Kerry: Fewer Speeches, More Action Needed on Port Security

[kerrygoddess]

John Kerry: Fewer Speeches, More Action Needed on Port Security

Senator John Kerry made the following statement today on port security:

“The president is in Baltimore today talking about port security but as the cameras roll, his own Department of Homeland Security has three times missed the deadline for completing a national blueprint to prevent terrorist attacks at ports. Nearly four years and countless warnings later, that work isn’t done. That’s absolutely inexcusable. How can they argue with a straight face they’re doing all they can to protect our ports when we don’t even have basic plans in place?

“The Administration has been asleep at the switch while shipload after shipload of cargo goes uninspected. The Department of Homeland Security’s own Inspector General said that only a fraction of the money awarded for port security grants has actually been spent, and much of what has been spent has been badly mismanaged. For crying out loud, more has been spent on the Capitol Visitors Center than on the Port Security Grant Program.

“Speeches aren’t going to cut it. This is going to take real action and real follow-through. We have to fix this mess right away, and hold the administration accountable for getting this right.”

MORE - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4#

[pinkflower21]

1. My favorite phrase from that

For crying out loud, priceless. You can really tell the frustration from that and I have never heard JK use that type of phrase before. Just jumped out at me.

[karynnj]

2. It's also so different in a relatively formal statement

I really love the way he wrote this and other things - they always seem colorful and personal. This sounds more like a spoken statement than a written statement. Did Kerry's pre-2004 statements sound like this or is he maybe trying to be more open and less formal in his communications?

How can anyone characterize his comments as boring, complicated or too wordy?

[globalvillage]

3. LOL

That did stand out, didn't it? I think it was sincere frustration, and the impact is pretty striking.
That's the thing about expressing outrage, frustration, fear etc. If you use it at every turn, it has no impact. The boy who cried wolf. I think Mehlman.
On the other hand, honest, appropriate, and sincere expressions, both spoken and unspoken, are quite effective, as witnessed in the statement.

Have you ever seen the movie French Kiss? One of Meg Ryan's best lines (this is from memory, so excuse any errors) is
"Happy, smile. Sad, frown. Use the corresponding face for the corresponding emotion." Quite a simple truth, dontcha think? In my mind, that is easily translated into spoken expressions of emotion as well. It's just one of those quotes that sticks with me.

Other people, besides Mehlman, who conjure a negative memory of that movie quote are bush* (consistently) and, don't take this the wrong way, Biden. I like Joe, but often his expressions make him appear insincere. I have never seen that from Kerry. That honesty is a big part of the appeal, IMO.

Just my .02.

[YvonneCa]

4. I saw him ask those questions...

...in the hearing on Homeland Security yesterday. He asked Chertoff about missing 3-4 deadlines for having a plan in place (after 4 years) and the spending of funds. This statement conveys the frustration that was on his face during that hearing. I LOVE what Senator Kerry is doing since the election. I'm so proud to have voted for him.:patriot: