From the King of Flip-Floppers, the Real Story...



Once again, Mr. Bush did not think before he spoke, and he is trying to recover today. But it's too late.

Congratulations, Mr. Bush, you just lost a ton of veteran and active duty voters because they are asking the question, "If the President doesn't think we can win, why are we still risking our lives in Iraq?"

This is leadership?

Thanks to Uggabugga

Delegates Mock Kerry Veterans with 'Purple Heart' Bandages

Delegates to the Republican National Convention found a new way to take a jab at Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's Vietnam service record: by sporting adhesive bandages with small purple hearts on them.

Morton Blackwell, a prominent Virginia delegate, has been handing out the heart-covered bandages to delegates, who've worn them on their chins, cheeks, the backs of their hands and other places.

This may seem funny to them, but it's not funny to me - and it shouldn't be funny to you if you are a veteran, are on active duty, or know someone who is. It's shameful, disgusting, and inexcuseable.

Donna Cain, an Oregon delegate, wore a purple heart bandage on her wrist.

"Probably a lot of people are handing them out because they are very symbolic," she said. Kerry, she said, "has made the war that he served in far more important than his recent records of the last 18 to 20 years."

As a representative from my state, Ms. Cain, you and your ilk are an affront to me personally. Your outrageous excuse at humor has crossed the line. Is that what you call "Supporting the Troops?"

The troops can see right through it.

Kerry's campaign quickly responded to the purple heart bandages, saying the Republicans are "mocking our troops."

Want to Get Involved This Week with What's Happening in NYC?

See Activate at Bohemian Mama.

Cheney Stays On Task As New Yorkers Flee Their City

With the terrorist-marred New York skyline as his backdrop, Cheney stood on Ellis Island to give the informal kickoff to Bush's nominating convention. "All of us are gathering this week for one reason and one reason only, and that is to make certain that George W. Bush is president for the next four years," Cheney said in a speech largely devoted to Bush's response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The Convention of Fear opens in New York.

There is nothing left to them but to play on your fears.

They can only gather the faithful based on their version of what they said they did three years ago on 9/11.

They chased out a nasty dictator - and that's it folks. Oh, by the way, in doing so, nearly 1,000 of our own and thousands more Iraqis lost their lives. Because George Bush and Dick Cheney and their cast of incompetent and dangerously motivated advisors chased the wrong enemy, way more than half the country knows we are not safer now.

They misused our military for their own warped ideologies, and chased the wrong bad guys. In the process, they inflamed our enemies and alienated our friends.

40 million are now in poverty in this country - that's 1 in every 8 people. Many, many more can no longer afford or get decent health care.

The economy will come back, but not because of anything Mr. Bush has done. In the meantime, real jobs are not there yet, and the people know it.

There is nothing left to the Repubs this week except the hope that you will change your mind, and decide to live in fear with them. Lots of New Yorkers are afraid of THEM and have fled the city this week.

Steal the Election, Part II, Goes Into Full Swing

The three companies that certify the nation's voting technologies operate in secrecy, and refuse to discuss flaws in the ATM-like machines to be used by nearly one in three voters in November. Despite concerns over whether the so-called touchscreen machines can be trusted, the testing companies won't say publicly if they have encountered shoddy workmanship.

They say they are committed to secrecy in their contracts with the voting machines' makers — even though tax money ultimately buys or leases the machines.

"I find it grotesque that an organization charged with such a heavy responsibility feels no obligation to explain to anyone what it is doing," Michael Shamos, a Carnegie Mellon computer scientist and electronic voting expert, told lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

The system for "testing and certifying voting equipment in this country is not only broken, but is virtually nonexistent," Shamos added.

Although up to 50 million Americans are expected to vote on touchscreen machines on Nov. 2, federal regulators have virtually no oversight over testing of the technology. The certification process, in part because the voting machine companies pay for it, is described as obsolete by those charged with overseeing it.

Gen. Wesley Clark: 'Don't Leave Veterans Behind'

Anyone who fights in a war knows that there is one lesson you do not forget: never, ever leave a soldier behind. Knowing that our country values and defends every soldier is a source of great strength on the battlefield. It is the principle that binds our troops together in combat as they put their lives on the line to defend our nation.

As Americans, guided by this same principle, we have always strived to help and protect our veterans, many of whom still suffer from combat related injuries and sickness. Our commitment to these veterans is fundamental to our values as a people and as a nation. We protect those who have protected us.

Unfortunately, President Bush has not lived up to this principle. Through dramatic budgetary cuts, hospital closures, staff layoffs and service backlogs, our commander-in-chief is leaving our veterans behind. The demands on our Department of Veterans Affairs have never been greater. More than 18,000 soldiers who have returned from Iraq have sought care at VA health facilities. Most of these service men and women are members of the National Guard and Reserves. In too many cases help is hard to come by. As of the end of March the average wait for disability rulings was 171 days. The backlog of service, increase in demand, and rising national health care costs require a renewed commitment from our government and nation.

Under President Bush's leadership, VA health care services have been slashed, numerous VA hospitals have been shuttered, and the prescription drug co-pay for vets has been doubled. President Bush has opposed expanding health care for reservists, many of whom have carried a heavy load for our nation in Iraq and Afghanistan these past few years. The president has also proposed fees for veterans just to get in the hospital door once they come home. He has even dramatically reduced education funding for military families, seeming to forget our tradition of education aid to veterans going back to the GI Bill.

Veterans: another reminder to look very closely at who you are voting for, and who will care about what happens to your health and well-being. It won't be George Bush. His record is clear.

Worst News of the Day?

A close friend who travels a lot on the job in the Northwest has seen the ideal businessman's rest stop, but he will only reveal the location to people he knows. It's a hotel located walking distance to a Krispy-Kreme, a Starbucks, and best of all, an In-and-Out Hamburger drive-through. Heaven on earth, and forget the carbs problem.

Desperation 101 - Continued

Every once in awhile, this blog engages in a little prophecy of a political sort. It's that time again: About 70 days from now, A Vet predicts the not-so-swifters failed smear campaign will be seen as a key cog in the election of John Kerry.

The Repub campaign was totally thrown off track for three weeks by - yes let's use the words because they are accurate - liars, deceivers, and now a criminally acting chief lawyer of George Bush. This off the newslines less than an hour ago:

An election lawyer for President Bush who also has been advising a veterans group running TV ads against Democrat John Kerry resigned Wednesday from Bush's campaign.

"I cannot begin to express my sadness that my legal representations have become a distraction from the critical issues at hand in this election," Benjamin Ginsberg wrote in a resignation letter to Bush released by the campaign.

The Bush campaign can't win with truth because they don't know what it is. Mr. Bush's latest failure of leadership now resides in his own campaign. How can anyone with a straight face say that George Bush is right for this country? Desperate lies and tactics are speeding the demise of this administration.

'Wow, That John Kerry Sure Has a Great Military Record (Compared to Mine)'

George Bush stepped into the row over his presidential opponent's war record yesterday, declaring John Kerry had served "admirably" in Vietnam and calling for an end to all political attack advertisements sponsored by non-party groups.

The president made clear that his appeal included a rightwing group calling itself Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which has broadcast adverts accusing Senator Kerry of lying about his combat experience and falsifying his medal citations.

But the Kerry campaign said the president's intervention fell short of the clear denunciation it had demanded. Democrats said the president's remarks treated the veterans' claims as no worse than other attack ads by supposedly independent groups, questioning the group's source of finance rather than the substance of the ads, which they reject as a smear.

Mr Kerry's running mate, John Edwards, said: "The moment of truth came and went, and the president still couldn't bring himself to do the right thing. Instead of hiding behind a front group, George Bush needs to take responsibility and demand that the ad come off the air."

Translation from GWB: 'OK can we please get off this subject now, everyone??? Someone might start talking about my military record again. It's getting a little too hot in the kitchen (a good Republican used that phrase, right?). Besides, has everyone forgotten that MY convention is coming up next week? I need an issue that will stick. Someone give me an issue. Karl? Dick? Grover?'

This George Doesn't Get it Either...

As George Bush sequesters his key defense advisors in Crawford, Texas, I wonder whether another George (Custer) had a similar meeting of his lieutenants just before the big battle.

This is a chance for the president and other military leaders to get outside of Washington, D.C., and have a good detailed discussion about key defense priorities," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said of the meeting Monday at the president's ranch.

Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice were among those set to attend. Gen. George Casey, the senior U.S. officer in Iraq, and Gen. John Abizaid, head of the U.S. Central Command, planned to participate via a video conference hookup.

Will any of the key advisors to this George (Bush) have the guts to tell him that his policy is a failed one, and that, on their present course, none of them will have a job next January? Or will this George continue to not admit any mistakes? The answer to the first question is probably "no" - the answer to the second is definitely "yes." Expect some new, desperate ideas to attract the 15-20 million military and veteran voters.

But vets, have you noticed, so far, that this George has only used you, not really paid attention to you or any of your needs?

Hi Flip-Flop, How Are You Flip-Flop, Bye Flip-Flop...

Have you noticed with your angry Repub friends that they have been reduced to saying only the words "flip-flop?" Not much else remains for them and their candidate. Mr. Bush is now in the position of continuously losing voters, not gaining them, and his convention won't change that.

But now even the flip-flop argument is disappearing because the King of Flip-Floppers is in fact THEIR candidate. Every smear campaign is coming back in the Repubs faces. And now this realization must be dawning on them: in spite of their candidate's bravado about the upcoming debates, these face to face encounters in front of a nation-wide audience will likely seal the deal for Mr. Kerry.

The Florida of 2004? Not!

Oregon - big deal you say, 7 electoral votes. But both candidates are spending a lot of time and money here. Because, in the end, on November 2, if the election is not clearly decided, little Oregon may become a focus of the country. Oregon, went for Gore by just 7,000 votes, but 70,000 plus votes went for Nader. Ralph will be lucky to get 5,000 this time.

Last Friday both candidates were here again. Bush spoke to a closed, pledge only crowd of 2,000 plus, Kerry to an open river-side park crowd of 50,000 plus, including a Bush backer resorting to preemptive warfare.

Our message to the Bush campaign from the Rose City: come spend as much money as you like here. Oregon is going for Kerry, and Oregon veterans are going to play a big part in the win. Oh, and Mr. Diebold, you can't fix the voting here very easily. All our votes are by mail or drop-off kiosks, with a much lower "error" rate than your machines.

What Goes Around, Comes Around...

I know, I was going to avoid any more mention of the swift-boaters, but...

News anchor Aaron Brown, on CNN of all places, realized something last night that the Repubs haven’t got the brains to understand. As Aaron Brown mused and scratched his head, he asked (paraphrased), “..I don’t get it, the Republicans really don’t want to open a comparison of Bush’s & Kerry’s military records do they? Why doesn’t the president repudiate the swift-boaters and their attack ads?” Too late, it’s hardball time. Move-On.Org aired hard-hitting TV ads on Bush’s “military record” in three southern states yesterday with more to come.

And, OK I’m a glutton for punishment, but tuning into O’Reilly, I found instead one Judge Napalitano saying words to the effect that every veteran he has heard from has blasted Kerry and his “lack of honorable representation of his service record, and even more so for attacking the Vietnam war after his return from the war.”

That was even too much for me to keep quiet. My email to CNN:

For Judge Napalitano: No sir, not all veterans agree with the swift-boaters, not by a long shot. In fact you are going to see that the Bush campaign will be sorry it ever started this attack when Mr. Bush’s avoidance of military duty is hammered home in the next two months before the election. The Repubs thought they had a “Willie Horton” issue and were frustrated when Hurricane Charlie and the Olympics knocked their issue off of every conservative media outlet. Now they are trying to again force the issue, not Sen. Kerry.

The massive assault on John Kerry's war record appears to be being blamed, by you, on Kerry hyping the subject himself. But let's look at one very important piece missing from what you might call the "chain of evidence." This whole onslaught actually began with conservatives and their media sympathizers’ heavy criticism of Kerry, before the Democratic Convention. Mr. Bush and virtually all of the talk radio conservatives (and several CNN TV notables) blasted Kerry for being, in their words, “the most liberal of U.S. Senators, who is soft on national security.” Mr. Bush continues to use those words, and because Mr. Bush led the polls in that subject area, the attack had to be addressed at the convention and afterwards, and the Kerry campaign did so. This is one veteran, as even Senator John McCain has expressed, who believes that the swift-boaters and their supporters are in deep water and over their heads in personal agendas.

I know, I probably won’t get an answer, but I sure feel better.

“First, let me make it very clear - poor people aren't necessarily killers”

Thank you, Mr. Bush, for explaining the field of sociology to us. When you make thoughtless statements like this, a lot of people, including your press secretary, just laugh it off.

The Repubs ought to consider it a “bounce” if Mr. Bush can get through his own convention without making several more thoughtless gaffes.

Here’s the real problem that more and more voters are realizing when the laughing stops: This is supposed to be the "leader of the free world."

But his never ending misstatements reflect someone who...

- Doesn’t think about what he is saying
- Doesn’t understand his audience, at home or abroad
- Doesn’t understand the issues correctly because he hasn’t thought them through, studied them, or prepared properly

And, therefore he doesn’t understand the potential and real dangers for us, or the rest of the world, while he shallowly thinks that “things are not complex, they are really very simple.”

That's why we got into Iraq. That's why the world is a more dangerous place now.

We need a president, John Kerry, who will study and tackle the complexities - and who will act appropriately, and quickly if necessary, to remove national security threats – not someone who will get us into more preemptive wars based on personal ideology, theology, and arrogance.

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Thanks to Iddybud for the Guardian link.

Your Votes are for Sale this Morning

President Bush attempted to buy a lot of local votes here in Portland, Oregon Friday, promising $15 million (of $150 million needed) to help dredge out the Columbia river to open it up to more container ships. Two of three major container shippers immediately announced that they were pulling out of Portland anyway.

But a little later this morning, he will try to buy your votes and those of the Veterans of Foreign Wars when he tells them that he:

…has decided to bring home tens of thousands of U.S. troops from posts around the world — most of them in Europe and Asia — plus 100,000 of their family members and support personnel, U.S. officials said Saturday. The changes will have no effect on forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.

As part of the largest troop realignment in years, Bush will shift about 70,000 uniformed military personnel, most of them currently in Europe, two senior administration officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A significant proportion will come home, though it was not clear when.

The decision is meant to "strengthen our ability to respond to threats overseas," one official said, declining to elaborate.

"It will improve our capability to protect America and our allies and ease some of the burden on our uniformed military members and their families," one official said.

Translation: he is attempting to kill at least three birds with one stone: pacify active duty troop voters, steer off mass defections of veterans who are turning to Mr. Kerry, and convince undecideds that he is a thoughtful and caring commander-in-chief. More practically, Mr. Bush would need troops from somewhere to carry on his doctrine of pre-emptive warfare after the election.

The question for you this morning: Are you for sale?

"Never Forget"

Lost in the chaos of every new war are veterans of earlier ones. The theme of Memorial Day and Veterans Day - in addition to those half-off mattress sales - is Never Forget.

So writes Rick Anderson in his new book, Home Front.

"..in the midst of his war, George Bush has cut benefits of both veterans and front line troops."

While this administration is not the first to praise the active duty folks fighting their wars while forgetting veterans, the Bush administration is especially egregious in this regard. Anderson chronicles the facts of how Bush speaks out of both sides of his mouth to you, vets.

As George Bush's minions continue to spout venom about John Kerry's record, keep in the front of your mind the facts of Mr. Bush's record toward veterans and the troops - and HIS military record. He will promise all kinds of things Monday to the VFW, but his actions will speak much louder than his words.

I am A Vet and I approve this message.

Have You Noticed?

Every single Bush ad is an attack on John Kerry.

Not one Bush ad, that I have forced myself to see or hear, says what he plans to do. Why? Because true to form, Mr. Bush has no real plan for you, veterans, other than to get himself re-elected.

Mr. Bush, A Lot of Veterans Want to Know the Answers to These Questions:

Question 1. ...time and time again you claim that the war in Iraq has made Americans safer at home. What empirical data do you have to back up this assertion?

Question 2 (two parts):

Scenario 1: ( Iraq possessed WMD)
Given that Iraq possessed WMD and yet none have been found, please explain how Americans are safer with the missing weapons possibly in the hands of rogue states or terrorist groups.

Scenario 2: ( Iraq did not possess WMD)
WMD would be the only plausible threat posed to the United States by a nation such as Iraq . Please explain how Americans are safer now that we have our military, our coffers, and our international prestige so heavily invested in Iraq , given the fact that Iraq did not possess WMD.

In summary, given the above scenarios, either Iraq possessed WMDs and we now face the danger that those weapons have fallen into the hands of possible terrorists, or they did not have WMD and we are in an unnecessary war. Please explain this paradox.

Question 3:
Why has your administration failed to act decisively to find who leaked the name of Valerie Plame to the reporter Robert Novak?

Question 4:

Given the intelligence failures of the past 4 years, the policy of pre-emptive war seems to be in need of a set of strict guidelines governing when it should and should not be entered into. If given the opportunity to serve the American people, please briefly describe what guidelines you would set to engaging in another pre-emptive war and how those guidelines would have affected the policy that was laid out during your first term with specific reference to the burden of proof against Iraq and the missing WMD and lack of terrorist connections. Should Americans expect another pre-emptive war with such flimsy and hyped evidence used as justification?

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Read the whole article.

Krugman Does the Impossible...

Paul Krugman, perhaps the best economist for the left, caused Bill O'Reilly to go speechless last night. At one point, in a discussion moderated by Tim Russert, Krugman called O'Reilly's absurd logic "lies." For a few seconds there was silence until O'Reilly realized what had happened - he had been called the liar that he is. Then he exploded with a torrent of personal attacks on Krugman. O'Reilly continued in an attempt to convince Krugman that Mr. Bush was in fact a very smart person.

Maybe you feel that way Mr. O'Reilly because you are Mr. Bush's intellectual counterpart.

Mr. Bush Blows Another Opportunity

Five weeks, they crowed. They would have five weeks after the Dem's convention to flood the airwaves with unrestricted spending and ads. But Mr. Bush and his advisors blew it again.

Surprise. That five weeks will turn out to be barely three. And the three are just about over. Why? Simple. The Olympics which begin Friday. Mr. Bush will be tuned out by a large chunk of the electorate despite his best efforts, including the lies and deceptions of his supporting veterans. Except for daily terror "threats", Mr. Bush's extra dollars and time have disappeared. Mr. Kerry will be less affected by the near news blackout.

Bush Left With One Strategy: Keep You In Stark Raving Fear for the Next 85 Days

The economy isn't going to do it for him. Jobs aren't going to do it for him.

That leaves one way left for Mr. Bush to stay in office: The War on Terrorizing You.

Every day since the convention, the administration has created some sort of terrorist scare, beginning with Code Orange in NY, DC, & Newark. Today it's helicopters and long limousines in NY & nukes in Iran.

Expect this sort of thing every single day from now on. It's the only hope left for Mr. Bush. He wants you to be so scared for yourself and your family that you'll be afraid to vote for anybody else.

But, you are smart enough to see through this - every one of you.

The Sleaze-Boat Vets Ride Off Into Ignore-ville

Several wrote and asked whether I was going to say something about the "swift-boat" slanderers. The answer is, after this paragraph, "no." I'm going to ignore them and Sen McCain even slammed them last week for the sham that they are. They are funded by Mr. Bush's two biggest financial supporters in Texas. And once again, some unthinking vets are being used, and either don't know it, or don't care.

Again, there's a very simple answer, that I'm e-mailing to the Kerry campaign, for whenever his record as a veteran is challenged. Simply respond, "Compared to who, George Bush???" I hope Mr. Kerry will have the guts to do it. I'm going to use it at every opportunity.

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Note: hard drive is dead, blogging may be spotty for a few days.

Maybe We Need to Test Him on the Goat Book…

“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we,” Bush said. “They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.”

Bushisms aside: This is beyond embarrassment. But as many have pointed out over the last 24 hours, for once he told the truth.

“……But the American people know this president speaks with clarity and conviction, …(spokesman Scott) McClellan said.

Clarity? You have got to be kidding. Mr. Bush couldn’t pass his own No-Child-Left-Behind exams.

“No one in Bush’s audience of military brass or Pentagon chiefs reacted.”

That’s because they were in shock.

Maybe you would agree with McClellan that this kind of gaffe is harmless. The problem is that most of us can't tell where his gaffes stop and where the misinformation and deceptions begin.

This is not the leadership we need.

Desperation in Illinois

In 2000, Al Gore carried Illinois by half a million votes. When Jack Ryan, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senator had to bow out of the current Senate race in disgrace, the Repubs were left scrambling against the rising Democrat star Barack Obama.

With less than four months to go before the election, they pushed former NFL football coach Mike Ditka, who knows less about being a senator than any of you do - but, he was smart enough to decline.

Now, in D-E-S-P-E-R-A-T-I-O-N, the Repubs are pushing former Oklahoma Rep. Alan Keyes to take on Obama. Do you smell the race card being played just a little? Keyes is the only black Repub to have held some national prominence in elective office in recent years - and had, for a time, run for president in 2000 - but then retired from the House and now resides in Maryland. Keyes is considering over the weekend whether to move to Illinois to respond to desperate Bush administration pressure. If Keyes is smart, he will realize that he is being used in a futile effort by the White House, and refuse the offer.

Then who is next? Who would have the name recognition to compete with Obama?

Well, I have a couple of ideas for the Repubs. First why not Arnold Schwarzenegger? If he can run one state for the Repubs, why not two? If that doesn't work, why not John Ashcroft? He was born in Chicago, but Bush needs to get him out of Washington anyway. One small problem: Ashcroft lost his last run for the Senate in 2000 to a dead man, Mel Carnahan.

OK, I was just trying to help...

Bush Logic 101

Kerry says implement the 9/11 recommendations --> Bush says he’ll study them

Kerry says he’d implement all the recommendations now --> Bush says he’s implemented most of them already

Florida Republicans say vote with an absentee ballot --> Bush & Bush say trust the voting machines

Bush says we are much safer now --> Bush raises the terror alert to Orange

Bush says intelligence failed for 9/11 --> Bush says intelligence is very strong now based on 4-year old information

Bush raises the terror alert to Orange --> Bush opens the Statue of Liberty

Bush decimates the heart and soul of a country --> Bush’s new slogan painted on the side of his bus: The Heart and Soul of America

Bush supporters slam Kerry’s war record --> This veteran’s response: “Compared to Who?”

Democrats Republicans Urge Supporters to Use Absentee Ballots in Florida

Gallup poll aside, every other poll this week gives John Kerry around a 6-point lead.

Thought for the day. If you were on the Republican re-election committee, and you were now trailing by more than the margin-of-error, wouldn’t you want to make sure that the voting process was done right since Democrat voters outnumber their opponents in most states? Funny, up to now, the Repubs didn’t seem to be worried about the Diebold voting machines, since their maker said he would do everything in his power to make sure Mr. Bush wins.

But lo and behold, reports out of Florida show that state Republican leaders are ignoring George & Jeb and are sending out flyers encouraging their supporters to vote by absentee ballot, something the Dems have been encouaging for awhile in many states. It seems that the Diebold machines are so screwed up, they can’t guarantee a Bush victory after all…

Retired General: Bush Foreign Policy a 'National Disaster'

The American people, especially veterans, need to sit up and take notice when so many high ranking officers do not support the incumbent president.

Retired Gen. Tony McPeak, the Air Force chief of staff during the first Gulf War, delivered the Democratic radio address supporting implementation of the 9/11 commission's recommendations for national security.

A former Air Force chief of staff and one-time "Veteran for Bush" said Saturday that America's foreign relations for the first three years of President Bush's term have been "a national disaster" but that the president's Democratic rival was "up to the task" of rebuilding.

Retired Gen. Tony McPeak, the Air Force chief of staff during the first Gulf War, delivered the Democratic radio address supporting implementation of the 9/11 commission's recommendations for national security.

"As president, John Kerry will not waste a minute in bringing action on the reforms urged by the 9/11 commission," McPeak said of the Massachusetts senator nominated by the Democrats this week. "And he will not rest until America's defenses are strong."

The president, on the other hand, "fought against the very formation of the commission and continues to the present moment to give it only grudging cooperation, no matter what he says," the general said. "Why should we believe he will do anything to institute the needed change?"

McPeak, a former fighter pilot who campaigned for Bob Dole in 1996 as well as Bush in 2000, said Bush's inability to craft a true allied coalition was a serious deficiency...

Instead, he said, Bush has "alienated our friends, damaged our credibility around the world, reduced our influence to an all-time low in my lifetime, given hope to our enemies."

McPeak said he backed Bush in 2000 because he "had hoped this president could provide" the leadership needed to face modern threats. But disillusionment, he said, has led him to change his voter registration from Republican to independent and shift his support to Kerry.