John Kerry Explains War Funding Vote

[wicket]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040929/ap_on_el_pr/kerry&cid=694&ncid=716

On the eve of a foreign policy debate with President Bush (news - web sites), Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) said in an interview that his explanation of why he voted in favor of additional funding for the war in Iraq (news - web sites) before voting against it was "one of those inarticulate moments" in the campaign.

Kerry ultimately voted against providing $87 billion for military operations and aid in Iraq and Afghanistan (news - web sites). Although he initially supported the appropriation when it was to be funded at least in part by rolling back tax cuts for those with the highest incomes, Kerry said he ended up voting against the final version of the bill in the Senate as a protest over its funding, which included no-bid contracts.

-snip-

"It was just a very inarticulate way of saying something and I had one of those inarticulate moments," Kerry said in an interview broadcast Wednesday on "Good Morning America" on ABC. "But it reflects the truth of the position ... I thought that the wealthiest people of America should share in that burden. It was a protest."

-snip-

"We should not have gone into Iraq knowing today what we know," Kerry told ABC. "Knowing there was no imminent threat to America, knowing there were no weapons of mass destruction, knowing there was no connection between 9/11 and Saddam Hussein, I would not have voted to support war."

[Evergreen Emerald]

1. How many friggin times...

...does he have to explain this? And when has Bush EVER had to explain his threat to veto the funding? This is more evidence of media bias.

[wicket]

7. I REALLY hope Kerry brings up the veto in the debates

[Union Thug]

8. that's my question too.. except I think I know the answer...

Ok, I'm no F*in' genius but i understand Kerry's vote on the 87 bil. I'm not exceptionally well read, but I try to keep up on the issues. In short, I'm just as average schmuck trying to make sense out of this mess.

Why the hell other average schmuck-ass americans don't have sense enough to understand something as simple as FUNDING as an issue is beyond me. I think it's because most americans are too busy eating cheetos and watching the TEEEEEEvee than trying to understand ANYTHING beyond the 30 second soundbite.

"we love the leader, we love the leader, we love the leader..."

[BiggJawn]

18. You're an ABOVE average schmuck.

your "average" schmuck doesn't understand big words like "inarticulate"...

"Huhhhhh...Lookee....Man on surfboard.....Funny!...Bush keeps me safe, that's what Sean Hannity say...Me like Teeee-Veeeee!"

[dansolo]

9. Why doesn't Kerry mention Bush's veto threat?

Kerry should mention over and over again that Bush threatened to veto the original bill, and that Republicans in Congress blocked it. But instead Kerry keeps trying to justify and explain his actions. He should state forcefully that the reason original bill that he voted for didn't pass was because Bush blocked it. Kerry needs to be on the attack, and place the blame squarely on Bush's head.

[w4rma]

13. Maybe he did in this interview. Maybe it was filtered out of this article.

The AP cuts out the most important facts, like this, in almost every article.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

14. Seems rather odd

unless he wants to clock him with it at the debates and leave him unrehearsed to address it

[wicket]

15. I'd love to see that!

:evilgrin:

[struggle4progress]

21. Agree 100%. eom

[Catfight]

2. How come Bush is the only one who's not pissed he was given

shitty information and then persuaded to send kids to die because of faulty information? I would think Bush would be firing people left and right...unless...he condones it?

[dennis4868]

10. Because....

Bush and his thugs created the shitty information and then went one step further and gave the american people shittier information than he had...shit!

[daydreamer]

3. veto

Why did he not point out that Bush threatend to veto the funding bill? He has to seize each opportunity to go on the offensive.

[Onlooker]

4. Why doesn't Kerry say,

Why doesn't Kerry say, I voted against the final bill because it could lead to across-the-board tax increases, something that I'm against.

And let the pundits figure out the rest.

[leftchick]

5. all right GMA get aWol* on and ask him.....

why he went to war given the intelligence warnings of the quagmire that would result? ....for a start!

[KC21304]

6. And Kerry and Edwards should explode with anger

about the Intelligence warnings they are now seeing that they did
NOT see before the vote. If Bush says one more time, as he just did on O'Reilly, that Kerry saw the same intelligence he did, I would call him a liar, right before the whole world.

[Catfight]

16. Exactly, Bush provided BAD information and then BLAMES the senate.

[mazzarro]

23. No - he is a liar!

Kerry-Edwars should aay it loud and always: Bush is a liar! The sooner Kerry and Edwards started using the word "lair" the better I will feel because repeated usage of that word by Kerry and the DNC leadership will surely take a toll on the chimp's integrity. The thing that annoys me the most is the constant couching of any democratic leader's criticism of the chimp's integrity with the phrase "... he is a good man..." WTF is that when reThugs have never held back when they pummelled Al Gore in 2000 and when they do the same to Kerry and Edwards in this campaign. Let it rip NOW - buddy! No more holding back!

[dennis4868]

11. and why in the hell....

did you lie and exxagerate the threat from Iraq before the war? And how in the world did the threat from Iraq change so much in the NIE in one year?

[wicket]

12. Nah, they'll never be tough on the Chimperor

:puke:

[wicket]

17. kick!

:kick:

[Skarbrowe]

19. And this is how MSNBC is covering his comment...

I just saw a brief clip of Kerry statement about being inarticulate on his this subject and he said that it was something that can happen, late in the day after campaigning, being tired and so on. The NEWS is that the rethugs are saying that it was NOON and not late in the day. So the idiot woman on MSNBC asked the talking head she had on "Is this going to be another thing that hurts Kerry?" All her questions were negative leading. Point being, her NEWS wasn't about his explanation, it was about the fact that he appeared to be untruthful about when he said it.

I was floored. The media fix is in. Why didn't they harp on about Bush's untruthful statement about seeing the first plane hit the WTC? It's ugly out there, folks. I hope the thousands and thousands of new voters can pull this out for Kerry, because the media and the rethugs are doing their best to cook his goose before dinner time.

[Redleg]

20. Kerry explains it for the 100th time- when is the media going to get it

right?

[SKKY]

22. Kerry absolutely has to ask this question...

...because I think about 10% of the population know about the veto threat. It's huge, and a nice chance for Kerry to have one of his, "I know something about killing." moments.