John Kerry made an excellent point...

[kentuck]

which was not explored any further. He made the comment that terrorism is more of a police and intelligence matter, rather than military. It seems he was saying that Iraq may be used as an excuse for war, but not as the best way to fight terrorism. It was a point that has not been discussed enough, in my opinion.

When you have a couple of dozen of terrorists, or a couple of hundred, or a couple of thousand, unless they are fighting under the flag of a sovereign nation, the best way to fight them is with police action and using our intelligence to track their intents. We should use our diplomatic connections in different countries to capture these criminals - not go to war. It's like trying to kill an ant with a sledgehammer.

[soupkitchen]

1. Yeah this idea that Iraq is the battleground on which terrorism

will be defeated-as seems to be the new operative spin-is just plain stupid.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

9. like I said yesterday

Bush would have us believe terrorists are lined up waiting to get into Iraq so as to take on the U.S. Army.

:wtf:

[uptohere]

2. this is very true

The difference in Afghanistan was that it was state sponsored. This was also the explination used for Iraq although there seems to be little tracable account of that beyond Hussein writting checks and maybe allowing a few training camps.

I guess the idea was also more of a bug bomb effect than a hammer as these sorts of cockroaches hide well and easily. Difficult to say how effective it's been. Are they laying low or has their ability to strike is a large manner been quelled ? I sure don't know the answer to that one !

[phillybri]

3. Read his book "The New War"

Great read....He's dead on....

[blm]

4. Kerry gets labeled a warmonger here, but, few know his actual approach

towards war. For instance, he doesn't believe in massive air campaigns where you carpet bomb entire regions. He thinks too many civilians are killed in that manner, and not enough of the bad guys.

He believes that if you are going to go into battle, you put in overwhelming ground force directly targeting the enemy combatants and their bases of operation.

He has been pointing to Bush's failure of military strategy in Afghanistan since early 2002. Only Al Gore backed him up on that view. On July 2002 MTP, Dean criticized Gore and Kerry for it. "It's easy to second-guess the commander-in-chief at a time of war. I choose not to do that."

In my view, if more Dems had backed up Kerry and Gore then, the American people would have had doubts about Bush's credibility and military leadership ALOT earlier and he may never have had the people with him on Iraq at all.

[BurtWorm]

5. I agree with Kerry's ideas about how to use the military

and with the central idea of this thread, namely that terrorism is a criminal, not a military issue. I strongly disagree with his giving the benefit of the doubt to Bush as "commander in chief." Bush is illegitimate. Period.

[blm]

11. It was Dean who said that on MTP in July, 2002

in answer to Kerry and Gore's criticism of Bush on his military strategy.

[BurtWorm]

13. Well I disagree with Dean then.

On that.

[PurityOfEssence]

23. That is not permitted on this board

You shall be punished.

[ModerateMiddle]

20. Clark backed Kerry up all the way

on the Tora Bora debacle yesterday on Hardball. Clark said that we failed to get bin Laden in that episode, for precisely the same reason that Kerry said back in December.

[blm]

21. That's why I always bear in mind what Alterman said months ago...

that Clark was being groomed by the DNC for VP just in case Edwards doesn't catch fire. Conason floated the Kerry/Clark ticket months ago, too, as MWO is now. I don't believe it was JUST a rumor.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

22. Kerry/Clark will ensure the 50 state sweep

and DC and the territories and possesions. I am sure of it.

[CWebster]

6. The best way to fight "terrorism"

is to determine what the issues are that generate it---instead of just using simplistic terminology and convenient demonization to define what, at times may be legitimate grievances from suffering people.

Like the Palestinians, Senator Kerry.

[BurtWorm]

8. That's the best way to fight crime, too.

I think Kerry aactually has a point.

[Chef]

7. Kerry's point

As my cousin Mark Twain said, "When your only tool is a hammer, every problem becomes a nail".

It amazes me that the only method we have to deal with terrorism is an military that was built to fight a war against a large nation state in Europe, and 13 years after that possibility evaporated, we are still feeding that monster. More attack subs, aircraft carriers, etc. We enlarge NATO so we can sell them arms we build (one of the only industries not shipped offshore. This madness is riding a tiger we are stuck on and can't get off of.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

10. I've been saying this since Sep. 12, 2001

Bush has the imagination of a.......

[blm]

18. ....a hammer?

;)

[NewYorkerfromMass]

19. No, that terrorism's a police and intelligence matter NOT military

9/11 was a crime. NOT Pearl Harbor II as the right wing hawks would have us believe.

edit: Oh the imagination part? Bush has no mind, other than that of a cocaine addled dried out drunk imbecile.

[AWD]

12. That's very true

Kerry is exactly right.

As Chef pointed out above (read all the posts first, Jeff....), Mark Twain once said "when your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail."

[nannygoat]

14. George Soros said something similar to this last night on

CNBC.

What has always bothered me about the "war on terrorism" are all of the innocent people who are "collateral damage" when terrorists are targeted. What did these people ever do to warrant retaliation?

[pansypoo53219]

15. i guess

we know how Bush killed ants as a kid.

[HazMat]

16. Kerry knows what he's talking about

When the facts are laid out on the table, and the "adults" start paying attention to this race, Kerry will win this nomination easily. Kerry's resume is impressive, and he's most qualified on the most important issue of our time.

[bearfan454]

17. Welcome to DU

You can get the real news now.

[CWebster]

24. Ah"most qualified on the most important issue of our time. "

the quagmire and money pit that is Iraq?

Why yes Kerry was most helpful in coming around in support of the illegitimate boy king idiot.

[HazMat]

25. Show me where Kerry voted to invade Iraq

His vote on the IWR was correct. Bush's unilateral rush to war was wrong. Blame Bush and the neocons, not a great man like John Kerry.

Kerry and the other Dems who voted on the IWR based their vote on intelligence (which we now know was cooked) presented to them. It's their duty to vote on the evidence like jurors in a trial, not schoolchildren with grudges. Their job was to vote as though Clinton or anyone else was president. Kerry's vote is consistent with his position on Iraq under Clinton.

Of course, logical reasoning and nuanced positions usually escape the black/white thinking of one issue fanatics, whether they're on the right or the left.