US row as Kerry claims foreign leaders support {Guardian}

[bobthedrummer]

The Democrats US presidential candidate, John Kerry, yesterday caused political uproar by claiming he had the private support of foreign leaders who wanted President George Bush beaten.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1165346,00.html

[otohara]

1. They Can't Handle The Truth

administration based on lies, lies and more lies.

[bobthedrummer]

2. I think this statement was a good move on Kerry's part

I know that W's handlers will try to use it in a negative way, but it is the truth and was a good thing to say in Florida.

Taking it right to the War President and his coalition of the willing.

[wicket]

3. AMEN!

I couldn't agree more! :)

[central scrutinizer]

4. xenophobia and fundamentalism

simply two facets of the same mentality - you can bet they will use this to shore up *'s base. You can predict how right-wing AM radio blowhards will use stereotypes to play this up: "Do you want your President chosen by those French cowards? - they don't even bathe."

[0rganism]

10. The xenophobic fundamentalists won't be voting for Kerry anyway

I think we can safely write off the xenomentalists (fundaphobics?) in 2004. Kerry's message is not going to be lost on the internationalist investors, though. Perhaps Kerry did give the shrub a way to shore up some of the GOP base, but he also eroded support at the periphary.

[mobuto]

5. I disagree

the worst thing a politician can do in any country - and that includes the US - is to appear to be the tool of foreign interests. Kerry obviously isn't, but Bush can now spin him that way.

Kerry - he's France's candidate, and whatnot.

[Spentastic]

6. Definitely

Far preferable to be the freedom fries kind of candidate.

[bobthedrummer]

8. George W. Bush and the Saudis

that's something to home in on and John Kerry is knowledgable about BCCI.

It was a good move for him to make overall, it could lead to discussion of the Bush/bin Laden family ties and other foreign influences on the War President, George W. Bush.

[nolabels]

7. Good morning NEW YORK

Do you really claim this guy

Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, said Mr Kerry "seems to be in honest confusion about what his position is" on the war on terror.

This is the Mayor how never got to the bottom of how this happened to his city, and then parades around with the fool (or other) that let it happen.

Just makes me so proud they could also put the victims remains out their for the propaganda to support their cause

[Voltaire99]

9. On balance, a nice trick by Kerry

If the nominee were someone who actually had dramatically different positions from Bush on war and the Patriot Act - two of the most pressing issues facing us - he wouldn't need to do this.

But Kerry's record requires him now to find ways to separate; he's got to differentiate himself through semantics when, in fact, he plans to keep US troops in Iraq and only talks vaguely about diluting the Patriot Act even as he conveniently borrows the administration's "war on terror" rhetoric.

This bit of jiu-jitsu is a brilliant way of doing so. It shifts overt contempt for Bush's policies away from him and onto foreign leaders, subtly reminds Americans that world cooperation is the key to escaping from Iraq and continuing to sell US debt, and delicately points up the administration's extremism - all the while allowing Kerry to wash his hands of the votes that made that extremism possible!