Bush Administration Actions Contradict Claims in His Acceptance Speech

(PRWEB) September 8, 2004

Brussels, Belgium September 4, 2004 It was four o’clock in the morning. Christian de Fouloy, a Republican and former Chairman of Republicans Abroad, sat with eyes glued to his computer, watching Bush’s acceptance speech. In 2000, de Fouloy enthusiastically supported George W. Bush’s candidacy, and has offered a fervent defense of Bush administration policies for European TV cameras on numerous occasions. But beginning in 2002, de Fouloy grew disillusioned with Bush’s international policies, especially the invasion of Iraq. Writing in March 2004 de Fouloy said, “I thought that I was defending the right cause but I was wrong. I am leaving President Bush because I believe in a balanced budget, environmental conservation, and most important, a foreign policy that is strong without being needlessly belligerent.” De Fouloy went on to found Republicans for Kerry, Europe, and was quickly joined by other Republicans living abroad.

“His lofty claims about international affairs are completely contradictory to reality,” de Fouloy told Republicans for Kerry ’04 recently. In three and a half short years Bush has managed to destroy the trust and image that we have built with our allies since World War II, and he has enraged our friends in the Middle East, de Fouloy noted. The invasion of Iraq and especially the incompetence and misconduct since the end of “major combat operations” has fueled hatred among Islamic nations towards America; many more young people have joined terrorist groups. “I have been living abroad for years and I have seen with my own eyes everyday how frightened is the rest world, looking at America and the Bush Presidency,” said de Fouloy. “The scariest when he says ‘Trust me and I will make a safer world.’”

Thousands of miles away, across the Atlantic Ocean, Allan Tweddle an environmental engineer and business owner in Charleston, WV listened to Bush’s speech with a heavy heart. “His claim that he is ‘expanding liberty’ is totally contradicted by his actions during his presidency, and maybe especially his four visits to West Virginia,” Tweddle said. Noting repeated incidents in which dissenters at Bush-Cheney campaign events have been detained or harassed, Tweddle complains, “Freedom of expression is not allowed in the Bush-Cheney campaign.” A Texas couple who had worked for FEMA in the flood areas of WV were taken by the Charleston police from the state capitol grounds in handcuffs because they wore T-shirts with an anti-Bush symbol. A professor was ejected from a Bush Cheney rally because “he wasn’t a Bush supporter.” At another rally a young man who spoke out in disagreement with Bush’s remarks was escorted from the event and then fired from his job. “When you add to these stories that we heard that a loyalty pledge was required to get into the RNC, how can Bush say he is ‘expanding liberty’,” Tweddle asked in exasperation. “I have been in the Republican party since 1985 and I have never seen this level of hypocrisy in a presidential speech…. In his brief term in office Bush has taken away more liberties than any other president in US history….”

[For a copy of Allan Tweddle’s “To Bush Dissent Seems to be Un-American “ and Christian de Fouloy’s “Why I’m leaving President Bush” and “Dear America”, contact media@republicansforkerry04.org]

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