Kerry Dossier--picked up by CNN et al -- [View All]

This is on the site, don't know if they're talking about it on TV...
This article outlines exactly how the Republicans are going to take down Kerry if he is the nominee. They will say, it doesn't matter if Bush lied, it doesn't matter how you feel about ANY domestic issues, all that matters is that Kerry is soft on national security. And they can point to his record to prove it.

A more detailed rundown of Kerry positions/votes is in the Kondracke article from today (below this CNN article).

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/01/30/elec04.prez.bush.kerry/

Bush campaign manager criticizes Kerry's votes
Senator is weak on security issues, Mehlman tells RNC meeting

Friday, January 30, 2004 Posted: 6:22 PM EST (2322 GMT)


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With Sen. John Kerry surging to the front of the Democratic pack, the head of President Bush's re-election effort took aim at him Friday, charging that the Massachusetts senator's voting record shows a weakness on national security issues.

(snip)

Mehlman charged that Kerry tried to cut $8 billion from intelligence budgets during the 1990s, and that his proposals "were so reckless" that he couldn't find any co-sponsors in the Senate.

Mehlman also said that when Kerry first entered the Senate in the mid-1980s, "he sought to cancel the very weapons systems that are winning the war on terror and maintaining our military strength. He opposed Ronald Reagan's efforts to fight communism in our hemisphere and opposed the first Gulf War."

The head of the Bush campaign also brought up a comment Kerry made last April, days before U.S. and coalition forces entered Baghdad, that regime change was needed not only in Iraq but also in Washington.

"While our troops were at risk in Iraq, John Kerry compared the commander in chief to Saddam Hussein, calling for regime change in the United States," Mehlman said.

Mehlman's comments Friday echoed similar criticism leveled at Kerry on Thursday by RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie, as the president's campaign team rachets up its rhetoric toward the winner of the first two Democratic nominating contests.

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http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-1_30_04_MK.html

January 30, 2004
'Comeback Kerry' Now Faces Intense Scrutiny of Record
By Mort Kondracke

(snip)

... Although in speeches he claims to have "fought for" various causes in Congress, it's hard to name a major piece of legislation that bears his name. Chief Democratic rival Howard Dean has pointedly observed, for instance, that Kerry voted not to fight the 1991 Persian Gulf War after Iraq had invaded Kuwait, but then voted to give President Bush power to fight the 2003 war, which a huge majority of Democrats oppose.

The dossier on Kerry also includes a 1995 proposal to cut intelligence funding by $300 million for the next five years and a 1994 proposal to cut $1 billion from the program that coordinates counterterrorism activities.

The Boston Globe observed last year that in 1984, Kerry said he would cancel the B-1 bomber and the B-2 stealth bomber; the Apache helicopter; the Patriot missile; F-15, F-14 and Harrier jets; and the Aegis air-defense cruiser.

The Globe also reported that he advocated cuts in other systems, including the Abrams tank, Bradley fighting vehicle and Tomahawk missile, all critical to U.S. military success in Afghanistan and Iraq.


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