- Originaly published by the LA Weekly on August 27, 2004
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Campaigning in Sioux City, Iowa [two Saturdays ago], President Bush had this to say about his opponent.
Begin video clip:
BUSH: And now almost two years after he voted for the war in Iraq,
about [230] days after switching positions to declare himself the
anti-war candidate, my opponent has found a new nuance.
End video clip.
MATTHEWS: Well, about [230] days ago, John Kerry was on Hardball , and
I asked him about his views on Iraq. [Two sentences of the exchange
were sent to Bush supporters by the Republican National Committee.]
Let's watch that exchange as it actually happened.
Begin video clip:
MATTHEWS: Do you think you belong in that category of candidates who
more or less are unhappy with this war? The way it's been fought? Along
with General Clark, along with Howard Dean, and not necessarily in
companionship politically on the issue of the war with people like
Lieberman, Edwards and Gephardt? Are you one of the anti-war
candidates?
KERRY: I am. Yes. In the sense that I don't believe the president took
us to war as he should have, yes. Absolutely. Do I think this president
violated his promises to America? Yes, I do, Chris. Was there a way to
hold Saddam Hussein accountable? You bet there was, and we should have
done it right.
End video clip.
MATTHEWS: Let me go to Matt. Do you believe that your candidate, the
president of the United States, accurately reflected in his comment
that John Kerry called himself -- declared himself -- the anti-war
candidate is an accurate representative of that dialogue between myself
and John Kerry?
MATTHEW DOWD, SENIOR STRATEGIST, BUSH-CHENEY '04: Yes. Obviously. The
impression John Kerry was trying to leave when he was up against Howard
Dean in the primary was he was the anti-war candidate after he voted
for the resolution. That's obviously what he was trying to do. He was
trying to leave the impression that he either was the anti-war
candidate or was becoming the anti-war candidate.
MATTHEWS: Well, Matt, let me get back to what the president said in
Sioux City, Iowa, last week. He said . . . that John Kerry declared
himself the anti-war candidate. The question to John Kerry was about
whether -- let's listen to him again. Let's get his words now, John
Kerry's.
Repeats video clip of Matthews-Kerry exchange.
MATTHEWS: Matt, again, do you think that was a fair representation, what the president said about what John Kerry said to me?
DOWD: You asked John Kerry a yes or no question. You said, "Are you the anti-war candidate?" And at . . .
MATTHEWS: No. I said, "Are you one of those -- are you one of the anti-war candidates?"
DOWD: Yes. And he said, "Yes, absolutely."
MATTHEWS: No. He said, "I am, yes, in the sense that I don't believe
the president took us to war as he should have . . ." Let me ask you,
Matt, are you going to have the president stop saying that John Kerry,
on our show, on Hardball , are you going to get him to stop saying that
John Kerry declared himself the anti-war candidate, which is clearly
not what he said, because I used the word anti-war candidate, and I
referred to a number of them? . . . Is the president going to keep
saying that something that was said on this show wasn't said?
DOWD: Of course, he is. Why wouldn't he? It's what Senator Kerry said .
. . You just showed it on TV. I think anybody watching this on . .
. tonight on TV would think that Senator Kerry declared himself
the anti-war candidate. I don't see how anybody watching wouldn't tell
that.
--from MSNBC's Hardball , August 16