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Waffling on War...John Kerry’s split personality.

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unfrigginreal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:11 PM
Original message
Waffling on War...John Kerry’s split personality.
John Kerry, the junior senator from Massachusetts and a candidate for president in 2004, is renowned for his foreign-policy expertise — at least in certain circles. "o Democrat has offered a more coherent criticism of the Bush national security policies," wrote Al Hunt in the Wall Street Journal yesterday. So much the worse for the Democrats, one might conclude. Kerry spent the run-up to the Iraq vote taking shots at President Bush from right and left before finally voting with him. Hunt quotes Kerry remarking of Bush's national-security team: "These guys are fakers."

On the subject of fakers, Kerry surely knows whereof he speaks. Consider his record on the first Gulf War, which he voted against. In early January 1991, constituent Walter Carter sent Kerry a letter urging him to back the war. He received two responses. A January 22 letter from the senator, addressed to Carter as though he were an opponent of the war, indicated that Kerry favored sanctions and opposed war. A January 31 letter said, "From the outset of the invasion , I have strongly and unequivocally supported President Bush's response to the crisis and the policy goals he has established with our military deployment in the Persian Gulf."

more

http://www.nationalreview.com/ponnuru/ponnuru102502.asp

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Hmmm...Mr. Wishy Washy strikes again.


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Cha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:15 PM
Response to Original message
1. What freakin' crises? WE could have gone through the
UN and settled this with sadam..But where is the oil in that?
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PROGRESSIVE1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:15 PM
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2. I like John Kerry..
and after the 2000 "SELECTION" I thought that he would be my top choice to take on Bushco in 04'. Now that I see how he is waffling on such an important issue (National Security) I do not think that he can win next year. He has great liberal/progressive credentials on domestic policy but on the foreign front he's like a SHIP WITH NO RUDDER!!!
Bob Graham could do much better than Kerry next year. Graham has foreign policy experience and has never waffled in his positions on this issue!!! He opposed the Iraq War. He wanted to go after the real threat, not this little paper tiger in Iraq.
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ThorsteinVeblen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:16 PM
Response to Original message
3. He goes this way and that way and this way and that way
Wishy, washy, wishy, washy, wishy.

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blm Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:20 PM
Response to Original message
4. If you truly understood the vote in 1991...
Kerry voted against the war because Bush1 had not prepared the country properly for the reasons for war. People forget that the polls were AGAINST war in Iraq then, and it was the dog and pony show presentation with the fake "nurse" and the incubator story that boosted support for war. Bush did NOT prepare the nation for war.

The Dems back then ALWAYS thought Saddam was a thug and didn't want Bush aligned with him at all and even cut off funding to him. The eventual GOAL of neutralizing Saddam was widely supported by the Dems.

Incredible how little people remember from back then.
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BeatleBoot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:25 PM
Response to Reply #4
7. Thank you.
these kids!
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ThorsteinVeblen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:25 PM
Response to Reply #4
8. Nice nuanced defense
Edited on Wed Jul-30-03 07:29 PM by ThorsteinVeblen
I love the way if you twist and torture the words around in an intricate manner Kerry always seems to come out on top.

Kerry is the master of this. He has a rationalization for every one of his failures. He certain seems to believe them as well - I'll give him that. Too bad the American people don't feel the same way.

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unfrigginreal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:34 PM
Response to Reply #4
11. So, Kerry votes with the polls?
Just as I suspected. Personally I was in support of the first Gulf war, of course, I didn't use polls to make my judgement.
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blm Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 08:08 PM
Response to Reply #11
14. That wasn't the point...
the point about the polls was to remind YOU that the American people WEREN'T with Bush at the time because they hadn't accepted war. If you went through all of Kerry's position papers on war over 30 years, you'd understand that he he feels NO president has the right to go into war without giving proper explanations for the war that the people can grasp and understand the ramifications of such a serious undertaking. IOW...prepare them for the loss of lives that will certainly occur.
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devin79 Donating Member (67 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:21 PM
Response to Original message
5. Get your facts straight next time
John Kerry is hardly two faced. Only Republicans or Democrats jealous of his abilities say that about him. Unlike the cowardly George Bush, John Kerry fought in Vietnam and has a history of intelligent decisions. Kerry supported the war, because he thought it was the right thing to do. He is now critisizing the handleing of the peace, because our soldiers keep dying for a war that was hyped big time. Kerry was mislead just like the rest of us, maybe you should get your facts straight before you embarass yourself with unfounded posts.
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dfong63 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 08:15 PM
Response to Reply #5
15. not just like the rest of us
Kerry was mislead just like the rest of us,

a lot of "us" managed to see thru Bush*'s lies. if Kerry couldn't, then he doesn't belong in the white house.

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foo_bar Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:24 PM
Response to Original message
6. William Buckley's on MY side
it's a bit twisted, using the most notorious conservative journal in existence to hype an anti-liberal faction. But I've seen Dean supporters suggest they play the theme from M*A*S*H whenever their candidate appears, so there's really no upper bound on well-intentioned ingorance.
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ThorsteinVeblen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:27 PM
Response to Reply #6
9. well-intentioned ingorance (sic)
There is nothing well-intentioned about my dislike of Kerry. I think he should be politically destroyed and forced to resign for his failure to lead.

As for the Dean theme song - I propose playing "Fanfare for the Common Man".
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joeybee12 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:30 PM
Response to Reply #9
10. It's the Freakin' National Review!!!!!!!
I have my problems with Kerry, but I'm certainly not going to give any credence to the filth that is written in this right-wing rag. Why even post it or read it??????????
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foo_bar Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:41 PM
Response to Reply #9
12. (sic) [sic]
Edited on Wed Jul-30-03 07:41 PM by foo_bar
if you wish "destruction" on liberals holding the balance of power in the Senate and take solace in conservatives agreeing with you, I suggest you've come full circle to neoconservatism.
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ThorsteinVeblen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jul-30-03 07:44 PM
Response to Reply #12
13. Kerry is no leader
therefore he should not lead.

Simple.
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