Kerry must prove he's a war president

[papau]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/07/29/ANALYSIS.TMP


ANALYSIS: Kerry must prove he's a war president
- Marc Sandalow, Washington Bureau Chief
Thursday, July 29, 2004


Boston -- The gun-toting military police patrolling the FleetCenter are life-size reminders that John Kerry faces an extra burden tonight as he accepts his party's nomination for president.

More than simply introduce himself to the nation or try to match the oratorical highs of his party's finest speakers, Kerry must establish that he can be trusted with national security in a time of war.

The post-Sept. 11 strains on the presidential election already are evident, from the barbed-wire fence surrounding the convention site to the jittery talk of possible attacks on election day. Elevating the foreign policy credentials of the party's nominee has been central to each of the Democratic convention's first three nights.

"We live in a dangerous time,'' retired Gen. John Shalikashvili said in a speech Wednesday that was aimed at a prime-time audience. "I stand before you this evening because I believe that no one will be more resolute in defending America nor in pursuing terrorists than John Kerry.'' <snip>


URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/07/29/ANALYSIS.TMP

[soupkitchen]

1. I get it now: Bush is the Peace President and Kerry is the War President

And when you get a chance pass that bong over here.

[readmylips]

2. Kerry war president....when

we have to. Picking and choosing to kill dictators we don't personally like, it's not the American way. This is our country, the people's country. Not the ileitis bushes and their small group of cronies.

[niyad]

3. how about proving he can run the country w/o taking us into an illegal,

immoral and unjust war?

[Auntie Bush]

4. When Wes Clark gets done tonight...that question will be moot.

All the speakers will drive home that Kerry is the best one to keep our country safe from terrorism and get our world respect back and LEAD us intelligently and successfully out of Iraq just as soon as possible.

There will be no doubt after tonight. I can't wait for the new polls asking the question about who is better to defend the US.

[WI_DEM]

5. he should prove he is a peace president who will not shrink

from the use of force but only when it is the last resort.

[sangh0]

6. Kerry must prove he is a leader

.

[leeman67]

7. He already did.

His medals prove that.

[demwing]

8. Will we see a lot of uniformed soldiers tonight?

It would be interesting if Clark appeared in uniform.

And Kerry, for that matter. :0

[gulliver]

9. Let's not forget to prove Bush is a crappy war president!

It's cute to say Bush is a "misleader." But let's not forget to get in his face and say Bush is a war president all right. A crappy one.

We should be shoving Bush's "war president" meme right up his alimentary canal. Bush got us into an unnecessary war based on poor intelligence, and he did it after he supposedly learned some lessons about intelligence from 9/11.

Bush bungled the coalition for the war in Iraq, bungled the immediate aftermath, and bungled the occupation. Bush left Afghanistan a shambles and failed to catch either the Taliban or Al Qaeda leaders. Bush is a crappy war president. That's indisputable.

How is it that this dipsh*t is considered a "war president" except in his own feeble mind?

[flpoljunkie]

10. Bush has already shown that he cannot be trusted with national security!!!

It is only the compliant, feckless media that doesn't see this "emperor with no clothes."

That anyone can ask this question about Kerry with a straight face defies credulity! Bush has taken us to war and gone after the wrong enemy. He let Usama bin Laden off the hook and rushed to war in Iraq against a toothless Saddam Hussein!

Only a complicit media who cheerled this country to war would let him get away with this failure as Commander-in Chief!

[RDObran]

11. Jamie Rubin on Wolf Blitzer

The republicans have always gone to Kerry's voting record, how he voted against bills supporting the military. Jamie said Kerry had voted for many other bills in support of our military. He also said Kerry's views on these bills were the same as Cheney's. Could this be repeated in response to the republican spin??

[faithnotgreed]

12. thanks for sharing that & welcome to du

[Parche]

13. war

But we are NOT at war, congress has NOT declared war
so Bush is NOT a war president

[no name no slogan]

14. War is easy-- but bringing PEACE is not

This country has had any number of "successful" war presidents-- just look at all the "police actions", "occupations" and so-called "humanitarian missions" we've carried out.

What we need is a PEACE PRESIDENT: one who will not just fight wars, but avoid them in the first place. One that knows that the only true lasting peace comes not at the barrel of a gun, but at the hands of negotiators.

War presidents are a dime a dozen-- every president since Wilson has been a "war president". How about a peace president instead.