Kerry Campaign Reality Check: Bush/Cheney Attack Their Own CIA Nominee

[bigtree]

8/12/2004 11:27:00 AM

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=119-08122004

To: National Desk, Political Reporter

Contact: Chad Clanton or Phil Singer of Kerry-Edwards 2004, 202-464-2800, Web: http://www.johnkerry.com

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following fact check was released today by Kerry-Edwards 2004:

Cheney Attacked Intelligence Proposal that Porter Goss Voted For, Helped Write. Both the House and the Senate voted on bills that were essentially the same as the proposal the Administration is criticizing Senator Kerry for. The amendment passed the House with the support of Porter Goss - in fact, Goss was on the conference committee that wrote the final bill. The bill stripped the intelligence budget of its pet projects and pork, and shift our intelligence from the cold war to the threat of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The bill passed the Senate with a bipartisan voice vote. (9/29/1995: Proposed by Senator Coats for Senator Specter. Agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote; H.Rept. 104-427; HR1655; Became Public Law No: 104-93)

Washington Post: Republican Criticism on Kerry Intel Record is Wrong: The Washington Post wrote: "But Bush appears to be wrong when he said the proposed Kerry cut -- about 1 percent of the overall intelligence budget for those years -- would have 'gutted' intelligence." (Washington Post, 3/12/04)

-- GOP Congress Passed Deeper Cuts Than Kerry Was Advocating. The Washington Post continued: "In fact, the Republican-led Congress that year approved legislation that resulted in $3.8 billion being cut over five years from the budget of the National Reconnaissance Office -- the same program Kerry said he was targeting." Kerry's proposal called for cutting intelligence funding by $1.5 billion over 5 years. (Washington Post, 3/12/04; Factcheck.org, 3/15/04)

Bush Administration Proposed Massive Intelligence Cuts Before and After 9-11. In the early days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Bush White House cut by nearly two-thirds an emergency request for counterterrorism funds by the FBI. In a Sept. 10 submission to the Bush administration's budget office, Attorney General John Ashcroft refused to endorse an F.B.I. request for $58 million for 149 new counterterrorism field agents, 200 additional analysts and 54 additional translators. Ashcroft proposed cuts in 14 programs. (New York Times, 2/28/02)

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Paid for by Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc.


http://www.usnewswire.com/

[Kierkegaard]

1. There's a dog they should not have awakened...

"Bush Administration Proposed Massive Intelligence Cuts Before and After 9-11." But he is the great protector, right?
Let's see, he's tried the economy. That's a no-go.
Saddam = al Queida war justification? Nope, not happening.
Slander? The jury's still out. Probably major backfire.
Wait, I'm the ANTI-TERROR GUY! Whatever. Negatory, good buddy.

Where will he dredge up a campaign platform now? "My mom sorta likes me, so vote for me."

[oasis]

2. Kerry should shove this down their throats.