Res Publica 2005

LOS LUNAS, N.M. - Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) said Sunday that Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites)'s first response to Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s new videotape was to take a poll to find out what he should say about it.

A spokesman for Kerry's campaign did not deny polling on the bin Laden videotape, but suggested President Bush (news - web sites) has done so. Bush's campaign strategist denied asking any poll questions about the al-Qaida terrorist.

"The thing that I find amazing about it is that John Kerry's first response was to go conduct a poll," Cheney told supporters in Fort Dodge, Iowa. "He went into the field ... to find out what he should say about this tape of Osama bin Laden."

"It's as though he doesn't know what he believes until he has to go and check the polls, his finger in the air, to see which way the wind is blowing and then he'll make a decision," said the vice president, who offered no evidence to back up his claim. "George Bush (news - web sites) doesn't need a poll to know what he believes, especially about Osama bin Laden."

"I don't think that's a man who is up to the task of being commander in chief," Cheney said of Kerry.

# posted by Knitting a Conundrum @ 7:57 PM