Kerry blasts US foreign policy

[welshTerrier2]

so, Kerry isn't running ... some have said he will now be "more free" to really speak out on the issues ... they're probably right ...

but think about that ... what the hell kind of politics are we running in this country when those who seek our support have to "adjust" their message to win??? instead of telling us what they really think, the perception, perhaps accurate, is that they need to tell us what they think as long as it sells politically ... how can we ever find top notch leadership if the message we need to hear gets diluted down to the message they think we want to hear?

put another way, we cannot afford to have our medicine sugar coated ... sadly, that's the system of politics we have today ... the advertising department is in charge ... image has become more important than reality ...

and while i'm on the subject of candidates dropping out, think about this in the context of our wonderful political system ... Warner dropped out ... Bayh dropped out ... Kerry out ... i'm never right when i speculate on the future, but think about Wes Clark too ... if there was no money out there for Kerry and the others, will "the big financeers" pour money into a possible Clark campaign? it's hard to see ...

the point is, while some are so busy worrying about having "too many candidates", the few who would have been serious challengers to "ms. i don't need no stinking public campaign funds", have dropped out before WE THE PEOPLE had a chance to hear them and vote for or against them ... the real shame is that, regardless of what we're able to pass for campaign finance reform to constrain both parties, we're seeing the abuse of big money right in our own party ... it's un-democratic and it's un-Democratic - small 'd', big 'D' ...

while we play these political games within a system so flawed it cannot possibly produce good leadership, the country is in real peril and it's becoming increasingly clear time is running out ... Kerry's comments more than hint at that in the following statements he made today ...

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070127/ap_on_go_co/world_forum_kerry_2

"When we walk away from global warming, Kyoto, when we are irresponsibly slow in moving toward AIDS in Africa, when we don't advance and live up to our own rhetoric and standards, we set a terrible message of duplicity and hypocrisy," Kerry said.

"So we have a crisis of confidence in the Middle East — in the world, really. I've never seen our country as isolated, as much as a sort of international pariah for a number of reasons as it is today."

Kerry said the government needs to use diplomacy to improve national security.

"We need to do a better job of protecting our interests, because after all, that's what diplomacy is about," he said. "But you have to do it in a context of the reality, not your lens but the reality of those other cultures and histories."

Kerry criticized what he called the "unfortunate habit" of Americans to see the world "exclusively through an American lens."

[flpoljunkie]

1. Great post, welsh! In regards to Hillary, let's hope JK reintroduces his CLEAN ELECTIONS ACT now!

[blm]

8. I also think some Dems know their party won't stand behind their less temperate

statements and remarks.

In fact, they start distancing themselves from them very quickly. Tough to go through when you are also depending on the party infrastructure during the general election.

I don't think it is a factor to worry about thogh now that Dean is at the helm of the DNC, but wanna bet how quickly he gets forced out if TeamClinton has their say?

[karynnj]

12. That would be a great idea -

maybe with Obama as a co-sponsor. Kerry co-sponsored Obama's ethics reform idea and Obama was one of the little group of Democrats who refused to kill the Republican amendment that was really Pelosi's bill. The Republicans did it to embarras the Democrats but it led to a stronger bill.

[blm]

13. I think Feingold would line up with it. He knows McCain-Feingold was a bust.

The very next election proved it.

[izzie]

2. Well I am not sure on this----

Kerry criticized what he called the----- "unfortunate habit" of Americans to see the world "exclusively through an American lens."-----after all this war has been one big pain in the ass to every person in this country. One city is down the drain and world standing is gone plus lots of good people dead and money put into things that blow up. We should have looked at it to see if it was any good for us. It has not been. I would like to know one thing that going to war has done for this country and to bring that out. For Iraq? I see no good for them also. Bush riding in on his white horse makes me think of how the last Kaiser thought. Both these men have talked crazy from the start. Maybe Holland will take Bush?

[blm]

14. Or maybe he'll kiss Eva Braun goodbye.

.

[izzie]

21. I am sure half of what Ketty means is US people know not one

thing about others any more than they know about us. So they should keep out of trying to tell us what to do as we should do with them. Just why are we messing up the world we know so little about?

[blm]

22. I remember an interview Kerry did in 1997 Windsurfer Magazine - he spoke specifically

about spending years STUDYING the world's religions and cultures to gain greater insight into how religion and culture effects their regional governments.

He even dared say that it is worth understanding how those with NO CONCEPT of god or religion effect the governmental process.

These are the kind of issues that leaders SHOULD be taking on and discussing.

Too bad the media in this country is so shallow and working only for the corporate machine that signs their paychecks.

[izzie]

24. I think we mix up leaders and people who just get in front and run

Their are few who really have new thoughts and push them but most in office are just people who see the way to the top by picking up what people are saying and going with it some for just power and some with a clear thought that the plan is good. Clinton would be that type and did pretty good and Bush picked up a way to power, the Ch. Right and used it. Kerry I think had some thoughts on his own but just was bad getting them out. I think on the whole we do not get very good guys in the WH just people who run well. So much power at that level it is hard not to go after it even if you are a man of little talent. I am sure our founders saw that, after all the Royals are full of a history of it and that is where they came from. Few good Kings can be found.

[StoryTeller]

3. You're so right on this,

and so is Kerry. I was glad to give you your 5th rec.

[blm]

4. Kerry didn't drop out because of money, he still had strong financial support plus his

own funds that are considerable. People forget he recently inherited from his mother's estate - money he didn't have during his primary race in 2003.

Kerry dropped out from the competition now BECAUSE he is FOCUSING on stopping the Iraq war as he sees it is about to spread wider.

There is even more that I probably SHOULDN"T share, but dammit, people need to know there are other truths abou what has been going on behind the scenes.

Many of Kerry's friends who served in Vietnam, some very close to him and familiar names to DU, have been suffering from PTS that kicked in after the 2004 campaign. The fierceness of the continuing media lies, lack of support from bigname Democrats to counter the lies, and the ongoing horrific news from Iraq has left them raw, emotional and susceptible to the recurrence.


Nice that some of these bigname Dems could care less about the suffering these vets are going through and chose to make it even more difficult by the constant, CONTINUAL smearing of Kerry. Many of these vets worked their asses off to help Kerry counter the swifts and the lies against him. The bigname Dems didn't. Now the bigname Dems have gone around the country and claimed Kerry never fought back against the swifts and blame him for that.

It was the bigname Dems who never countered the swifts - the lessknown veterans countered EVERY DAY for months and were ignored roundly by the media and the bigname Dems. Now they are all being smeared along with Kerry as ineffective against the swifts.

To make a REALLY long story short - Kerry won't put his friends and fellow veterans through that now. If he can effect the situation in Iraq, he will keep pressing for it, no matter what. That is his goal.

[wisteria]

6. Agreed. He felt he could do more in the Senate at this time. n/t

[blm]

11. I think he only cares about stopping this war, no matter what it takes.

Before it takes even a greater toll on this country as it gets to the point of no return re Iran.

[seabeyond]

5. for the last two years kerry has been one of the few candidates speaking out

aggressively and harshly. i am not seeing that there is going to be a lot more speaking out. to continue as he has been speaking out is quite god enough. it is just that many are anti kerry people and at every turned refused to appreciate and value what he was doing for this country.

[wisteria]

7. WT2- great post and I couldn't agree with the premise of your post. n/t

[blm]

9. heh...you mean, couldn't agree MORE.

How dare you drop a word. So 'inappropriate' ya know.

[welshTerrier2]

10. heh ...

i missed that when i read it earlier ... good catch ...

[wisteria]

20. Omg, LOL. Yeah, more! n/t

[NCarolinawoman]

15. I was really thrilled to hear Kerry speak out today.

I bet the Europeans were thinking, "If only......"

As for Wes Clark....even if he doesn't have the money that the others do, I really want his voice out there to tamp down the growing hysteria regarding Iran.

He won't flinch. This I am sure; and maybe some of the other candidates will listen.

[blm]

19. I think the moneyed one is more in line with Bush on that one.

It's those who know war from inside out who really believe in 'war as last resort' that others give lip service.

[Eurobabe]

16. I truly applaud JK for staying in the Senate and hammering

this mis-administration. He is a tremendous asset to us all right now, this is his moment to shine in the Senate.

[PresidentObama]

17. As crappy as it was for us Kerry supporters

...to see him bow out of the Presidential race for 2008, I'm very excited to see him shine in the Senate!

We need more leaders in Congress like Senator John Kerry!!

Especially for his foreign policy experience, and his big voice on Iraq!

[Eurobabe]

18. Yes we do, and we need to clear out the DLC scum!!

[TayTay]

23. True, we are doing leadership by surrogate

Kerry was given the subcomittee chair in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) that has oversight on the Middle East. This was announced on Wed, the same day Kerry announced he would not run for Pres in '08. (The Ranking Repub on that is Norm Coleman. Boy, is that ever a switch for the better.)

This means that when Biden and Dodd are out on the campaign trail, that Kerry is in charge of Iraq for the SFRC. He gets to speak out and say what he thinks, and what a lot of Dems think, but are too timid to say. Leadership, but leadership by default.

Not a good system, as you have pointed out.