Second Presidential Debate -- Question One
Washington University in St. Louis - St. Louis, MO -
October 8, 2004
Intro
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9
Q10
Q11
Q12
Q13
Q14
Q15
Q16
Q17
Q18
Kerry
Bush


 
GIBSON: The first question is for Senator Kerry, and it will come from Cheryl Otis, who is right behind me.


OTIS
: Senator Kerry, after talking with several co-workers and family and friends, I asked the ones who said they were not voting for you, "Why?"  They said that you were too wishy-washy.

Do you have a reply for them?


KERRY
: Yes, I certainly do.

(LAUGHTER)

But let me just first, Cheryl, if you will, I want to thank Charlie for moderating.  I want to thank Washington University for hosting us here this evening.

Mr. President, it's good to be with you again this evening, sir.

Cheryl, the president didn't find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, so he's really turned his campaign into a weapon of mass deception.  And the result is that you've been bombarded with advertisements suggesting that I've changed a position on this or that or the other.

Now, the three things they try to say I've changed position on are the Patriot Act; I haven't.  I support it.  I just don't like the way John Ashcroft has applied it, and we're going to change a few things.  The chairman of the Republican Party thinks we ought to change a few things.

No Child Left Behind Act, I voted for it.  I support it.  I support the goals.

But the president has underfunded it by $28 billion.

Right here in St. Louis, you've laid off 350 teachers.  You're 150 -- excuse me, I think it's a little more, about $100 million shy of what you ought to be under the No Child Left Behind Act to help your education system here.

So I complain about that.  I've argued that we should fully funded it.  The president says I've changed my mind.  I haven't changed my mind: I'm going to fully fund it.

So these are the differences.

Now, the president has presided over an economy where we've lost 1.6 million jobs.  The first president in 72 years to lose jobs.

I have a plan to put people back to work.  That's not wishy- washy.

I'm going to close the loopholes that actually encourage companies to go overseas.  The president wants to keep them open.  I think I'm right.  I think he's wrong.

I'm going to give you a tax cut.  The president gave the top 1 percent of income-earners in America, got $89 billion last year, more than the 80 percent of people who earn $100,000 or less all put together.  I think that's wrong.  That's not wishy-washy, and that's what I'm fighting for, you.


GIBSON
: Mr. President, a minute and a half.


BUSH
: Charlie, thank you, and thank our panelists.

And, Senator, thank you.

I can -- and thanks, Washington U. as well.

I can see why people at your workplace think he changes positions a lot, because he does.  He said he voted for the $87 billion, and voted against it right before he voted for it.  And that sends a confusing signal to people.

He said he thought Saddam Hussein was a grave threat, and now he said it was a mistake to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

No, I can see why people think that he changes position quite often, because he does.

You know, for a while he was a strong supporter of getting rid of Saddam Hussein.  He saw the wisdom -- until the Democrat primary came along and Howard Dean, the anti-war candidate, began to gain on him, and he changed positions.

I don't see how you can lead this country in a time of war, in a time of uncertainty, if you change your mind because of politics.

He just brought up the tax cut.  You remember we increased that child credit by $1,000, reduced the marriage penalty, created a 10 percent tax bracket for the lower-income Americans.  That's right at the middle class.

He voted against it.  And yet he tells you he's for a middle- class tax cut. It's -- you've got to be consistent when you're the president.  There's a lot of pressures.  And you've got to be firm and consistent.

Q2 >