Sometimes I don’t know why I fight these battles, but, hey, every little crack helps, right?
Ryan Lizza recounts this scene of Bush on the campaign trail:
“Speaking about an important local issue at one stop, Bush says derisively, ‘Earlier this year, my opponent said a decision about Great Lakes water diversion would be 'a delicate balancing act.’’ Bush pauses and gives the crowd a can-you-believe-it look. ‘That kind of sounds like him, doesn't it? My position is clear: My administration will never allow the diversion of Great Lakes water.’”
Lizza points out that Bush and Kerry actually have the same position on the issue – “neither favor redirecting water to needy states.”
What he doesn’t mention is that three years ago Bush took exactly the opposite position.
As the AP reported on 7/19/01, Bush "said he wants to talk to Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien about piping water to parched states in the west and southwest." Though experts said at the time that "diverting any water from the Great Lakes region sets a bad precedent," Bush said, "A lot of people don't need [the water], but when you head South and West, we do need it." (Hat Tip: Center for American Progress)
If Bush has the cajones to call Kerry a lying coward who shirked duties in Vietnam, why can’t Kerry slam Bush as a “flip-flopper.” Use the word, Mr. Kerry. It will stick.