all of a sudden, he's big on facts

[rone]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Tuesday said that his Democratic rival, Sen. John Kerry, should "back up" his claim that a number of world leaders want a new U.S. president.

"I think if you're gonna make an accusation in the course of a presidential campaign, you out to back it up with facts," Bush said Tuesday during a news conference with the Netherlands' Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende.

Bush added, "C'mon, Dutchie. Say you want a new US president. I dare you. Whatsa matter? You chicken or something?"

Comments

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

Bush figures he can spin this as a lose-lose for Kerry: if foreign leaders won't support him, that's bad, and if foreign leaders will support him, that's even worse.

(Meanwhile, the reporter who originally broke the quote says the word "foreign" was a mistake. But it does sound to me as if Kerry was at least partly implying that, and I also suspect he was right.)

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

...However, if he was implying that, it was a political mistake for him to say it, even if it is true.