Bush Flip Flopping Goes Un-challenged in 2004

August 27, 2004

Much has been made of John Kerry’s flip flopping during this campaign  year. Certainly Kerry has flip flopped and so has every politician.  What makes this worse is a vicious 2004 campaign that ignores explanations about how Kerry made his decisions and why.

Kerry has also done little to counter the attacks and this seems a bit like political suicide. He should know better than to allow an opponent to characterize you without a fight.

The result: Bush has successfully characterized Kerry as a flip flopper.

Bush ignores or just doesn’t remember the mega flip flops he has made in the past four years. That is understandable. If people knew, they might not want to vote for him so he keeps them quiet.

For political balance we need reminders of Bush’s flip flops because they have cost us billions of dollars, have lead to the deaths of nearly a thousand Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan and made our country weaker domestically and internationally.  

Here are some, but not all Bush flip flops and contradictions:

►    Bush was against a Homeland Security Department in March 2002 and changed his mind and was for it in June 2002. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020319-7.html#12

►    Bush said he wanted a smaller government and with less spending (typical Republican positions) but he and the Republican Congress have increased discretionary spending to record levels.

►    Bush said in 2001 he would retire the national debt in 10 years but with the mega spending in the past few years, the national debt will actually increase by almost 3 trillion dollars by 2009.

►    As a candidate, Bush said he was for free trade but imposed steel tariffs after taking office. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020323-13.html

►    Bush said in 2000 he wanted to impose mandatory reductions in carbon dioxide emissions on power plants but changed his mind in 2001.

►    Bush promised not to spend the Social Security surplus but went ahead and proposed a budget in 2002 that uses it.  http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/03/20010303.html

►    In 2000 Bush said it was up to a woman to decide on an abortion but he changed his mind in just before the 2000 election to garner votes. http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20000703&s=corn

►    Bush said he was for a “patient’s right to sue” in 2000 but in 2004 he fought against it. http://www.c-span.org/campaign2000/transcript/debate_101700.asp

►    Bush was against the idea of a 911 Commission but was for it later after pressure.

►    Bush said he wouldn’t nation build but has done it in Afghanistan and Iraq. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/debates/transcripts/u221003.html, http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030306-8.html

►    Bush announced on May 29 2003 that the U.S. found WMDs in Iraq but said in early 2004 none were found. http://www.whitehouse.gov/g8/interview5.html

►    Bush said he didn’t want to become involved in the Palestinian issue in 2002 but decided on a “Road Map to Peace” later. http://slate.msn.com/id/2064471

►    Bush says he is for “States Rights” but has proposed a Constitutional amendment imposing traditional marriages. Bush has also imposed the “No Child Left” behind program that dictates education standards for all states at their expense. http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0002/15/lkl.00.html

►    After 911 Bush said bin Laden was “enemy number one” but in March 2003 says his death or capture is not a concern. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020313-8.html

►    Bush said he would not negotiate with North Korea and criticized the Clinton administration over its incentives to North Korea to disarm but changed his mind in 2004 and put disarmament incentives on the table for North Korea. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/06/20040623-6.html

►    Bush said “Mission Accomplished” but later said he didn’t mean it “that way” and blamed the sailors on the aircraft carrier for the banner when all along he knew the White House staff arranged for the banner.

►    In 2000 while running for office Bush opposed campaign reform but changed his mind in 2002 when he signed the McCain-Feingold bill into law.

►    Bush said he thinks all life is precious and stopped federal funding for stem cell research in 2001 but later started a war in Iraq based on lies which has killed almost a thousand American soldiers and thousands of Iraqis. Plus, Bush does nothing to stop fertility clinics from destroying unwanted embryos during and after fertility procedures.

►    Bush said he was for controlling the US-Mexican border by documenting (photos and fingerprints) of everyone crossing it but changed his mind on that. Bush has gone further by  proposing a de facto blanket amnesty to illegal aliens to be phased in over time.

►    Bush said he wanted to be a compassionate conservative who unifies the country when he has done the opposite.

►    Bush asked OPEC to produce more oil in 2000 because of rising gasoline prices but in 2004 he did not pressure them to  “open the spigots’ when gasoline prices when to record highs in 2004

►    At first Bush refused to let Security Advisor Rice to testify before the 911 Commission but changed his mind. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/03/20040309-5.html#1