes even the good guys screw up..

[MH1]

4. He voted against a bad version of a bill, not against supporting the troops.

Any delay incurred by Kerry's vote would not have hurt the troops; Bush's action WILL, because it will delay the pay raise (and probably other reasons).

[KittyWampus]

5. Wow, Kerry nails Bush for an egregious veto, using a sound bite already established

and you fault him for it.

Sorry, that's just strange.

[Vektor]

7. Respectfully, that is absolutely not what he said.

Kerry was referring to a bad bill, a crappy piece of legislation that was disguised as an "87,000,000,000 dollar appropriation to the troops" which, when you read the fine print, was actually a big fat check that would have lined the pockets of Halliburton, but done no good for the troops whatsoever.

Kerry caught onto that, and said so.

What Kerry meant by the "I was for it before I was against it" was that he supported the notion of appropriating money to the troops, but once he saw the fine print on that particular bill, he no longer supported it, because it did not actually benefit the troops at all, therefore, he could not, in good conscience, vote "aye".

So, what Kerry said was perfectly appropriate. What was ridiculous, was the way the corporate media twisted it around to make Kerry look bad - the same thing they do anytime a Democrat speaks.

Meanwhile, every time Bush opens his mouth and a big pile of bilge seeps out, the media polishes that turd until it shines.

I appreciate the fact that Kerry can look back on the whole incident, and poke fun back at the Bush administration. It shows he has healthy self esteem.

[fascisthunter]

11. Wow.... (nt)

[BOSSHOG]

6. No doubt the credible members of the right wing noise machine

will take mr bush to the woodshed FOR NOT SUPPORTING THE TROOPS. Oh how it must suck when part of your game plan is to never, ever take responsibility for anything.

[gratuitous]

8. Oh no, they're all accomplished mental gymnasts

Just you wait for the contortions, flips, turns and mid-sentence changes of direction that will justify Bush's veto; it'll be breath-taking. Even though we here will remember that Bush spent much of the latter part of November and the first part of December pushing for a new defense bill, and the Democrats cravenly offering one up, Bush never voiced any objection to any of the bill. Until, of course, after Congress had left for the Christmas break. None of that, of course, will figure into the Right Wing Noise Machine's justifications.

[mopinko]

9. maybe they figured out that this could apply to us!

after all, who is the biggest terrorist around, if it isn't *?

[ray of light]

10. Great response! But there's so many ways that Bush/Repubs don't support the troops