Still it's "Knowing what I know now , I would do it...Amurica is safer"

[The_Casual_Observer]

The crazy bastard will say this for the rest of his life. I almost think that he believes it himself. He uses it in every speech now.

[Wheelie_Alex]

1. And that, my friend...

is a big part of his appeal! Like it or not, Bush stays on message, mistaken as he may be. That plays better to a lot of people than, "This is what I said, this is what I meant."

Not praising Bush, but I wish Kerry would forcefully make a statement like that, stand by it and not try to "explain" it. This lack of clarity is hurting Kerry.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. One has to respect the "will" it takes to jump into an empty

swimming pool head first, arms at their side, eyes wide open.

Thats cool, just don't expect me to follow.

[UdoKier]

3. Umm.. didn't Kerry say more or less the same thing?

At least that's how the Great Unwashed heard it...

[Wheelie_Alex]

4. The Great Unwashed

are being pelted with how Kerry is "explaining" his vote. A simple "Yes" would have been less damning than how this is playing out.

You remember Charles Durning's little song in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas?" It went, "You gotta dance a little a little two step?"

"Would you go to war or not?" "YES! But..." see? A two-step. Not very heartening to see that, and the "Great Unwashed" are not going to dig down into the semantics of it all.

[tedzbear]

5. Yes he more or less did.

I will be flamed of course.

[UdoKier]

9. I totally understand the flamers...

I hate to criticize Kerry, but this thing was bad, no matter how you look at it.

I never expected him to be Howard Dean, but I would've simply said that I would not have gone to war without a real good reason and a coalition to back us up. What was wrong with that?

[K-W]

11. It makes him look soft on national defense. It sucks, but its true.

Alot of people in this country want a presidant who wont let anything stand in the way of protecting us. Alot of them would rather shoot first and ask questions later.

America is scared, and they need Kerry to look strong, even illogically strong. I think we need to let Kerry do this, to get Bush out of office, and have faith that Kerry isnt as crazy as he sounds on this.

[UdoKier]

15. Thus far...

It's only reinforcing his image as a "flip-flopper", rather than one of strength.

I think he is strong and capable of making good decisions. I just wish he didn't express himself so much lik a lawyer. Save the nuances for foreign negotiations - when you're speaking to the American people, keep it simple and clear.

I believe that was Clinton's motto in 1992 - KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid!

[K-W]

17. You need to realize something very important.

The Bush administration is not concerned with the truth, they have a huge effect on public perception. It doesnt matter what Kerry says, they will still cast him the way they want to and it will still work to a large extent. They will cast him as a flip-flopper no matter what he does, but look, you are playing thier game.

You are getting down on our candidate for doing something that isnt at all flip flopping, just because Bush calls it flip flopping.

He didnt flip-flop, now stop falling for republican lies.

[UdoKier]

18. I know he didn't flip-flop.

And I'm going to leave this particular topic alone after this post.

I'm not attacking him on his character or his decision-making. I think he has shown himself to be remarkable consistent.

The problem is is fussy way of expressing himself. If anyone is giving them ammo, it's Kerry with these sound bites that are just made to be distorted.

For the record, I was not as bothered by the "sensitive" comment. Anyone who heard the speech would know what he meant. It was just a case of Cheney being a pissy little bitch.

I'm done, I'll try to stick to the positive stuff now.

Like the fact that Kerry uncovered the nest of vipers that was Iran-Contra. Kudos to him for that. North should be in the pen, not on Faux news.

[K-W]

19. Thats fair, I just think alot of people are too quick to blame Kerry

for Bush's attacks against him. Its really impossible not to be a little fussy when discussing such issues. It isnt Kerry's fault Bush is a scoundrel.

I mean seriously, Bush is attacking him for being intelligent and reasonable. We cant really blame Kerry for giving complex answers to questions about complex things. We need to stand up for Kerry's right to have intelligent policy, not ask him to speak like an idiot.

[UdoKier]

20. Yeah, there's a fine line, though...

Anyway, here's hoping he's more forceful and clear in the future, and in the interest of positivity, here's a link to some:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2224693


I REALLY want to be positive about this ticket!

[K-W]

8. I dont think he did.

Do you have a link where Kerry says he would have invaded Iraq the way Bush did?

[UdoKier]

12. He didn't say that word for word.

But what he said sounds like that to the mouth-breathers that decide elections in this country. He needs to make all of his statements clear and concise. Sure, you and I know that he voted for the 87 bil when it was paid for by rolling back the rich fux tax cuts, and that he voted agains the OTHER bill for the $87 bil because it added to the debt, but most Americans only know that he "flip-flopped".

Sure, you and I know that he wouldn't have gone to war in the same way had he been prez. Hell, he probably wouldn't have invaded at all. But most people think that what he said meant "Hell, yeah, I voted for the IWR, and even had I known about the WMD, I would've done so." IE- Bush did the right thing, except for the coalition part.

I think most of us agree that it was NOT just the lack of a coalition that made this war wrong.

[K-W]

14. So because his message is distorted in the media, we should blame Kerry?

I dont get it. It seems you want Kerry to have a message that is too simple to exist.

[K-W]

6. That is a republican lie.

Bush isnt consistant. That is a republican lie. Yes he is consistant on this issue, he has no choice, admitting he sent the country to war mistakenly would be political suicide, but Bush has, through his entire career changed his views constantly for political advantage.

[ochazuke]

7. Idea for political cartoon

Reporter asking a question of bush burning in hell: "Knowing what you know now..."

[Radical Activist]

10. Are you talking about Bush or Kerry?

I can't tell because Kerry said he would have still voted for it too, right?

[K-W]

13. Ugh, why cant we be better than the opposition.

We spend all this time bitching about republican spinning, and the first chance we get, we spin away like tops.

Voting for the IWR is NOT AT ALL the same as sending troops into Iraq. You are exagerating the case against Kerry in true repbublican fashion.

[moondust]

16. People know he's nuts.

Not everybody but I think a lot of people sense that this is a drowning man clutching at imaginary straws.

[TahitiNut]

21. God speaks to him. He's infallible.

Look, the guy's a psychopath. He's incapable of admitting mistakes, errors in judgments, or learning from them. It's all about how others react to him - he's a pathological narcissist. Narcissists don't make mistakes - since their entire sense of 'self' is completely based in the mirror of other people's reactions. Thus, only those others can ever make a mistake in erroneously reflecting his existence. The sole function of any other human being is to react and confirm his existence. Others are mere means, not ends.

Almost nothing could be clearer. :shrug: