Is it rhetoric or is it a lie?

President Bush: "The Senator is denigrating the action of our troops and commanders in the field." (Lilitz, PA October 27.) The President was referring to Kerry's criticisms of the explosives that disappeared in Iraq and Kerry's criticisms of the Tora Bora hunt for Osama Bin Laden in December 2001.

Regarding the missing explosives, what Kerry said Wednesday, "The IAEA warned the Bush Administration and the UN Security Council before the war that this weapons site was critical and needed urgent protection. The U.S. commander who reached the sight was never told to stop, inspect, and protect it. He was never even told what it was." Kerry went on to say, "The troops did their job, the commander in chief failed to do his." Is that denigrating the action of our troops?

On Kerry's criticism about Afghan warlords, instead of U.S. forces, leading the search in December 2001 for Osama Bin Laden in Tora Bora. Bush: "Our intelligence reports placed Bin Laden in any of several different countries at the time." (Lilitz, PA Oct. 27.) Actually, the Pentagon was convinced Bin Laden was cornered in Tora Bora in mid-December 2001.

Posted by: Jonathan Singer / 10:46 AM | Basie! Home