Washington Post: Kerry would still attack Iraq even knowing no WMD!!!!!

[tedzbear]

I received this email from Matt Rothschild, editor of Progressive Magazine:

Dear Ted Franks,
Thanks for your clarification and kind words.
But here's what the Wash Post wrote on August 10:
"Responding to President Bush's challenge to clarify his position, Sen. John F. Kerry said Monday that he still wold have voted to authorize the war in Iraq even if he had known then that US and allied forces would not find weapons of mass destruction."
The piece itself quoted Kerry as saying: "Yes, I would have voted for the authority. I believe it was the right authority for a President to have."


It was precisely the wrong authority, and an unconstitutional authority, for a President to have, for the reasons I stated.


Best,
Matt


Matthew Rothschild, Editor



Fuck context! The Washington Post reporter (professional writer unlike most of us here) says Kerry made himself quite clear regarding this issue. Kerry would do the same thing as Bush even knowing there were NO WMD. Case closed folks!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

1. Don't Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out...

Kisses


Brian

[Julien Sorel]

2. This is the second thread like this this person has started.

It is absolutely not constructive criticism, has been argued to death, and obviously has no purpose except to cause dissension. Doesn't this thread violate the rules here?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. I Thought After We Had A Nominee We Weren't Allowed To Criticise Him (nt)

[Ghetto_Boy]

12. Yep.. not exactly positive...

[DemocratSinceBirth]

17. Darn Right... You Can Say Kerry Makes You Want To Raplh

but not here....

[slinkerwink]

3. they took his words out of context

Kerry hasn't flip-flopped on his position is that he voted for the war if Bush would build an international coalition, have inspectors, and use war as a last resort.

Don't buy into their spin.

[DaveinMD]

4. more crap

he would not have invaded. He wanted the inspections to have teeth. Stop spreading your lies, Ted the Elephant.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. Ted The Elephant-ROTFLMFAO (nt)

[unfrigginreal]

7. Now, here's a post that deserves derision

hopefully, those that like to paint with a broad brush can come take out some of their ire here.

[michigandem2]

8. Zell, is that you??? nt

[BurtWorm]

9. Ted, let's be clear about what Kerry said. Let's not make stuff up.

According to your post, Kerry said just this: "Yes, I would have voted for the authority. I believe it was the right authority for a President to have."

He did NOT say, "I would still attack Iraq even knowing <there were> no WMD."

There is a difference, right?

[flpoljunkie]

19. Agree.Kerry answered question about voting for authority to use force, NOT

if his vote would have been the same if there had been no WMD.

More twisting of his words by the Rethugs and the pliant, feckless media--who are more than eager to repeat whatever distortion or smear that comes over the transom from the RNC thugs.

[flpoljunkie]

27. Daily Howler's Somerby says NO RECORD EXISTS of what Q. Kerry was asked!

http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh081704.shtml

KERRY (8/9/04): Yes, I would have voted for the authority. I believe it was the right
authority for a president to have, but I would have used that authority, as I have
said throughout this campaign, effectively. I would have done this very differently
from the way President Bush has.

No record exists of what Kerry was asked. But we plainly can see what the dude plainly said. I
would have voted for the authority.

___________________

Somehow the press seems to equate "voting for the war" with "voting for the "resolution to use force"--if necessary. Bush abused the authority given to him in this resolution--he blew it!

[tedzbear]

28. The Washington Post was there and they insist Kerry answered the question!

He was asked, "Knowing there were NO WMD, would you have still voted for authorization!"

And he said YES, folks. But he would have executed the war more "effectively and differently."

He is not saying no, he would have supported a different bill, one that would have given the decision to the UN. He said the authority to invade was "the right authority for a president to have."

Some would say this means he has admitted the war was right even without there being WMD. I am on of them.

[fob]

10. bush*s question is wrong on the facts as is typical. The war upon

Iraq was never authorized. Using bush* as a definitive anything is not a good idea, unless the task is to prove definitively lying, thieving, etc.

Kerry's response is to the actual IWR though.

"Yes, I would have voted for the authority. I believe it was the right authority for a President to have."

Kerry would do the same thing as Bush even knowing there were NO WMD.Case closed folks!

Facts not in evidence! I'm gonna have to reopen the case.

If you are saying that since Kerry would have the same authority means he would USE that authority in the SAME EXACT WAY, you need to provide more evidence than a coke-addle-brained george w bush* quote.

[DemNoir]

11. Educate yourself!

Learn what the Iraq War Resolution really is and what it says.

You are a misinformed puppet of the GOP and should be ashamed for posting such garbage.

[kentuck]

13. Kerry answered it quite well back last November :

From Rolling Stone interview:
========================================
It seems that the fact that you voted in support of the president's war resolution has caused you a lot of trouble in your campaign. Do you regret supporting the president?

What I regret most of all is the way the administration dealt with it -- the extraordinary failure of the administration to keep its promises, to be mature and thoughtful about how you take a nation to war. They misled us; they presented false intelligence to us. The president made a series of promises to us -- number one, that he was gonna make every effort possible to build a legitimate coalition. He did not -- he built a fraudulent coalition. Second, he was gonna exhaust the remedies of the United Nations and the inspection process. He did not. And third, that he would go to war as a last resort. He did not.

I voted to protect the security of our country, based on the notion that the only way to get inspectors back in was to have a legitimate threat of force and the potential of using it. They took that legitimacy and bastardized it. If I were president, we would not be in Iraq today -- we would not be at war. This president abused the process.

[emulatorloo]

14. "Authority to Pressure Saddam" and Abusing that Authority are diff things

THE AUTHORITY to pressure and Willy Nilly Nitwit Invasion are two different things.

The papers are misquoting Kerry.

He would have still given the President the authority to pressure Saddam Hussein.

He still beleives Bush was a willy nilly cowboy who didnt try diplomacy.

In other words, BUSH ABUSED THE AUTHORITY.

Now when Kerry is president, he may need THE AUTHORITY to pressure bad people. That does not mean he will act like a NITWIT.

Kucinich has said John Kerry can be trusted with power/authority.


I suspect you know all this.

[lunarboy13]

15. Oh, that's a real letter from a "real" newspaper editor?

Then why is the word "would" misspelled?

I think I found the real letter...


Dear Ted Franks,

Thank you so much for the kind contribution to the Bush/Cheney/Nader campaign fund. We promise not to invade Iraq again.

Yours,

W

[RobertSeattle]

16. Just because I give you a Loaded Gun doesn't me you HAVE to shoot it

The authority was to give the President Leverage that be blew off trying to use anyway.

[SidDithers]

18. Here's the WaPo article and the quotes, in context...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52839-2004Aug9.html

On Friday, Bush challenged Kerry to answer whether he would support the war "knowing what we know now" about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction that U.S. and British officials were certain were there.

In response, Kerry said: "Yes, I would have voted for the authority. I believe it was the right authority for a president to have."

But Kerry has charged that the president and his advisers badly mishandled the war, and in the news conference he posed sharp questions for Bush.

"Why did we rush to war without a plan to win the peace?" he asked. "Why did you rush to war on faulty intelligence and not do the hard work necessary to give America the truth?"

"Why did he mislead America about how he would go to war?" he added. "Why has he not brought other countries to the table in order to support American troops in the way they deserve it and relieve the pressure on the American people?"

To me, that doesn't like "Kerry would do the same thing as Bush even knowing there were NO WMD." But then you already knew that, didn't you.

Sid

[DemocratSinceBirth]

20. Where's The Original Poster?

He drops a big stink bomb then runs away....

[SidDithers]

21. I was gonna give him a few more minutes before asking...

But that's my thinking exactly.

Sid

[WilliamPitt]

22. pzzzzzzzzzcheeeeeeeeeeezzzz

[DemocratSinceBirth]

23. Wow... I Looked At Your Profile And Saw You Are A Long Term AIDS Survivor

My prayers go ou to you...


Please keep in mind that while Kerry is far from perfect many of AWOL's supporters would quarantine AIDS survivors like they do in Cuba....

[Caution]

24. so hold on...just because some "professional writer" says it is true

then this makes it true? I guess you take the word of Bob Novak too? How about Bill Kristol?

Gimme a friggin break. Being a journalist requires nothing more than a college degree and not always that. It certainly doesn't make one an expert on policy and Constitutional theory. Get a grip. Believe what you want but who are you going to vote for? Bush? Be my guest but don't troll around here. Nader? Buy yourself a clue if you think this guy is any better, will represent your so-called viewpoint.

If you believe so strongly in being against this Iraq war that nothing short of a full denouncement is enough for you then run for President yourself.

[John_H]

25. LOL! A decarative English sentence is a little toonuanced for you

Subject. Verb. Object.

Kerry voted for the authorization.

George Bush invaded Iraq.

Authority.
War.

Not the same things. Easy, huh? Now let's get into some real hard stuff:

Providing stick with which to use deplomacy.
Using stick to premtively strike, skipping diplomacy.

A little toward the nuanced part of crystal clear, I know. But that's life, for you.

[David Dunham]

26. Why Kerry voted 2 years ago is the PAST. Forget it. Care about Iraq now!