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I don't know if i has to do with Bush's limited intellect, or if this is just a cynical campaign ploy, but in the few days since the debate, Bush has begun leveling a series of attacks at Kerry which are out and out lies.

From Today's WaPo:

Kerry "said something revealing when he laid out the Kerry Doctrine," Bush said at a convention of home builders here. "He said that America has to pass a global test before we can use American troops to defend ourselves. . . . Senator Kerry's approach to foreign policy would give foreign governments veto power over our national security decisions." Bush said a president should not "take an international poll," and said: "Our national security decisions will be made in the Oval Office, not in foreign capitals."

As Warner Wolf would say, let's go to the videotape. First, let's get Kerry's exact words from the debate on this "global test":

KERRY: The president always has the right, and always has had the right, for preemptive strike. That was a great doctrine throughout the Cold War. And it was always one of the things we argued about with respect to arms control. No president, though all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America.  But if and when you do it, Jim, you have to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons. Here we have our own secretary of state who has had to apologize to the world for the presentation he made to the United Nations.

I get that this is a concept too subtle for Bush to understand, but he's not talking about clearing our decisions with other nations first. Far from it. What he's talking about is the idea that when we act in the world, we need to do so with an understanding of how it will be perceived. We must do everything we can to ensure that in acting, we preserve and protect all of our interests. America is as much a set of ideas and ideals as it is a nation. Throughout our history, we've held ourselves up to the world as a 'beacon of freedom' and a 'shining city on a hill.' Our success as a nation has not come simply from military and economic strength. There's much, much more too it. Understanding that will be critical to our success in our battle with radical Islam. THAT is what Kerry was talking about. Is it a complex concept? Yes. But its one hundreds of millions of Americans have understood for a very, very long time. That Bush doesn't understand, cannot understand it, goes a long way to explaining why his policies have been so disastrous to our reputation and standing in the world.

But... to get back to my original point. Lying. In case there are any doubts:

I can make American safer than President Bush has made us.  And I believe President Bush and I both love our country equally. But we just have a different set of convictions about how you make America safe.  I believe America is safest and strongest when we are leading the world and we are leading strong alliances. I'll never give a veto to any country over our security. But I also know how to lead those alliances.

So, let's go back to Bush's quote:

"He said that America has to pass a global test before we can use American troops to defend ourselves. . . . Senator Kerry's approach to foreign policy would give foreign governments veto power over our national security decisions."

The first part is a clear, willful misunderstanding and misinterpretation of what Kerry said. The second part is an outright lie. There is simply no other way to describe it. Kerry says "I'll never give a veto to any country over our security." And Bush says "Kerry's approach to foreign policy would give foreign governments veto power over our national security decisions."

Which is worse: Lying about getting a blowjob, or lying about your opponents position about his policies for the future safety and security of the American people.

UPDATE: Kerry is now explicitly using the word "lying" in a new ad posted to his website late yesterday. Personally, I wish the second half of the ad had focused on what Bush was saying since the debate, since that would quite literally prove the accusation.

Something tells me this charge will figure prominently in both debates this week. And if both Kerry and Edwards handle this correctly, the Bush campaign will be toast.

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