An Admiring Tribute to John Kerry's Tenacious and Fearless Campaigning.

[David Zephyr]

Let me very clear, I am solidly for Howard Dean.

But.....................

No one has been harder on Senator John Kerry about his Iraqi War Vote than me. And while I certainly could never hate Kerry, the adage that "he that hateth much, loveth much" does have some ring of truth in my case. My disappointment in his vote was simply a crushing beyond words.

Still, I have to give it up to the Senator. In spite of the polls stacked against him, in spite of the money not flowing toward his campaign, in spite of Howard Dean and Wesley Clark getting next to all the media's attention, and in spite of the absolute wrath he had to take from the likes of me, John Kerry sucked it all like a real man and just kept on with his campaign.

And I have to admire that. A lot.

I also have to give it up for John Kerry's faithful supporters who never once wavered in their standing with him, especially the DU's very own BLM. I salute you all. You should be very proud of yourselves and your candidate.

Kerry is now showing consistent signs of surging in Iowa -- a state where Wesley Clark and Joe Lieberman would not even compete. In fact, Kerry is drawing the largest crowds in Iowa now.

So, while I am with my guy, Governor Howard Dean, I am hereby publicly declaring that John Kerry, who has plainly said that the War with Iraq was the wrong war and the wrong time, has won back a lot of the respect that I once had for him.

And so, this is my humble and sincere salute to a great American and a great Democrat, Senator John Kerry and his supporters.

You guys are looking pretty damned good tonight!

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[David Dunham]

2. Kerry Is a Great Senator and Will Make a Great Nominee!!

Go Kerry!! Win Iowa!!

[welshTerrier2]

3. nicely said, David

i feel almost exactly the same way ... except i'm not a Dean supporter ... i'm torn between kucinich and kerry ...

i'll tell you how i'll measure howard dean, though, should he indeed falter ... for me, the measure of dean will be how he handles his wildly enthusiastic supporters under those circumstances...

i was very troubled by the statements he made a few weeks ago describing how many of his supporters won't vote democratic if he fails to win the nomination ... dean has great political instincts and he may be correct ... but he shouldn't have said this ... this is a terrible message for any democrat to send ... whether dean is, or is not, the nominee, we desperately need his troops staying with, and working for, the democratic party ...

let's hope that his ill-conceived prediction is not a self-fulfilling prophecy ... dean stood up for us when many democrats were silenced by bush's post 9/11 popularity ... and he's done a great job energizing many new voters ... let's hope, if his glory days are over now, that he shows the same sort of committment and energy to the party that he showed for his own candidacy ...

[blm]

4. Oh geez....

I don't even deserve to be hailed in the same post as John Kerry. I don't have what it takes to endure what he did and be so brave for so many years against an establishment that wanted him to disappear.

But, wow....I am pretty much speechless.

[JohnKleeb]

10. You do a good job for Kerry you really do

Hell here's something I will give to you and the other Kerry supporters, you really helped me see the good in the man, I always thought he was a decent guy, and etc but like all and I still am a little disappointed with the IWR vote but since learning from many of you about who he is and what he stands for, not only do I like Kerry a ton, hes my second choice. I really hope he continues to shine in Iowa.

[JI7]

11. yes you do

i learned a lot about senator kerry from your posts. while i liked him before, i learned a lot i didn't know from your posts. and i'm very proud to support the senator and he is lucky to have people like you defend him. i also like how you stick to the issues and facts when defending kerry and never getting into personal attacks.

[frank frankly]

15. yes, you do Kerry a great service

you and Will are the reasons I like Kerry again.

[woofless]

5. Thanks for that.

John Kerry has been my candidate since before he declared. I have been around long enough and seen enough campaigns to know "it ain't over 'til it's over". It is good to hear a Dean supporter give Kerry some of his props and rest assured that if Dean gets the nomination he will have my vote.

Woof

[KC21304]

6. Thank you for your gracious words.

All we ask is that Kerry be judged on his life time record.


ABB

[Feanorcurufinwe]

7. Wow, thanks for the post

I have a little more faith that we will be able to pull together and win in 2004 than I did before I read it.

[Demonaut]

8. John definately has the charisma and intellect to beat shrub

I've listened to his speeches and found him honest and optimistic

[CalProf]

9. You, sir, are a gentleman

Thank you for this positive and uplifting post.

And best of luck to you and your candidate.

And sorrow and confusion to the GOP.

[Rowdyboy]

12. Kerry's treatment at the hands of his party has been sad....

One vote, a not even particularly close vote, was used to hobble his chances. I'm not about to call Kerry out yet. I could easily see any number of 1-2-3-4 combinations in Iowa that could echo to Kerry's benefit. Should he score decently in Iowa, it must help him in NH, hurting Clark and Lieberman. He could easily finish 2nd in these two votes, head into the south and west as the alternative to Dean and win the whole ball of wax.

Count John Kerry out at your own risk.

[adadem]

13. Thank you for such

an eloquent post.

[Jerseycoa]

14. What a terrific post

I am an admirer of Senator Kerry, always have been, and I admire his steadfast supporters almost as much for the way they stand their ground. He is lucky to have them and they him.

[David Dunham]

16. ZOGBY: KERRY NOW UP BY 1 IN IOWA!!!! Dean Falling Fast

[nightperson]

17. Thank you, Mr. Zephyr.

:cry: I hope others see that this kind of thoughtful, generous post does more to help everyone including one's own candidate than more quick one-liner put-downs of all seeming opposition, even though that can be funny sometimes. :yourock:

[WealthAndDemocracy]

18. That was a great post

I think Kerry could pull it off for the long haul. I was not expecting him to win Iowa, but I would sure like to see him pull it off. Wow.

[David Zephyr]

19. Kick!

[flpoljunkie]

20. A very gracious statement, David.

The Iowa contest looks like it may well go down to the wire which is great for the political process and for Iowa.

[Kukla]

21. I like Kerry because of his IWR vote

I might be jumping on the Kerry bandwagon. I'm not sure yet, but if he does well in Iowa, especially if he beats Gephardt, then I may just have to support Kerry from Iowa on.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

22. I give back to John as he has given to us all.

It's only right. Thanks.

[ourwinter]

23. That was a fine

The most dangerous thing we
can do here is tear each other
down and not get anywhere.

Thus dividing our own party further.

Your post honestly looks at Kerry and
gives the silent nod, perhaps
the most eloquent sign of respect
that one can make to your opposition.

Thank you - and hope to see you around.