Bush: 'I Want to Be the Peace President'

[Chewbacca]

Do I detect some flippity-flop or is this classic Orwellian doublethink or is the gradual loss of support for the war in the polls taking its toll? All of the above?

Link- Reuters

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Reuters) - After launching two wars, President Bush said on Tuesday he wanted to be a "peace president" and took swipes at his Democratic rivals for being lawyers and weak on defense.

With polls showing public support for the war in Iraq in decline, Bush cast himself as a reluctant warrior and assured Americans they were "safer" as he campaigned in the battleground states of Iowa and Missouri against Democrat John Kerry and his running mate, former trial lawyer John Edwards.

"The enemy declared war on us," Bush told a re-election rally in Cedar Rapids. "Nobody wants to be the war president. I want to be the peace president... The next four years will be peaceful years." Bush used the words "peace" or "peaceful" a total of 20 times.

Bush has called himself a "war president" in leading the United States in a battle against terrorism brought about by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America. "I'm a war president. I make decisions here in the Oval Office in foreign policy matters with war on my mind," he said in February.

Despite a surge in attacks in Iraq and U.S. warnings that al Qaeda is plotting another major strike, Bush said U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had already made America safer, and that his re-election would let him finish the job.

Ahead of the release of a report detailing the breakdown in intelligence and security before the Sept. 11 attacks, Bush said, "We reorganized this government of ours to be better protect the people."

"For a while we were marching to war. Now we're marching to peace. ... America is a safer place. Four more years and America will be safer and the world will be more peaceful," Bush said.

But a few hours later, at an evening rally in St. Charles, Missouri, Bush warned "the world will drift toward tragedy" if America shows "weakness."

Bush was joined on the stump by his twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, and campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel said the twins would pair up for campaign appearances away from their father starting Tuesday night in Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Stanzel said the events will be closed to the press.

Bush and Kerry are fighting hard in Iowa, which Bush lost to Democrat Al Gore in 2000 by just 4,144 votes, or roughly two votes for every precinct. Recent polls give Kerry a narrow lead, but a Kerry aide said the Iowa race and the one in Missouri remain a dead heat.

Bush won Missouri by 3 percentage points in 2000, and acknowledged in St. Charles that it would be a tough race this year.

At both rallies, he cast Kerry and Edwards as on the side of trial lawyers, who the president portrays as responsible for a flood of personal injury litigation that burdens the courts and is costly to small business. Edwards himself made his fortune as a trial lawyer.
Democrats get campaign contributions from the group, while many businesses tend to favor the Republicans.

"I'm not a lawyer, you'll be happy to hear," Bush said to cheers. "That's the other team. This is the pro-small business team."

The two-state swing was part of a weeklong offensive by Bush before the Democratic National Convention in Boston starting July 26. (Additional reporting by Caren Bohan)

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

This makes me ... sick. Edwards is criticized because he had such little experience in big politics, when that's just what they said about Dubya four years ago... and don't get me started on how being VP is not the same as being President... And NOW, after being critical of Kerry flip-flopping on issues, Dubya is no longer a war president, but a peace president? And I don't care what he says about being pro-small businesses until I find out that those Enron creeps are all stewing in federal facilities.

Pfaugh.

[ 07-22-2004, 06:48 AM: Message edited by: Ziroc ]

[The Hierophant]

Hahahaha! Oh Gee-Dubya, yoos so crayyyyza!

[ 07-22-2004, 12:22 AM: Message edited by: The Hierophant ]

[Chewbacca]

Originally posted by Illumina Drathiran'ar: And I don't care what he says about being pro-small businesses until I find out that those Enron creeps are all stewing in federal facilities. Pfaugh.

You wanna see the type of businesses running, er...um I mean, supported by GW's adminstration check out the 'Contractopoly' topic I posted a few weeks back! I didn't know defense contractors and energy companies counted as small businesses! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Being a "peace" President sure ain't profitable for those folks.

[ 07-22-2004, 12:30 AM: Message edited by: Chewbacca ]

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

I enjoyed Contractopoly as much as I'm enjoying the "Kerry for President" ad on the Reuters page.

[Stratos]

What can I say, it's election times.

[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by The Hierophant: Hahahaha! Oh Gee-Dubya, yoos so crayyyyza!

LOLOLOLOL!!! I have to agree with you on this one, Heirophant. [img]graemlins/biglaugh.gif[/img]

[Davros]

Tell em what they want to hear.
Tell em that they wanted to hear it.
Tell em you've told em.
And tell em again .