2004
The American Electorate Does Not Reward Apologizers
Candidates and supporters who believe we can win the presidency on a wave of apologies should learn the lessons of history.
Cross-posted at MyDD.
NEW YORK - DemocratJohn Edwards said Tuesday that honesty and openness were essential qualities for a president, and that he was proud to acknowledge his 2002 vote authorizing the invasion of
Iraq was a mistake . . ."If you asked me what I think the most important personal characteristics of the next president are, I would say honesty, openness and decency," he said. "There's not a single voter in America who doesn't understand that their president is human, and their president will sometimes makes mistakes." Yahoo.News
In the September 30, 2004 debate between George W. Bush and John Kerry, the word "mistake" arose 13 times in the context of Iraq, offering Bush ample opportunity to admit that he had made at least one mistake. Kerry admitted to having made significant mistakes while George Bush admitted to none.
BUSH: My opponent says help is on the way, but . . . it's certainly hard to tell it when he voted against the $87-billion supplemental to provide equipment for our troops, and then said he actually did vote for it before he voted against it.
Not what a commander in chief does when you're trying to lead troops.
Candidate Watching | 2004 | 2008 | apology | George Bush | Hillary Clinton | Jimmy Carter | John Edwards | John Kerry | Democrats | Republicans
