This page was last updated on August 26, 2004.

To counteract the facts showing John Kerry never saw a position he didn’t hold on an issue, Mr. Demarest tries to convince us President Bush is the person devoid of conviction.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“One of the candidates for the presidency this year has tried to straddle almost every issue trying to be all things to all people and to conceal his true agenda.

“He said in 2,000 that most of his ‘tax relief’ would be directed toward those with lower incomes.  Last week, the Congressional Budget Office said most of the Bush tax cuts went to the upper one percent.”

[RWC] This is one of those cases in which a nugget of truth is used to mislead us.  It is true wealthy Americans received more in tax cuts on a dollar basis than the poor.  Here’s why.  Let’s say you are poor and pay $100/year of income taxes and a wealthy person pays $100,000.  Let’s assume the tax cut percentage is one percent.  You would receive a $1 tax cut and the wealthy person would receive $1,000.  Even if your income tax were completely eliminated, the wealthy person would receive a larger cut in dollars because the most your cut could be would be $100.

What Mr. Demarest failed to mention is the same CBO report he referenced also showed the relative income tax burden of the wealthy actually increased.  That is, as a percentage of income taxes paid, the wealthy bear a larger share now than they did before the tax cuts.

“He fashioned a stem cell ‘compromise’ which virtually ended N.I.H. funded stem cell research.”

[RWC] President Bush is the first president to provide any funding for stem cell research, in excess of $250 million.  On ethical grounds, Bush chose not to use federal funds for embryonic stem cell research.¹  Umbilical cord placenta, adult, and animal stem cell research was funded.  None of this stops private funding of embryonic stem cell research.

“He opposed the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, then changed his mind and used the issue against others (like former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland) who voted against his version of the bill.”

[RWC] Again a nugget of truth used for distortion.  President Bush established the Office of Homeland Security in October 2001.  It’s true President Bush initially opposed the formation of a new department, but whether you call it an “office” or “department” the functions and goals were the same.  Mr. Demarest wants us to believe President Bush opposed the formation of a homeland security organization, which the record clearly shows is untrue.

“He proposed a type of amnesty for illegal aliens, and then backed down when some in his party opposed it.  He opposed the formation of the Sept. 11 Commission, then celebrated its report in the Rose Garden.”

[RWC] A lot of people opposed amnesty for illegal aliens, not just Republicans.  I believe President Bush opposed the formation of the 9/11 Commission on the grounds it would become a partisan witch-hunt, which it became during the public hearings.

“Outsourcing jobs was good for the economy; then it wasn’t.”

[RWC] Outsourcing – and insourcing – is a normal activity in a free market.  It is neither inherently good nor bad.  Regarding the accusation, people have been putting words in President Bush’s mouth; he didn’t make this comment.  Similar comments were in a 400+-page report published by economic advisers.  A staffer also made a similar comment.

“Failing to win a second U.N. resolution in February 2003, he rushed to war in Iraq.  A year later, hat in hand, he returned to the ‘irrelevant’ United Nations asking it to select the Iraqi Interim Government.”

[RWC] If 12+ months – 12 years actually – is a “rush,” so be it.  President Bush never called the United Nations “irrelevant,” though I would.  The United States and the United Nations obviously disagreed on the topic of Iraq, but the U.N. shared our goal of a peaceful Iraq.  I don’t see how asking the U.N. to help select an interim government is a flip-flop.  Indeed, Mr. Bush would have been criticized had he not asked.

For what it is worth to folks like Mr. Demarest, multiple resolutions going back to 1991 provided U.N. authorization.  There was far more than one resolution.

“U.S. Sen. John Kerry believes his vote to ‘authorize’ war in no way justified Bush’s subsequent actions to rush into the war at the time and in the manner which he did.  That’s a tenable argument and is still a long way from Bush’s position.”

[RWC] I guess Mr. Demarest’s definition of tenable is different than mine. Unless Mr. Kerry could not read or did not believe President Bush would do what he said he would do, Kerry’s “argument” is not reasonable.  The resolution was short, written in plain English, and President Bush was clear about his intentions.

“I can’t agree with Kerry.  As I said here in March 2003, the occupation of Iraq would be counterproductive in any case.  But the gulf between Bush (who is trying to use this to pump up the Nader vote) and Kerry on jobs, health care, environment, the future of the Supreme Court and preemptive war is as wide as the Grand Canyon.”

 [RWC] I have to agree with Mr. Demarest on the “gulf between … Bush and Kerry,” which is why we must re-elect President Bush.

1. Remarks by the President on Stem Cell Research; President George W. Bush; August 9, 2001.

© 2004 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.