Dole Campaign Press Release - Debate Primer

"In the past week, Americans have begun to learn the extent to which George Bush and his administration have abused their government power for political purposes. From the State Department to the Justice Department to the Treasury, many branches of the federal government have been tapped to help in Bush's desperate attempt to remain in power." Clinton/Gore release, 10/16/92

CLINTON '92 ACCUSED BUSH OF "SECRECY AND COVER-UP"

"Clearly after 12 years in office, this administration has become accustomed to lax standards and the abuse of power. Bush says he should be reelected because of 'trust.' Meanwhile, his aides can't scramble fast enough to contain George Bush's scandals. ... We can't afford four more years of secrecy and cover-ups." George Stephanopoulos, Clinton/Gore release, 10/30/92

CLINTON '92 ACCUSED BUSH OF A COVER-UP "LARGER" THAN WATERGATE

"But let me assert to you that I believe what we are seeing right now is George Bush presiding over a cover up that is significantly larger than the Watergate cover lip. Watergate was described as a 'two-bit burglary.' Iraq-gate by contrast includes the largest bank fraud in the history of the United States." Al Gore, speech before National Conference of Editorial Writers, 10/15/92

CLINTON '92 ACCUSED BUSH OF VIOLATING PRIVACY OF INNOCENT CITIZENS

"Today's revelation that senior state department aides personally searched the passport files not only of Governor Clinton but of his mother blows the lid off the Bush administration's dirty tricks and denials. Make no mistake. This is a monumental abuse of power, an invasion of Mrs. Kelley's privacy, and clearly a willful violation of the Privacy Act and the State Department's own rules. There is no excuse for a U.S. government agency investigating a citizen who has done nothing wrong, solely for the purpose of assembling a political smear." George Stephanopoulos, Clinton/Gore release, 10/22/92

CLINTON '92 ACCUSED BUSH OF "TAXPAYER-FUNDED DIRTY TRICKS"

"When caught red-handed in an abuse of power, Bush's aides have responded with a series of evasions and denials. One by one, these alibis have proven to be inaccurate. ... This is the smoking gun -- proof of a taxpayer-funded dirty tricks campaign. Not since the Nixon campaign of 1972 has there been such a pattern of misuse of government agencies to smear an opponent." George Stephanopoulos, Clinton/Gore release, 10/22/92

CLINTON '92 ACCUSED BUSH OF USING "MCCARTHY"-LIKE TACTICS

"President Bush has once again turned to the hateful, dangerous tactics of Joe McCarthy. It is a startling abuse of power and a violation of our country's most basic principles that demands an immediate and thorough explanation." Al Gore, Clinton/Gore release, 10/14/92

CLINTON '92 ACCUSED BUSH OF "OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE"

"Meanwhile, it is clear that thanks to political interference, the effort to get to the bottom of the Italian bank scandal may have been set back for many months... Now we have the spectacle of the Justice Department, the CIA, and the FBI involved in mutual recriminations -- it would be funny, if the result were not obstruction of justice, and if it didn't mean that the truth will not come out until after the election." Al Gore, remarks to Oshkosh.. Wisconsin rally, 10/27/92

CLINTON '92 ACCUSED BUSH OF "BLATANT DISREGARD FOR THE LAW"

"Reports that the Justice Department urged the Central Intelligence Agency to deliberately withhold information from federal prosecutors raise serious new questions where many already existed about the conduct of the Bush-Quayle administration and the policies it pursues. Today, it is not just failed policy or bad judgment in question, it is a seemingly blatant disregard for the law by those responsible for enforcing." Al Gore, Clinton/Gore release, 10/9/92

CLINTON '92 ACCUSED BUSH OF "ILLEGAL" ACTIONS IN IRAN-CONTRA

That's why George Bush tried to hide his role from the American people. He told us he was out of the loop. But now we have explosive proof that he was not only in the loop, and fully informed about the arms for hostages deal, but he was on the illegal side of the argument." Al Gore, Clinton/Gore release, 10/30/92

CLINTON '92 ACCUSED BUSH OF "CONTINUALLY" LYING

"What can you say about the character of a president who continually lies to the American people to avoid the consequences of his foreign policy blunders?" George Stephanopoulos, Clinton/Core release, 10/28/92

CLINTON '92 ACCUSED BUSH OF "HIDING" EVIDENCE

"George Bush can't claim vindication while hiding the evidence. It's time for him to come clean on his foreign policy scandals." George Stephanopoulos, Clinton/Gore release, 10/28/92

CLINTON '92 ACCUSED BUSH OF NOT TELLING THE TRUTH

"George Bush said he would do anything and say anything to got reelected. He and his campaign are continuing to fulfill that promise. Not satisfied with distortions, they've moved to just making things up." George Stephanopoulos, Clinton/Gore release, 10/29/92

CLINTON '92 DEMANDED BUSH RELEASE INCRIMINATING DOCUMENTS

"It's time for George Bush to come clean. He should start by making a full accounting of his administration's actions, and by releasing the documents that will reveal the truth about his administration's policies." George Stephanopoulos, Clinton/Gore release, 10/23/92

FAIR GAME IN '92, FAIR GAME IN '96...