John Kerry’s web site has what they call the DBunker, where they take “Facts” from the Bush campaign, and then “debunk” them. It is interesting to see how much of it is just saying “Isn’t” to every claim of “Is” without any facts to back up the rebuttal. But much is also quibbling.

One of the “facts” they debunk is just plain dishonest, which I find interesting coming from someone who’s whole campaign is on how Bush lies. It is about Bush’s claim that Kerry has voted for higher taxes 350 times.

“350″ Tax Hike Claim: Bush & Cheney Inventing Numbers

BUSH FICTION: John Kerry has voted to raise taxes 350 times.

FACT: Bush and Cheney’s fabricated “350 tax hike” attack has already been D-Bunked by FactCheck.org. FactCheck looked into the “350″ claim and said this: “The President misled voters and reporters in a March 20 speech when he claimed that Kerry "voted over 350 times for higher taxes on the American people" during his 20-year Senate career.”

According to FactCheck, “the Bush campaign’s list of Kerry’s votes for "higher taxes" is padded. It includes votes Kerry cast to leave taxes unchanged (when Republicans proposed cuts), and even votes in favor of alternative Democratic tax cuts that Bush aides characterized as "watered down."

The March 30th issue of the Los Angeles Times writes, “One example was found on page 83 of the Bush campaign’s 87-page listing of Kerry’s votes. Listed as “Senate Vote 167-S 1054,” the measure was the Senate Democrats’ substitute to counter Bush’s 2003 economic stimulus package. The Democratic plan, which Kerry voted for, and the Republican plan, which Kerry voted against, would have lowered taxes. Why did it end up on a list of “votes for higher taxes”?”

Notice the change in terms? The Bush claim is that when faced with choices between lower or higher tax, Kerry chose to vote for the higher tax 350 times. But they changed what Bush said to make it “tax hike” instead of “higher taxes”, thus they can say the claim is false.

At best this is quibbling. Kerry freely admits that most of the time, he did vote to raise taxes. However on a few occasions, he voted for tax cuts, but only because he knew they had no chance of passing when up against more substantial cuts.

But a more accurate way to put it is that this is dishonest. To change your opponent’s words so that you can claim that he is lying, is lying.