Edwards Asks About Another 16 Words (Economy/Deficits)

[chimpymustgo]

The economy is NOT going away - it's a huge club to beat over the head of the Fraud-in-Chief. Nice turn by Edwards to tie in the 16 words. Both statements go back to CREDIBILITY.

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COLUMBIA, SC - With the Bush administration facing pressure in recent weeks over 16 misleading words on Iraq included in the president's State of the Union Address, Senator John Edwards (D-NC) today joined others in questioning another 16 misleading words the president said.

"And as others have pointed out, what about the 16 words he did say in the State of the Union about the economy?" said Edwards. "The line, 'We will not pass along our problems to other Congresses, to other presidents, and other generations.' Not pass along our problems? How about $455 billion worth of problems? That's what the new deficit projection is and let me tell you something he's not telling the American people - it is going to get even bigger."

Edwards' remarks came during the opening of the Edwards for President South Carolina campaign headquarters.

"The most important attribute any president has is his credibility," said Edwards. "His credibility with the American people, allies and the world. When the president's own statements are called into question, it is a very serious matter."

Edwards also noted that the president has very different values than mainstream America. While the president's tax cuts value only wealth, Edwards has proposed a tax plan that rewards hard work and creates opportunity for everyone.

Said Edwards, "Let me tell you the 16 words I'm prepared to say right now - It is time America elected a new president - one who values hard work instead of wealth."

http://www.johnedwards2004.com/page.asp?id=163

[chimpymustgo]

1. Gallup poll today shows Dems have huge lead on the economy

http://www.gallup.com/poll/releases/pr030724.asp

PRINCETON, NJ -- A new Gallup Poll shows that since January, there has been a significant shift in public sentiment about which of the two political parties in Congress can best deal with selected issues. The largest shift has been in the area of the economy, with Democrats now favored by 17 percentage points, while Republicans were favored by one point last January. Democrats' ratings have also improved in the areas of foreign affairs, the federal budget deficit, and the situation in Iraq (note: the poll was conducted before the Tuesday announcement that American forces had killed Saddam Hussein's two sons). On four other issues, there has been no change in ratings.
<snip>
2003 Jul 18-20

*****

We have to keep up the progress here. Economy. Jobs. Deficit. I'm glad Edwards has not lost sight of this.

[AP]

2. Reminder of '92 - Clinton ran 1 year after Gulf War and managed

to run a campaign which never mentioned it. He was able to convince Americans that the Democratic strong suit (economy, jobs, middle class opportunity) were the only important issues. Clinton won.

[Qutzupalotl]

4. True, but "9-11 changed everything"

We now have to address the terrorism issue. Edwards is pretty strong here, having voted to oust Saddam and supporting the Patriot Act. (That's a liability here in DU, but maybe not in the country at large. I'll assume he supports the recent scaling-back of that Act.)

He stands a good chance of winning and is likeable. I like nearly all the candidates this time, but I'd have no problem choosing Edwards over Bush!

[ProfessorPlum]

3. Go Edwards!

Excellent.

[RogueTrooper]

5. Nice to know

Edwards reads his Krugman.

[chimpymustgo]

6. Edwards reads his Krugman and fights for the little guy.

n/t

[DrFunkenstein]

7. I Think It's More Than 16 Words Bush Has To Worry About

"The Iraqi dictator must not be permitted to threaten America and the world with horrible poisons and diseases and gases and atomic weapons."
– George Bush, Oct. 7, 2002, in a speech in Cincinnati.


LIE #1: "The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program ... Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons." – President Bush, Oct. 7, 2002, in Cincinnati.

LIE #2: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." – President Bush, Jan.28, 2003, in the State of the Union address.

LIE #3: "We believe has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons." – Vice President Cheney on March 16, 2003 on "Meet the Press."

LIE #4: " solid reporting of senior-level contacts between Iraq and al-Qaeda going back a decade." – CIA Director George Tenet in a written statement released Oct. 7, 2002 and echoed in that evening's speech by President Bush.

LIE #5: "We've learned that Iraq has trained al-Qaeda members in bomb-making and poisons and deadly gases ... Alliance with terrorists could allow the Iraqi regime to attack America without leaving any fingerprints." – President Bush, Oct. 7.

LIE #6: "We have also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We are concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using these UAVs for missions targeting the United States." – President Bush, Oct. 7.

LIE #7: "We have seen intelligence over many months that they have chemical and biological weapons, and that they have dispersed them and that they're weaponized and that, in one case at least, the command and control arrangements have been established." – President Bush, Feb. 8, 2003, in a national radio address.

LIE #8: "Our conservative estimate is that Iraq today has a stockpile of between 100 and 500 tons of chemical weapons agent. That is enough to fill 16,000 battlefield rockets." – Secretary of State Colin Powell, Feb. 5 2003, in remarks to the UN Security Council.


LIE #9: "We know where are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south, and north somewhat." – Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, March 30, 2003, in statements to the press.

LIE #10: "Yes, we found a biological laboratory in Iraq which the UN prohibited." – President Bush in remarks in Poland, published internationally June 1, 2003.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=16274