GardenBanter.co.uk - Bush intel?

"Den" wrote in message
...
(We won't get fooled again )

You would be a fool to vote for Mr. Waffle

That old waffle argument is so faulty. On one hand you have a man without
any foreign policy experience and almost no documented leadership. What
Bush does have is a record of failed business ventures, obligations to the
Saudis for bailing him out of financial disasters, a sweetheart deal with a
sports franchise using public money that made him wealthy, and the
governorship of a state with a very mixed outcome. When Bush makes bad
decisions, he refuses to concede failure and therefore never learns from the
mistakes relying on others to mop-up his mess. The opposite of "waffling"
is blind devotion to your errors. This concept also doesn't allow for
changes over time - which of course doesn't apply to Bush because as he told
reports during his father's administration he was "chasing pussy" while
Kerry was attending to the nation's business. You can't "waffle" if you
have no record of public service because you are running businesses into the
ground, snorting drugs, and getting drunk. If you aren't reevaluating your
position on issues based on new information, then you are a dolt. What
might have been a perfectly rational position in 1978 could be wrong today.
I would much rather have a leader who is capable of learning and evolving,
one who adapts to changes and can make appropriate decision based on current
conditions, than someone who clings to falsehoods (i.e., weapons of mass
destruction) and continues to make tragic errors.

Of course, one could list a great number of issues that Bush has changed
position on in his brief tenure in the public eye. Here are just a
few:http://www.americanprogress.org/site...RJ8OVF&b=42263
President Bush: Flip-Flopper-In-Chief

July 7, 2004

From the beginning, George W. Bush has made his own credibility a central
issue. On 10/11/00, then-Gov. Bush said: "I think credibility is
important.It is going to be important for the president to be credible with
Congress, important for the president to be credible with foreign nations."
But President Bush's serial flip-flopping raises serious questions about
whether Congress and foreign leaders can rely on what he says.

1. Social Security Surplus

BUSH PLEDGES NOT TO TOUCH SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS... "We're going to keep
the promise of Social Security and keep the government from raiding the
Social Security surplus." [President Bush, 3/3/01]

....BUSH SPENDS SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS The New York Times reported that "the
president's new budget uses Social Security surpluses to pay for other
programs every year through 2013, ultimately diverting more than $1.4
trillion in Social Security funds to other purposes." [The New York Times,
2/6/02]

2. Patient's Right to Sue

GOVERNOR BUSH VETOES PATIENTS' RIGHT TO SUE... "Despite his campaign
rhetoric in favor of a patients' bill of rights, Bush fought such a bill
tooth and nail as Texas governor, vetoing a bill coauthored by Republican
state Rep. John Smithee in 1995. He... constantly opposed a patient's right
to sue an HMO over coverage denied that resulted in adverse health effects."
[Salon, 2/7/01]

....CANDIDATE BUSH PRAISES TEXAS PATIENTS' RIGHT TO SUE... "We're one of the
first states that said you can sue an HMO for denying you proper coverage...
It's time for our nation to come together and do what's right for the
people. And I think this is right for the people. You know, I support a
national patients' bill of rights, Mr. Vice President. And I want all people
covered. I don't want the law to supersede good law like we've got in
Texas." [Governor Bush, 10/17/00]

....PRESIDENT BUSH'S ADMINISTRATION ARGUES AGAINST RIGHT TO SUE "To let two
Texas consumers, Juan Davila and Ruby R. Calad, sue their managed-care
companies for wrongful denials of medical benefits 'would be to completely
undermine' federal law regulating employee benefits, Assistant Solicitor
General James A. Feldman said at oral argument March 23. Moreover, the
administration's brief attacked the policy rationale for Texas's law, which
is similar to statutes on the books in nine other states." [Washington Post,
4/5/04]

3. Tobacco Buyout

BUSH SUPPORTS CURRENT TOBACCO FARMERS' QUOTA SYSTEM... "They've got the
quota system in place -- the allotment system -- and I don't think that
needs to be changed." [President Bush, 5/04]

....BUSH ADMINISTRATION WILL SUPPORT FEDERAL BUYOUT OF TOBACCO QUOTAS "The
administration is open to a buyout." [White House spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo,
6/18/04]

4. North Korea

BUSH WILL NOT OFFER NUCLEAR NORTH KOREA INCENTIVES TO DISARM... "We
developed a bold approach under which, if the North addressed our
long-standing concerns, the United States was prepared to take important
steps that would have significantly improved the lives of the North Korean
people. Now that North Korea's covert nuclear weapons program has come to
light, we are unable to pursue this approach." [President's Statement,
11/15/02]

....BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFERS NORTH KOREA INCENTIVES TO DISARM"Well, we will
work to take steps to ease their political and economic isolation. So there
would be -- what you would see would be some provisional or temporary
proposals that would only lead to lasting benefit after North Korea
dismantles its nuclear programs. So there would be some provisional or
temporary efforts of that nature." [White House Press Secretary Scott
McClellan, 6/23/04]

5. Abortion

BUSH SUPPORTS A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE... "Bush said he...favors leaving up
to a woman and her doctor the abortion question." [The Nation, 6/15/00,
quoting the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 5/78]

....BUSH OPPOSES A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE "I am pro-life." [Governor Bush,
10/3/00]

6. OPEC

BUSH PROMISES TO FORCE OPEC TO LOWER PRICES... "What I think the president
ought to do [when gas prices spike] is he ought to get on the phone with the
OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots...And the president
of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price."
[President Bush, 1/26/00]

....BUSH REFUSES TO LOBBY OPEC LEADERS With gas prices soaring in the United
States at the beginning of 2004, the Miami Herald reported the president
refused to "personally lobby oil cartel leaders to change their minds."
[Miami Herald, 4/1/04]

7. Iraq Funding

BUSH SPOKESMAN DENIES NEED FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR THE REST OF 2004... "We
do not anticipate requesting supplemental funding for '04" [White House
Budget Director Joshua Bolton, 2/2/04]

....BUSH REQUESTS ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR IRAQ FOR 2004 "I am requesting that
Congress establish a $25 billion contingency reserve fund for the coming
fiscal year to meet all commitments to our troops." [President Bush,
Statement by President, 5/5/04]

8. Condoleeza Rice Testimony

BUSH SPOKESMAN SAYS RICE WON'T TESTIFY AS 'A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE'... "Again,
this is not her personal preference; this goes back to a matter of
principle. There is a separation of powers issue involved here.
Historically, White House staffers do not testify before legislative bodies.
So it's a matter of principle, not a matter of preference." [White House
Press Secretary Scott McClellan, 3/9/04]

....BUSH ORDERS RICE TO TESTIFY: "Today I have informed the Commission on
Terrorist Attacks Against the United States that my National Security
Advisor, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, will provide public testimony." [President
Bush, 3/30/04]

9. Science

BUSH PLEDGES TO ISSUE REGULATIONS BASED ON SCIENCE..."I think we ought to
have high standards set by agencies that rely upon science, not by what may
feel good or what sounds good." [then-Governor George W. Bush, 1/15/00]

....BUSH ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS IGNORE SCIENCE "60 leading
scientists-including Nobel laureates, leading medical experts, former
federal agency directors and university chairs and presidents-issued a
statement calling for regulatory and legislative action to restore
scientific integrity to federal policymaking. According to the scientists,
the Bush administration has, among other abuses, suppressed and distorted
scientific analysis from federal agencies, and taken actions that have
undermined the quality of scientific advisory panels." [Union of Concerned
Scientists, 2/18/04]

10. Ahmed Chalabi

BUSH INVITES CHALABI TO STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS...President Bush also met
with Chalabi during his brief trip to Iraq last Thanksgiving [White House
Documents 1/20/04, 11/27/03]

....BUSH MILITARY ASSISTS IN RAID OF CHALABI'S HOUSE "U.S. soldiers raided
the home of America's one-time ally Ahmad Chalabi on Thursday and seized
documents and computers." [Washington Post, 5/20/04]

11. Department of Homeland Security

BUSH OPPOSES THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY..."So, creating a Cabinet
office doesn't solve the problem. You still will have agencies within the
federal government that have to be coordinated. So the answer is that
creating a Cabinet post doesn't solve anything." [White House spokesman Ari
Fleischer, 3/19/02]

....BUSH SUPPORTS THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY "So tonight, I ask the
Congress to join me in creating a single, permanent department with an
overriding and urgent mission: securing the homeland of America and
protecting the American people." [President Bush, Address to the Nation,
6/6/02]

12. Weapons of Mass Destruction

BUSH SAYS WE FOUND THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION..."We found the weapons
of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories...for those who say we
haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're
wrong, we found them." [President Bush, Interview in Poland, 5/29/03]

....BUSH SAYS WE HAVEN'T FOUND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION "David Kay has
found the capacity to produce weapons.And when David Kay goes in and says we
haven't found stockpiles yet, and there's theories as to where the weapons
went. They could have been destroyed during the war. Saddam and his henchmen
could have destroyed them as we entered into Iraq. They could be hidden.
They could have been transported to another country, and we'll find out."
[President Bush, Meet the Press, 2/7/04]

13. Free Trade

BUSH SUPPORTS FREE TRADE... "I believe strongly that if we promote trade,
and when we promote trade, it will help workers on both sides of this
issue." [President Bush in Peru, 3/23/02]

....BUSH SUPPORTS RESTRICTIONS ON TRADE "In a decision largely driven by his
political advisers, President Bush set aside his free-trade principles last
year and imposed heavy tariffs on imported steel to help out struggling
mills in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, two states crucial for his
reelection." [Washington Post, 9/19/03]

14. Osama Bin Laden

BUSH WANTS OSAMA DEAD OR ALIVE... "I want justice. And there's an old poster
out West, I recall, that says, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive.'" [President Bush, on
Osama Bin Laden, 09/17/01]

....BUSH DOESN'T CARE ABOUT OSAMA "I don't know where he is.You know, I just
don't spend that much time on him... I truly am not that concerned about
him."[President Bush, Press Conference, 3/13/02]

15. The Environment

BUSH SUPPORTS MANDATORY CAPS ON CARBON DIOXIDE... "[If elected], Governor
Bush will work to...establish mandatory reduction targets for emissions of
four main pollutants: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury and carbon
dioxide." [Bush Environmental Plan, 9/29/00]

....BUSH OPPOSES MANDATORY CAPS ON CARBON DIOXIDE "I do not believe, however,
that the government should impose on power plants mandatory emissions
reductions for carbon dioxide, which is not a 'pollutant' under the Clean
Air Act." [President Bush, Letter to Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), 3/13/03]

16. WMD Commission

BUSH RESISTS AN OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION ON WMD INTELLIGENCE FAILURE... "The
White House immediately turned aside the calls from Kay and many Democrats
for an immediate outside investigation, seeking to head off any new
wide-ranging election-year inquiry that might go beyond reports already
being assembled by congressional committees and the Central Intelligence
Agency." [NY Times, 1/29/04]

....BUSH SUPPORTS AN OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION ON WMD INTELLIGENCE FAILURE
"Today, by executive order, I am creating an independent commission, chaired
by Governor and former Senator Chuck Robb, Judge Laurence Silberman, to look
at American intelligence capabilities, especially our intelligence about
weapons of mass destruction." [President Bush, 2/6/04]

17. Creation of the 9/11 Commission

BUSH OPPOSES CREATION OF INDEPENDENT 9/11 COMMISSION... "President Bush took
a few minutes during his trip to Europe Thursday to voice his opposition to
establishing a special commission to probe how the government dealt with
terror warnings before Sept. 11." [CBS News, 5/23/02]

....BUSH SUPPORTS CREATION OF INDEPENDENT 9/11 COMMISSION "President Bush
said today he now supports establishing an independent commission to
investigate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks." [ABC News, 09/20/02]

18. Time Extension for 9/11 Commission

BUSH OPPOSES TIME EXTENSION FOR 9/11 COMMISSION... "President Bush and House
Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) have decided to oppose granting more time
to an independent commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks."
[Washington Post, 1/19/04]

....BUSH SUPPORTS TIME EXTENSION FOR 9/11 COMMISSION "The White House
announced Wednesday its support for a request from the commission
investigating the September 11, 2001 attacks for more time to complete its
work." [CNN, 2/4/04]

19. One Hour Limit for 9/11 Commission Testimony

BUSH LIMITS TESTIMONY IN FRONT OF 9/11 COMMISSION TO ONE HOUR... "President
Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have placed strict limits on the private
interviews they will grant to the federal commission investigating the Sept.
11 attacks, saying that they will meet only with the panel's top two
officials and that Mr. Bush will submit to only a single hour of
questioning, commission members said Wednesday." [NY Times, 2/26/04]

....BUSH SETS NO TIMELIMIT FOR TESTIMONY "The president's going to answer all
of the questions they want to raise. Nobody's watching the clock." [White
House spokesman Scott McClellan, 3/10/04]

20. Gay Marriage

BUSH SAYS GAY MARRIAGE IS A STATE ISSUE... "The state can do what they want
to do. Don't try to trap me in this state's issue like you're trying to get
me into." [Gov. George W. Bush on Gay Marriage, Larry King Live, 2/15/00]

....BUSH SUPPORTS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT BANNING GAY MARRIAGE "Today I call
upon the Congress to promptly pass, and to send to the states for
ratification, an amendment to our Constitution defining and protecting
marriage as a union of man and woman as husband and wife." [President Bush,
2/24/04]

21. Nation Building

BUSH OPPOSES NATION BUILDING... "If we don't stop extending our troops all
around the world in nation-building missions, then we're going to have a
serious problem coming down the road." [Gov. George W. Bush, 10/3/00]

....BUSH SUPPORTS NATION BUILDING "We will be changing the regime of Iraq,
for the good of the Iraqi people." [President Bush, 3/6/03]

22. Saddam/al Qaeda Link

BUSH SAYS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEEN AL QAEDA AND SADDAM...
"You can't distinguish between al Qaeda and Saddam when you talk about the
war on terror." [President Bush, 9/25/02]

....BUSH SAYS SADDAM HAD NO ROLE IN AL QAEDA PLOT "We've had no evidence that
Saddam Hussein was involved in Sept. 11." [President Bush, 9/17/03]

23. U.N. Resolution

BUSH VOWS TO HAVE A UN VOTE NO MATTER WHAT... "No matter what the whip count
is, we're calling for the vote. We want to see people stand up and say what
their opinion is about Saddam Hussein and the utility of the United Nations
Security Council. And so, you bet. It's time for people to show their cards,
to let the world know where they stand when it comes to Saddam." [President
Bush 3/6/03]

....BUSH WITHDRAWS REQUEST FOR VOTE "At a National Security Council meeting
convened at the White House at 8:55 a.m., Bush finalized the decision to
withdraw the resolution from consideration and prepared to deliver an
address to the nation that had already been written." [Washington Post,
3/18/03]

24. Involvement in the Palestinian Conflict

BUSH OPPOSES SUMMITS... "Well, we've tried summits in the past, as you may
remember. It wasn't all that long ago where a summit was called and nothing
happened, and as a result we had significant intifada in the area."
[President Bush, 04/05/02]

....BUSH SUPPORTS SUMMITS "If a meeting advances progress toward two states
living side by side in peace, I will strongly consider such a meeting. I'm
committed to working toward peace in the Middle East." [President Bush,
5/23/03]

25. Campaign Finance

BUSH OPPOSES MCCAIN-FEINGOLD... "George W. Bush opposes McCain-Feingold...as
an infringement on free expression." [Washington Post, 3/28/2000]

....BUSH SIGNS MCCAIN-FEINGOLD INTO LAW "[T]his bill improves the current
system of financing for Federal campaigns, and therefore I have signed it
into law." [President Bush, at the McCain-Feingold signing ceremony,
03/27/02]

http://www.democrats.org/specialrepo...p10_flipflops/

The Bush Record: Top 10 Bush Flip Flops
1. Bush Flip-Flops on Independent 9/11 Commission
Bush Flip: Initially Opposed to Independent 9/11 Commission
Bush opposed an independent inquiry into 9/11, arguing it would duplicate a
probe conducted by Congress. In July 2002, his administration issued a
"statement of policy" that read "...the Administration would oppose an
amendment that would create a new commission to conduct a similar review [to
Congress's investigation]." [Statement of Administration Policy, Executive
Office of the President, 7/24/02; LA Times, 11/28/02]

Bush Flop: Bush Relented and Appointed Independent Commission
President Bush finally agreed to support an independent investigation into
the 9/11 attacks after "the congressional committees unearthed more and more
examples of intelligence lapses, the administration reversed its stance."
[Los Angeles Times, 11/28/02]

2. Bush Flip-Flops on Independent WMD Commission
Bush Flip: Refuses to Call for Independent Bipartisan Commission on Weapons
of Mass Destruction
"President Bush said on January 30, 2004, 'I want to know the facts' about
any intelligence failures concerning Saddam Hussein's alleged cache of
forbidden weapons but he declined to endorse calls for an independent
investigation." [AP, 1/30/04]

Bush Flop: Bush Appoints WMD Investigation Commission
President Bush named a nine-member bipartisan commission to investigate U.S.
intelligence-gathering capabilities in February 2004. The AP noted, "Bush
had initially opposed a commission, but agreed to do so as calls grew from
Republican lawmakers as well as Democrats." The Los Angeles Times reported,
"The White House opposed that panel initially, then backed down under
pressure, and some say administration officials now regret doing so because
the administration has become locked in a series of embarrassing battles
with the Sept. 11 commission." The New York Times noted Bush "gave the panel
until March 2005, well after the November elections, to submit its
conclusions." [NY Times, 2/7/04; LA Times, 2/1/04; AP, 2/6/04]

3. Bush Flip-Flops on Time He'll Spend With 9/11 Commission
Bush Flip: Would Meet For Only One Hour With 9/11 Commission
McClellan: Obviously, as part of this, the President will be meeting with
the chairman and vice chairman at some point in the near future. We are
still working on the exact time of that meeting. We have discussed with the
commission what we believe is a reasonable period of time to provide the
chairman and vice chairman with answers to all of their questions.
Q: Is that the one-hour time frame?
McClellan: That's what I'm referring to. [WH Press Briefing, 3/9/04]

Bush Flop: White House Says No Time Limit on President's Testimony
"President George W. Bush will privately answer all questions raised by the
federal commission investigating the September 11 attacks, the White House
said, suggesting that Bush might allow the interview to extend beyond the
one-hour limit originally offered to the panel by the White House. 'He's
going to answer all the questions they want to raise,' said the White House
spokesman, Scott McClellan, whose remarks suggested that the White House was
softening its negotiating stance toward the bipartisan commission. 'Nobody's
watching the clock.'" [WH Press Briefing, 3/9/04; International Herald
Tribune, 3/11/04]

4. Bush Flip-Flops On Calling For A U.N. Vote On Iraq War
Bush Flip: U.S. Will Seek U.N. Vote For War With Iraq
Bush: ...yes, we'll call for a vote.
Question: No matter what?
Bush: No matter what the whip count is, we're calling for the vote. We want
to see people stand up and say what their opinion is about Saddam Hussein
and the utility of the United Nations Security Council. And so, you bet.
It's time for people to show their cards, let the world know where they
stand when it comes to Saddam. [Bush News Conference, 3/6/03, emphasis
added]

Bush Flop: Bush Attacked Iraq Without U.N. Vote
Bush "failed to win explicit [security] council approval for the use of
force" in Iraq. Two days before bombs began to fall in Iraq, the Bush
administration withdrew its resolution from the UN Security Council that
would have authorized military force. Bush abandoned his call for a vote
after it became clear that the US could muster only four votes in support of
force. [Washington Post, 3/21/03; Los Angeles Times, 3/18/03]

5. Bush Flip-Flops on Department Of Homeland Security
Bush Flip: Bush Thought Homeland Security Cabinet Position Was "Just Not
Necessary"
In October 2001, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said Bush opposed
creating Office of Homeland Security position for Ridge. "[T]he president
has suggested to members of Congress that they do not need to make this a
statutory post, that he [Ridge] does not need Cabinet rank, for example,
there does not need to be a Cabinet-level Office of Homeland Security is
because there is such overlap among the various agencies, because every
agency of the government has security concerns," Fleischer said. [White
House Press Briefing, 10/24/01]

Bush Flop: Bush Decides to Support Homeland Security
The New York Times reported, "Bush initially resisted Democratic proposals
for a Cabinet-level agency. But once he endorsed it, the president pushed
Congress for fast action as it debated such issues as whistle-blower
protections, concerns over civil liberties and collective bargaining for
department employees."

In remarks to Homeland Security Department employees, Bush claimed credit
for supporting the Department: "In just 12 months, under the leadership of
your President...you faced the challenges standing up this new Department
and you get a -- and a gold star for a job well done." [New York Times,
2/28/03; Bush Remarks at One-Year Anniversary of DHS, 3/2/04]

6. Bush Flip-Flops on Gay Marriage
Bush Flip: It's Up to the States to Decide
In a 2000 presidential primary debate, candidate George W. Bush said gay
marriage was a state's issue, saying, "The state can do what they want to
do. Don't try to trap me in this state's issue like you're trying to get me
into." [Presidential Primary Debate, 2/15/00]

Bush Flop: Bush Supports Constitutional Amendment That Restricts States'
Rights
Bush: "If we are to prevent the meaning of marriage from being changed
forever, our nation must enact a constitutional amendment to protect
marriage in America. Decisive and democratic action is needed, because
attempts to redefine marriage in a single state or city could have serious
consequences throughout the country." [Bush, 2/24/04]

7. Bush Flip-Flops on Using Military For Nation Building
Bush Flip: Bush Promised Not to Use Military for Nation Building
In a campaign rally in Tennessee, then-Presidential candidate Bush
criticized the Clinton administration for using the military in
nation-building missions. Bush said, "I'm worried about an opponent who uses
nation-building and the military in the same sentence. See, our view of the
military is for our military to be properly prepared to fight and win war
and, therefore, prevent war from happening in the first place." [Governor
George W. Bush, 11/6/00]

Bush Flop: President Used Military for Nation Building in Afghanistan and
Iraq
After the removal of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Bush met with soldiers
stationed in Afghanistan at the White House and thanked them for their
nation building efforts. A senior administration official said, "The
administration, with its international partners, is doing something akin to
nation-building." The plans for a post war Iraq also included nation
building measures and, according to the Baltimore Sun, "Secretary of State
Colin L. Powell confirmed...that Bush was considering, among other options,
installing a U.S.-led occupation government if Hussein's regime is removed."
[Baltimore Sun, 10/19/02]

8. Bush Flip-Flops on Hybrid Automobiles
Bush Flip: Bush Mocked Gore's Tax Credit for Hybrid Cars
"'How many of you own hybrid electric gasoline engine vehicles? If you look
under there, you'll see that's one of the criteria necessary to receive tax
relief. So when he talks about targeted tax relief that's pretty darn
targeted,' Bush told the Arlington Heights rally, drawing laughs." [Chicago
Sun-Times, 10/29/00]

Bush Flop: Bush Supported Investing in Hybrid Cars
In his State of the Union speech, Bush said, "Tonight I am proposing $1.2
billion in research funding so that America can lead the world in developing
clean, hydrogen-powered automobiles. ... Join me in this important
innovation, to make our air significantly cleaner, and our country much less
dependent on foreign sources of energy." [White House, "President Delivers
'State of the Union,'" 1/28/03]

9. Bush Flip-Flops on Assault Weapons Ban
Bush Flip: Bush Supports Extending Assault Weapons Ban
Ashcroft: "It is my understanding that the president-elect of the United
States has indicated his clear support for extending the assault weapons
ban, and I will be pleased to move forward with that position."
[Confirmation Hearing, Senate Judiciary Committee, 1/17/01]

Bush Flop: Bush Opposes Extension of Assault Weapons Ban
"The White House is opposing addition of gun show and assault weapons
restrictions to a bill shielding firearms makers and dealers from lawsuits,
prompting angry complaints from Democrats that President Bush is reneging on
earlier support for the two proposals...In a statement [on February 24,
2004], the White House urged passage of the lawsuits measure without
amendments that might delay its enactment. 'Any amendment that would delay
enactment of the bill beyond this year is unacceptable,' the statement said.
Democrats interpreted this as an effort to undermine support for the
gun-control measures. 'For the president to say he is for the assault
weapons ban but then act against it is a flip-flop if there ever was one,'
said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), one of several sponsors of the
assault weapons proposal in the Senate." [Washington Post, 2/26/04]

10. Bush Flip-Flops on Steel Tariffs
Bush Flip: Bush Imposes Steel Tariffs
"President Bush on [March 5, 2002] slapped punishing tariffs of 8% to 30% on
several types of imported steel in an effort to help the ailing U.S.
industry, drawing criticism from American allies and mixed reviews at home.
'An integral part of our commitment to free trade is our commitment to
enforcing trade laws to make sure that America's industries and workers
compete on a level playing field,' Bush said in a statement issued by the
White House." [USA Today, 3/5/02]

Bush Flop: Bush Rescinds Steel Tariffs
"Facing a potential global trade war, President Bush on [December 4, 2003]
lifted tariffs he imposed on foreign steel 21 months ago, declaring the U.S.
steel industry healthy and ready to compete despite the industry's claim
that it needs more time to recover." [Chicago Tribune, 12/5/03]