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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (482827)	10/28/2003 4:04:37 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769668

Gephardt Rips Dean on Medicare Policy By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 3:40 p.m. ET DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Dick Gephardt on Tuesday likened Howard Dean to another Republican, arguing that his rival's position on Medicare matches those held by President Bush. ``The fact is we need a Democratic nominee who is clearly different from George Bush,'' Gephardt said at a Des Moines, Iowa, senior center. ``But, on all these Medicare issues, there is very little difference between George Bush and Howard Dean.'' Last month, Gephardt likened Dean to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the personification of right-wing Republicans who pushed to slow the growth of Medicare during the 1990s. Resurrecting Dean's comments on overhauling the Medicare program, Gephardt said the former Vermont governor agreed with the ``Gingrich Republicans.'' The two Democrats are battling for the lead in Iowa, which holds its caucuses Jan. 19. On Tuesday, the Missouri congressman sought to link Dean to Bush. ``They both support cutting Medicare, they both support turning it into managed care, they both think recipients should pay more for services and they both have no plan to address the Medicare reimbursement crisis,'' Gephardt said. ``We can beat George Bush, but not if our nominee's idea of being farsighted is to shortchange Medicare every chance he gets.'' Dean spokeswoman Sara Leonard denied that Dean favored cuts in Medicare and said Gephardt's record is sadly lacking. ``Dick Gephardt has talked about health care for more than a quarter-century and not a single piece of legislation he sponsored has become law,'' Leonard said. ``Congressman Gephardt's record of rhetoric and failed leadership is not what the people of Iowa and American need.'' Medicare is a critical issue in Iowa, which ranks fourth in the nation in the percentage of its population 65 and older.

To: American Spirit who wrote (482827)	10/28/2003 4:43:44 PM
From: Original Mad Dog	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769668

He leveled a specific criticism about Kerry, namely, that he supported the use of force and troops against Iraq but then did not support the troops with his statements once they were there. I would add to that the fact that he opposed the use of force against Saddam in 1991, when Saddam had invaded another country, but not in 2002-03. And as I have pointed out several times, Kerry has repeatedly opposed defense spending even though defense spending on a real per capita basis has declined slightly over the past 25 years while social spending on a real per capita basis has gone up by over half a trillion dollars (annualized) during that same time frame. I personally think Dean would be a terrible President. I am not supporting him. You, on the other hand, are supporting Kerry. I have indicated some very specific concerns about Kerry, as have others, in particular about his judgment on defense and security issues. To "respond" to these concerns by saying that Dean is bad is not a response at all. It's dodging the issue.