Bush working with bin Laden

[Trey Brister]

Cronkite: Bush working with bin Laden
Says he thinks Rove set up videotape terror threat
Posted: October 31, 2004
12:45 p.m. Eastern


Walter Cronkite, the former CBS anchor once dubbed "the most trusted man in America," speculated on CNN's "Larry King Live" that President Bush's re-election campaign is working with Osama bin Laden.

Walter Cronkite

On Friday night, King showed Cronkite an excerpt from the al-Qaida videotape released earlier that day on the al-Jazeera satellite network in which bin Laden says: "Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or al-Qaida. Your security is in your own hands. Any nation that does not attack us will not be attacked."

Asked for his reaction, Cronkite said: "So now the question is basically right now, how will this affect the election? And I have a feeling that it could tilt the election a bit. In fact, I'm a little inclined to think that Karl Rove, the political manager at the White House, who is a very clever man, he probably set up bin Laden to this thing. The advantage to the Republican side is to get rid of, as a principal subject of the campaigns right now, get rid of the whole problem of the al Qaqaa explosive dump. Right now, that, the last couple of days, has, I think, upset the Republican campaign."

Cronkite went on to say that he believes the election is so close that Americans will not know the winner until early spring.

"Well, I think it's one of the biggest messes we've had in a long time," Cronkite said. "I believe that we're undoubtedly not going to know the results of this election. I don't want to knock you off the air on Monday night or anything, or Tuesday night. But I suspect that we're not going to know who the next president is, whether it is Bush or the new man, until very probably sometime in the early spring. There's so much controversy that they're planting, deliberately planting at the polls, that there's almost certainly to be a suit going back to the Supreme Court eventually, going through the other courts slowly first."

Though Cronkite has been harshly critical of Bush throughout his administration, this was, by far, the strongest condemnation yet of the president who faces re-election Tuesday.

In his weekly column for King Features Syndicate last year Cronkite blasted a foreign-policy speech Bush gave recently in London as ''eloquent, idealistic and worrisome.''

Cronkite said Bush's address was masterfully crafted to defend his foreign policy against widespread European hostility, although parts of it sounded a bit ''off-key'', leading Cronkite to question the president's ''depth of conviction.'' Cronkite wrote: ''That depth is suspect because of his poor record of following through. In Afghanistan, the pledge to reconstruct and democratize that country seemed all but abandoned in order to concentrate forces and finances on the invasion of Iraq. Remember the "road map" for Israel/Palestine? Palestinian terrorists shredded it with their suicide bombs, but not before Bush had failed in his promise to pressure both sides to make critical concessions. He denounced and renounced Yasser Arafat, but seemed, as he had in the past, unwilling or incapable of holding Ariel Sharon's feet to the fire. Today there is growing skepticism concerning his promise to stay the course in Iraq. With the security situation there worsening by the day, the decision to craft a new plan seemed not just defensible but mandatory. But suspicions were raised by the new timetable, which would put an Iraqi council in charge by next June and send a substantial number of American troops home. It might be simply coincidental that this timing meshes with next year's re-election campaign. But coincidence does inspire some skepticism.''

Cronkite also points to a related issue that he says goes directly to Bush's sincerity.

''That is his acknowledgement in the London speech of "good-faith disagreements" over the war. How does that harmonize with the Republicans' (and Bush's) egregious use of such disagreements to bludgeon the Democrats prior to the 2002 midterm elections – a political mugging we can expect to see more of next year?''

In recent years, Cronkite's been noted for his globalist views in numerous speeches. As WorldNetDaily reported, the 86-year-old advocates the U.S. giving up sovereignty and the creation of a U.N. standing army.

In a speech at the United Nations in 1999, Cronkite said the first step toward achieving a one-world government is to strengthen the U.N.

"It seems to many of us that if we are to avoid the eventual catastrophic world conflict we must strengthen the United Nations as a first step toward a world government patterned after our own government with a legislature, executive and judiciary, and police to enforce its international laws and keep the peace," he said. "To do that, of course, we Americans will have to yield up some of our sovereignty. That would be a bitter pill. It would take a lot of courage, a lot of faith in the new order."

Cronkite joined CBS in 1950, and was the anchor of the CBS Evening News until 1981, when he was succeeded by current anchor Dan Rather.

[Ryan]

It's a ridiculous statement because the bin Laden video probably does more to help Kerry than it does Bush. The pollsters agree with me on this.

[Adam D]

Originally Posted by Ryan

It's a ridiculous statement because the bin Laden video probably does more to help Kerry than it does Bush. The pollsters agree with me on this.

Indeed.


Although I think both candidates are being tight lipped about it because it's a clear antiwar message.

Originally Posted by Trey Brister

In fact, I'm a little inclined to think that Karl Rove, the political manager at the White House, who is a very clever man, he probably set up bin Laden to this thing. The advantage to the Republican side is to get rid of, as a principal subject of the campaigns right now, get rid of the whole problem of the al Qaqaa explosive dump. Right now, that, the last couple of days, has, I think, upset the Republican campaign."

Ok, Mr. Cronkite - time for your medication.... Yes, you can have your fuzzy squeeky toy after you take your.....that's a good mr. Cronkite.... good night.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by xiannaix

Ok, Mr. Cronkite - time for your medication.... Yes, you can have your fuzzy squeeky toy after you take your.....that's a good mr. Cronkite.... good night.

Yeah, it sounds like he's ready for an old folks' home. Although, Karl Rove has pulled off some pretty amazing shit in his day. Remember the "bug" planted in his office by the "Mark White campaign?" I'm in no way trying to add weight to this ridiculous accusation, just saying that if anyone was capable of something this devious, Rove would be it.