In their desperate efforts to paint Senator John Kerry (D-MA) as a serial flip-flopper, President Bush's reelection campaign has resorted to gross distortions of his public statements. The campaign is now trumpeting the fact that Kerry, after voting to authorize the use of force in Iraq, described himself "as an anti-war candidate."[1] The claim is based on a clip of Kerry's 1/6/04 appearance on Hardball with Chris Mathews, which is featured in a new 12 minute "documentary" on Kerry produced by the Republican National Committee. This is how the RNC presents the interview:[2]

MSNBC'S CHRIS MATTHEWS: "Are you one of the anti-war candidates?"

KERRY: "I am - Yeah."

The real transcript of the interview reveals that the clip was doctored. Kerry was not trying to shift his position but actually reiterating his belief that President Bush made a mistake in the way he went to war. Here is the actual transcript:[3]

MATTHEWS: Do you think you belong to that category of candidates who more or less are unhappy with this war, the way it's been fought...Are you one of the anti-war candidates?

KERRY: I am -- Yes, in the sense that I don't believe the president took us to war as he should have, yes, absolutely.

SOURCES:

1. "Extreme Makeover Day 4 Fact Sheet: Setting the Record Straight", BushCheney04.com, 7/29/04. http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1208987&l=48493
2. "RNC Ad Backgrounder",DemsExtremeMakeover.com, 7/28/04. http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1208987&l=48494
3. Hardball, Nexis-Lexis Transcript, 1/6/04

Topplebush.com
Posted: August 10, 2004