USA Today - "Pin flip-flop tag on Bush"

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For months now, George W. Bush hasn't missed an opportunity to brand John Kerry a flip-flopper.

There's even a video game on the Bush-Cheney campaign Web site called "Kerry's Flip Flop Olympics," which challenges players to keep up with the back-and-forth positions Republicans claim the Democratic senator has taken on issues.


As political attacks go, this one seems to have resonated with voters who, according to a recent USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll, chose Bush over Kerry by a nearly 2-to-1 margin when asked which of the presidential candidates "is a strong and decisive leader."


To be sure, Kerry's attempts to respond to these attacks have at times done more harm than good. What surprises me is he has stayed on the defensive when Bush has flip-flopped more than a fish out of water.


• Flip-flop. During the 2000 presidential debates, Bush vowed not to engage in "nation-building." "I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation-building. I think our troops ought to be used to fight and win war," he said in criticizing the Clinton administration's use of the troops Bush's father had sent to Somalia during his presidency.


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http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/wickham/2004-09-20-wickham_x.htm

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