I'm as tired as the next guy of posts and diaries that say "Kerry will win the debate if he uses this zinger." I've also posted several just like that (of course
mine were
killer).
And yet, prior to the first debate several Kossacks pitched the, "Your father knew invading Iraq was a bad idea" tack that Kerry wound up using to great effect. Coincidence? Who knows?
Just in case, I posit this precision rhetorical bomb. Only five words long, this phrase carries with it the recent "Bush is in denial" theme as well as the "This man is a liar" vibe that lurks just below the surface of the new CIA report, Cheney's debate performance, Bush's "rose colored glasses" Iraq outlook, etc.
[ED:Retitled]
When Kerry is called upon for rebuttal to one of Bush's assertions that flies in the face of the facts (obviously there will be ample opportunity), he should turn to Bush and say:
"Mr. Bush, listen to yourself." Then, before an objection can be voiced to this direct form of address, he quickly turns to the audience member who posed the question and continues. "The President stands here and tells you he'd handle Iraq exactly the same way if he had to do it over again. This despite Paul Bremmer saying..."
Or:
"Mr. Bush, listen to yourself." Then: "The President has seen the same economic reports I have and yet he stands here with a straight face [HA!] and tells you the economy is good..."
The phrase also has the potential to be one of those annoying digs that could throw Bush off kilter suggesting, as it does, that he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.
I can absolutely see "Mr. Bush, listen to yourself." being picked up by the media the way "There he goes again" was.