I might be wrong. I might be premature. But all signs are pointing to the Bush campaign getting THISCLOSE to a lot of emergency damage control. Bush's sewer has been stuffed so heavily, that it's backing up and spilling out all over their plans. Lots of stuff today...
#1 - Tenet calls Iraq War "Wrong"
Addressing the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan Wednesday night, George Tenet, former director of central intelligence, called the war on Iraq "wrong," according to Clark's article today. Tenet added that while the Iraq war was "rightly being challenged," the CIA was making important strides toward success in the greater war on terrorism.
#2 - Boston Police Union Jumps the Fence
The city's main police union broke with a tradition of backing Republicans for president and voted to endorse Democrat John Kerry, largely because he honored their picket line during the Democratic National Convention this summer.
The union's 50-member House of Representatives gave its backing to Kerry on Wednesday, following a personal appeal by U.S. Rep. William D. Delahunt, D-Mass., to support the hometown candidate.
#3 - Republican Ex-Governor Endorses Kerry Out of a "Growing Sense of Concern"
Former Republican Gov. William Milliken - who served a record 14 years as Michigan's chief executive - is endorsing Democrat John Kerry, saying President Bush "has pursued policies pandering to the extreme right wing."
"I have felt a growing sense of concern for some time and I don't think that I couldn't speak out as a Republican and as a citizen," Milliken said in a Monday interview with The Detroit News from his Traverse City home. "To me, this transcends politics."
#4 - Bush's Approval Numbers at Worst Post-9/11 Level
There has been little movement in how voters assess the candidates on the issues. But a separate Pew Research Center poll of 803 adults shows that Bush's own approval measures have weakened appreciably. Bush's overall job approval stands at 44%, while solid majorities disapprove of his handling of the situation in Iraq (56% disapprove) and the economy (55%). Even on terrorism, the president's strongest issue, his approval rating stands at 49% the lowest level since the Sept. 11 attacks.
#5 - New Pre-War Intelligence Report: Iraq/Al Qaeda Connection Exaggerated by DOD
Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) released a report today of an inquiry he initiated on June 27, 2003 and conducted by the SASC Minority Staff.
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The report demonstrates how intelligence relating to the Iraq-al Qaeda relationship was exaggerated by high ranking officials in the Department of Defense to support the Administration’s decision to invade Iraq when the intelligence assessments of the Intelligence Community did not make a sufficiently compelling case.
If you see the Bush Bandwagon broken down on the side of the road, do not stop. Keep speeding into the future. With resolve.
