Kerry at the forefront against terrorists. Before 9-11, he followed the $$

[blm]

Any Republicans ever answer why Bush and his cronies did everything they could to STOP Kerry from exposing terrorism and its funding? Any JOURNALIST ever ask the question?


Follow the Money
How John Kerry busted the terrorists' favorite bank.

By David Sirota and Jonathan Baskin
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two decades ago, the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) was a highly respected financial titan. In 1987, when its subsidiary helped finance a deal involving Texas oilman George W. Bush, the bank appeared to be a reputable institution, with attractive branch offices, a traveler's check business, and a solid reputation for financing international trade. It had high-powered allies in Washington and boasted relationships with respected figures around the world.

All that changed in early 1988, when John Kerry, then a young senator from Massachusetts, decided to probe the finances of Latin American drug cartels. Over the next three years, Kerry fought against intense opposition from vested interests at home and abroad, from senior members of his own party; and from the Reagan and Bush administrations, none of whom were eager to see him succeed.

By the end, Kerry had helped dismantle a massive criminal enterprise and exposed the infrastructure of BCCI and its affiliated institutions, a web that law enforcement officials today acknowledge would become a model for international terrorist financing. As Kerry's investigation revealed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, BCCI was interested in more than just enriching its clients--it had a fundamentally anti-Western mission. Among the stated goals of its Pakistani founder were to "fight the evil influence of the West," and finance Muslim terrorist organizations. In retrospect, Kerry's investigation had uncovered an institution at the fulcrum of America's first great post-Cold War security challenge.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0409.sirota.html

[whistle]

1. So John Kerry followed the money to uncover its evil sources....

...What did George W Bush do? He took the money from those evil sources and used it to cover his business blunders. There are most certainly significant differences between these two candidates. My vote stays with Kerry/Edwards and it also goes total democratic ticket to get as many re-pukes out of office and power as possible!

[madmax]

2. He (bush) got into bed with the Saudi's n/t

[blm]

16. Funny that Bush was making deals with a Bin Laden who Kerry's efforts

placed under arrest.

[madmax]

18. The bush family really is a bunch of criminals

They're a WASP version of the Mafia.

[dennis4868]

3. so why are his surrogates....

and other dems who go on these nightly cable TV shows ever bring this out....that Kerry was fighting terrorism while Bush was cheating investors at Harken? Instead we get DD Myers and her snotty comments on Hardball complaining that Kerry went windsurfing and would be better off playing basketball...WTF????

[blm]

23. A mystery to me.

The article is a great start and the campaign should adapt it for their use.

[sonicx]

4. Kerry needs to talk about this

why doesn't he?

[madmax]

19. I believe he's better off sticking to the bread and butter issues

and the war in Iraq. It's too much for people to absorb along with all the crap that's coming down in this election. And we're less than 2 months away from elections. He needs to focus on what hits Joe Public in the wallet or in their family. just my 2 cents :hi:

[blm]

21. Post RNC the ONLY issue being talked about is terrorism.

The GOP framed it and Kerry could knock them down to size in a matter of days.

All it takes is the basic message in this article adapted for the campaign trail. There is nothing in that article that is difficult to grasp and post 9-11 EVERYONE understands that funding and covering up terrorism is a BAD thing.

[OHswingvoter]

5. my understanding

is that we don't want to emphasize this because the groups Raygun funded were fighting communism. Yeah some were bad guys, but the commies were the big threat then and US follows doctrine of lesser evil (kind of like like FDR jumped in bed with Stalin to defeat the Nazis).

The meme is that by supporting this kind of stuff Raygun defeated the commies. It is tricky to defend someone like Kerry who tried to oppose Raygun at every turn in his war against the commies. At the time, it could have gone either way. But now with the commies supposedly defeated by the actions of Raygun, most folks think that Kerry was "on the wrong side of history" in opposing Raygun. This does not "play in Peoria".

fortunately, most folks around here have forgotten about Kerry opposing Raygun. But, I am warning you that Raygun is a hero among the working guys here in rural Ohio. If we remind them that Kerry opposed Raygun at every turn in the fight against the commies I can assure you that Kerry will lose Ohio by double digits.

[blm]

8. What a load of CRAP. It was BUSH who was handling that region.

Even Nancy said Reagan knew nothing about the details and I have no doubt she was right and that it was Bush's operation. It was the BUSH administration who tried to stop the BCCI investigation and it had NOTHING to do with commies.

Try again. If you plan to fuck with the eagles, you better learn to fly first. Sounds to me like this article scares the crap out of some people, so they want to discourage its use.

[OHswingvoter]

11. hey I was advised by

Democratic officials. I say, if you want to go with this, do it. But I betcha it is not a tact the party wants to take.

Oh--and SURE Ronnie knew nothing about it, and sure Nancy is a paragon of virtue. Sounds full of shit to me.

[blm]

12. Bull. Name the officials in the DNC who told you to

stay away from this story.

[blm]

17. Waiting for those names.

.

[blm]

27. Still waiting.

.

[JI7]

24. good riddance asshole

[Carolinian]

6. Why doesn't K/E talk about this?

[OHswingvoter]

7. I am canvassing

phone work and hoofing it locally. I was warned by the local Democrats not to bring this up to voters. Read my other post it explains what seems to be the logic of why. The party people know that this would lose the election for Kerry big time.

Maybe trying to bring Raygun down would work for us in the very liberal areas of the country like New York or California cities. But in the heartland of American the battle ground states this is a huge loser. Especially with the recent death of Raygun enhancing him even more than usual in peoples minds. Use this only if you are bitten determined to see Kerry lose. I want him to win, so I am going to pretend memory lose in anyone asks about Kerry's support of Raygun and his war on communism. Communism is not important any more and I could care less that most people think Raygun was right and Kerry was wrong. getting the Bushies out of office is the most important thing now.

[blm]

9. That's insane. NOONE in the Dem party warned about this info. NOONE.

.

[OHswingvoter]

13. check it out locally.

I know I was told not to. This is a rural area Ohio. If you think its cool go with it. I am sure that it can only help Kerry to be pro communist regimes. I am sure this will help him big in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Go with it. But I doubt that you want Kerry to win.

[blm]

14. I grew up in Ohio. Most of my family is there.

One relative is a top newspaper manager in Ohio. Funny, I never heard anything like you claim.

There was NO association with communism in the BCCI dealings. Who in the world ever told you there was?

[A_Possum]

20. You're confusing Iran-contra with BCCI

[blm]

26. I think Reagan was out of the loop on IranContra, too.

I really think he was handling USSR and most of Europe while he allowed Bush to handle the Mideast and South America.

[seabeyond]

10. he can address this. say cheney says i dont go after terrorist

i was doing it long before bushco or cheney ever said the word. and then go to the bcci story

[blm]

15. During BCCI, Cheney called Kerry a "conspiracy theory nut"

So, which one of them was telling the truth?

[CaTeacher]

22. I think OH

voter was mixed up with Iran Contra. I am very pleased with what Kerry did in Iran Contra, but apparently sentiment is very strongly against it now (death of R and all that garbage plus people pretending that communism was wrong is shockingly popular for the moment). I have had several people get irate over what Kerry did to help take the heat off communistic regimes. I was also warned to stay away from that topic (because being pro-communist regime and anti- freedom fighters would support the meme of Kerry being weak on national security).

I respond to these naysayers with to HELL with you. As history has shown, communist societies were generally peaceful, egalitarian, societies run by agrarian reformers who truly cared about PEOPLE. Reagan was an ASSHOLE to torpedo so many communist regimes and Kerry was 100% right to protect these innocent people, which he did at EVERY opportunity like a true patriot. Mark my words communism will rise again and this time it will be successful and we will all live peacefully in true brotherhood of equality.

[blm]

25. BCCI was about TERRORISTS and those who funded them and looked the other

way, including the Bush1 administration.