Let's Make This Very Clear: Kerry Opposed The War Consistently

[WiseMen]

Kerry opposed war, before the Vote, during the Vote, and after the vote. For many in congress the IWR vote brought Bush back from the brink of war into a U.N. process. John’s position was no different than that of the French, German, Syrian …. Ambassadors who voted for resolution 1441, but opposed Bush’s rush to war. Kerry has not modified his position during the campaign to pander for votes. He has been consistent.

John Kerry's Statement on Iraq Before the IWR vote
TEXT FROM THE SPEECH JOHN KERRY MADE ON THE SENATE FLOOR
October 9, 2002
…..

Let me be clear, the vote I will give to the President is for one reason and one reason only: To disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, if we cannot accomplish that objective through new, tough weapons inspections in joint concert with our allies.

In giving the President this authority, I expect him to fulfill the commitments he has made to the American people in recent days--to work with the United Nations Security Council to adopt a new resolution setting out tough and immediate inspection requirements, and to act with our allies at our side if we have to disarm Saddam Hussein by force. If he fails to do so, I will be among the first to speak out.

. . . . . . . . .

If we do wind up going to war with Iraq, it is imperative that we do so with others in the international community, unless there is a showing of a grave, imminent--and I emphasize "imminent"--threat to this country which requires the President to respond in a way that protects our immediate national security needs.

http://www.independentsforkerry.org/uploads/media/kerry-iraq.html

After the IWR vote, During U.N. Inspections
Senator John Kerry
Remarks Georgetown University
Thursday 23 January 2003

"Mr. President, Do Not Rush To War"

………

And, while American security must never be ceded to any institution or to another institution's decision, I say to the President, show respect for the process of international diplomacy because it is not only right, it can make America stronger - and show the world some appropriate patience in building a genuine coalition.

Mr. President, do not rush to war!

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/012503A.kerry.no.rush.htm


After the war started:

April 4, 2003
''What we need now is not just a regime change in Saddam Hussein and Iraq, but we need a regime change in the United States,'' Kerry said in a speech at the Peterborough Town Library.

http://www.buzzflash.com/editorial/03/04/04.html

April 7, 2003
(AP) Presidential candidate John Kerry said Monday that democracy affords rival Democrats the right to criticize President Bush even with the nation at war.

The Massachusetts senator has come under a withering attack from Republicans for suggesting that the United States, like Iraq, needs a regime change. Traveling through Iowa, Kerry rejected what he called "phony arguments" from the GOP that political candidates should mute their criticism of the commander in chief.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/04/04/politics/main547730.shtml

Bush sidestepped process on war in Iraq, Kerry says


By Amy Fagan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES (July, 22, 2003)


Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry yesterday said President Bush "circumvented" the process laid out in the congressional resolution authorizing action against Iraq, which Mr. Kerry supported in the Senate last year.



http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030721-103628-1890r.htm

[Guaranteed]

1. LOL. nt

[Monte Carlo]

2. Kerry never wanted war, but he's always been willing...

... should the need arise. That's what his IWR vote was about - the show of willingness.

[Snivi Yllom]

92. true

Kerry wanted to use military force to invade Haiti and install a new government.

[RichM]

3. This is a load of bull. Who do you think you'll fool with such baloney?

[Hav]

6. .

Yeah,too bad that Kerry's actual position isn't the one you would prefer to attack him for isn't it?

[Guaranteed]

7. Look, all we're saying is that he helped to authorize the war.

That's all.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

30. Too true for many Kerry bashers. too true. eom

[BruinAlum]

4. Bookmarked! Thanks!

:thumbsup:

[HFishbine]

5. Edited

Premature info. Edwards did speak on the senate floor about his reasons for supporting the IWR.

http://edwards.senate.gov/statements/20021010_iraq.html

[Gin]

8. What made Kennedy vote no...and Kerry vote yes? 2 men...both dems..

both from Ma. Wonder what the difference was.

[The Magistrate]

26. Simple, Sir

One contemplated a run for the Presidency, the other did not.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[edzontar]

47. In other words--principle vs. ambition.

....with people's lives and limbs at stake.

Good reason to note vote for either Kerry or Edwards.

I wish I had the choice, but I am in PA.

On edit: Kucinich was planning to run too,

[polpilot]

52. In other words...willingness to risk lives for votes. How noble!

mmmmmm....

[Carolina]

37. a spine

[LuminousX]

64. One understood what would happen, the other could only see lost votes

[Emillereid]

78. The difference between them was courage!

[flpoljunkie]

9. Great post, wiseman. Well and succinctly put!

Please correct spelling errors in subject line--that's consistently.

[Sperk]

10. Sort of like saying.....I give my car keys and liquor cabinet keys to

my teenage son and expect him to make the right choices. If however he decides to put both keys to good use, the tragedy that ensues will be entirely his fault!

Being generous here because * has a mentality closer to a 3rd grader's.

[BruinAlum]

11. Not an excuse. Bush is responsible for his own actions.

[Sperk]

12. yes, of course * is responsible for his own actions and should be

impeached. Are accomplices responsible for their own actions? Kerry never would have voted the way he did if he were not running for Pres. And I usually give wide latitude to politicians in those situations understanding that they have to appeal to a wide variety of Americans but when it comes to war and peace, life and death decisions I draw the line. I knew damn well Smirky was going into Iraq come hell or high water, and so did Kerry!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

13. If you knew that then why would Kerry's vote even matter?

I knew war was inevitable too. To make someone else's inevitable war the responsibility of someone else hardly seems right.

[Guaranteed]

19. It was Kerry's DUTY to stand up against this war

as a representative of the people. He shirked that duty. Don't make excuses for him.

[polpilot]

54. Kerry's duty was to promote the prowar DLC agenda with a YES!! YES!!

vote.

[BruinAlum]

23. I don't agree

What Kerry and other Dems tried to do was impose a process on Bush to prevent war. You completely disregard all the material in the initial post regarding this matter and actually ENABLE Bush by placing blame on others instead of where it belongs.

NO ONE could have known that Bush would bully his way over the inspections process the way he did, completely alienate all our allies, infuriate the rest of the world, and rush to war as quickly as he did. I KNEW he'd go to war eventually, but never DREAMED the arrogance of all this, and nor did the Senators, and nor did the rest of the world.

[The Magistrate]

27. Well Said, Sir!

The invasion of Iraq is the responsibility of the person who conceived, pressed, and executed it, and of no one else.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[GodHelpUsAll2]

28. No one noticed

the behavior of Bush for the previous 3 years? To say that congress blindly trusted him to do what he said he would and then cry we were misled after the fact is completely insane. Congress should have been the very ones to know first hand he was an out of control freak that was hell bent on his way. To say now that you trusted him to do what he promised is outrageous at best. Millions and millions of the American public knew exactly what was about to happen, thus the war protests. Does that mean the average citizen is much smarter than the US Congress? If so there needs to be some seriuos house cleaning and rethinking of just who it is we are trusting to represent us.

[BruinAlum]

34. What are you talking about?

It's just NOW 3 years. And it's not the responsibilty of Congress to goddamn BABYSIT Bush either. He's the fucking President of the United States! The leader of the free world! He's supposed to do his OWN damn job and be responsible for his OWN damn self! WHY do you want to ENABLE him and blame OTHERS for HIS crimes??? THAT is outrageous!

:eyes:

[Carolina]

40. For congressmen the consideration of war

is a serious obligation and Constitutional duty. It is not babysitting the President. Those who voted for this war DID ENABLE * and thus are complicit as well.

If * had gone ahead over all their nay votes, then it would be his and his alone. But the Dems that caved aided and abetted him, and that's especially despicable when many of their constituents begged them not to and since based on *'s past behavior they should have known what to expect.

[Sideways]

42. It's Called Checks And Balances My Friend

Congress is not there to babysit him dear one on this point you are correct but it is there to stop him from doing something stupid. That is why we have three branches of government dear one so if the idiot in the White House is indeed an idiot he can be thwarted. Alas Kerry and others abrogated their voice to join in chorus with the idiot.

The folks that enabled Bush are those that voted for war in Iraq.

His crimes are on the hands of people who enabled him. It's called CULPABILITY. Bush might look and talk like a fascist but at this point we still live in a democracy yet many Democrats Kerry included gave this little shit his date to the prom.

Outrageous...YES!!! Just not like you think it is.

[polpilot]

60. Kerry supported the Bush war proposal. End of story. His 'excuses' mean

nothing.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

45. Oh..... I'm sorry

My mistake. I was always under the impression that the congress was a checks and balance system. Silly me to think they would actully be in Washington doing just that. Who would have thunk Bush was so out of control. I mean after all it just came from no where and none of us could predict the President of the United States could not be trusted. Blindsided us all to the point that we all stood around with our mouths hanging open in astonishment that such a respectable proven trustworthy individual could do something like this.

[bearfartinthewoods]

87. so is kerry

[Carolina]

39. excellent analogy

All Kerry's statements on IWR in the Senate mean nothing now because it's the vote that counted.

Actions ALWAYS speak louder than words!

[SaddenedDem]

14. And Kerry supporters pull a 'Bush'

It's not MY fault, it's his fault. Waaaaaa! He did it Mommy, not me.

This is total and complete bullshit. If John Kerry was stupid enough to be "fooled" by Dubya, he is the LAST person I want in the White House.

[Cuban_Liberal]

15. What's your opinion of the 'Washington Times'? n/t

[Tinoire]

16. A trip down memory lane: Kerry expected to back the use of force in Iraq

khephra (35840 posts)
Oct-09-02, 07:47 AM (ET)
Washington Journal reports Kerry to vote for War Resolution
LAST EDITED ON Oct-09-02 AT 08:42 AM (ET)
As reported by Vaughn Ververs (Hotline editor). Ververs says "Bush's speech convinced him" and that he'll make a speech on the Senate floor today.

Phone time again!
1-202-224-2742

Added from another thread:

Kerry expected to back the use of force in Iraq


By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff, 10/9/2002

WASHINGTON - After months of criticizing the Bush administration's approach to Iraq, Senator John F. Kerry plans to announce today that he will vote for a resolution authorizing military force if necessary to conduct weapons inspections and remove the country's dictator, Saddam Hussein, according to people familiar with his thinking.

The Massachusetts Democrat's initial reluctance to support the resolution was rooted in his belief that the administration had done too little to court the international community and was too quick to threaten military action, they said. In a speech expected this morning on the Senate floor, Kerry will argue that President Bush has addressed those concerns in the past five or six weeks by engaging the United Nations and its Security Council, which is debating an Iraq resolution of its own.

Kerry may also seek to amend the congressional resolution, hoping to add language making it clear that force should be used only as a last resort and not unilaterally, according to friends, advisers, and others who spoke on condition of anonymity. But even if the amendment failed, they said, the senator would support the resolution because of recent assurances from the president, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, and other administration officials that the United States is committed to working in a multinational fashion and that war would be only a last resort.

The resolution was already expected to pass Congress, but news of how Kerry will vote has been awaited because he is a likely presidential contender who voted against a 1991 resolution authorizing what became the Persian Gulf War. His seatmate, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, has already declared that he will vote against the current resolution, as he did in 1991.

more...............

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/282/nation/Kerry_expected_to_back_the_use_of_force_in_Iraq+.shtml

---
Replies:

latebloomer (1658 posts)
Oct-09-02, 07:56 AM (ET)
1. Aargh!
LAST EDITED ON Oct-09-02 AT 07:56 AM (ET)
That man is just corrupt enough to be President!



Cheswick (7945 posts)
Oct-09-02, 07:58 AM (ET)
2. what the hell?
The only thing Bush's speech did for me was to almost convince me to kick my TV in.


Tigerlily (9569 posts)
Oct-09-02, 08:01 AM (ET)
Reply to post #2
4. I don't know what to make of this because...
this will NOT go over big in Massachusetts. Why do the Presidential hopefuls think a War will get them elected when the majority seem to be against attacking Iraq? I'll admit I'm politically naive, but I really don't understand how going against the majority gets one elected??? Can someone explain?


jeffsurfus (76 posts)
Oct-09-02, 08:47 AM (ET)
Reply to post #4
15. He's looking at a presidential run.
I think at this point he is looking way beyond the electorate in Massachusetts. Like most politicians, he's looking at the elections through the lens of the polls. To put it bluntly, he's providing himself political cover for 2004.
Fie upon the Congress. Fie upon some of the so-called leaders of the Congress for falling into this pit. -Robert Byrd (10/3/02)


Oneophile (18 posts)
Oct-09-02, 07:59 AM (ET)
3. I was hoping, that of the small group being touted as
possible Dem presidential candidates in 04', that Kerry would rise above the rhetoric and politics, and vote to resist Bush's push for global war and hegemony. I hope this article is wrong.
That said, one of the real problems I have about "The Resolution", is that it gives our deranged, unstable, megalomaniac of a "commander in thief", even MORE power, when in fact, all Dems in Congress should be doing everything they can to cut him off at the knees.

Bush is a danger to humanity, and to this country, and as far as I am concerned, anyone who assists him in any way to amass more power and control, is simply aiding and abetting in the destruction of this country and our Constitution.

Then there are the moral issues, ...oh well, what do moral issues matter anymore? "Morals" have left the room folks, though this is not new "news" to anyone who's been a longtime D.C. watcher anyway.

I am going to call Kerry's office right now, and urge you to do the same.


Tigerlily (9569 posts)
Oct-09-02, 08:03 AM (ET)
Reply to post #3
6. Here's contact info:
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Oneophile (18 posts)
Oct-09-02, 08:13 AM (ET)
Reply to post #6
8. Thanks. Just tried, no one in yet.
I'll keep trying....



wildwww2 (590 posts)
Oct-09-02, 08:34 AM (ET)
Reply to post #6
13. I just e-mailed him. Thanks for the link.
And basically told him he was stupid if he gave in to the Chimp. I`m so freaking pissed.
Peace
Wildman
Al Gore is My President


Oneophile (18 posts)
Oct-09-02, 08:48 AM (ET)
16. Tried calling Kerry's office, .....
but got a message that his office's "voice mail box" is full. Will try back later when they've had a chance to "empty" it.


Oneophile (18 posts)
Oct-09-02, 09:17 AM (ET)
22. Just talked to Kerry's office. They would not "confirm or
deny" the story in Globe, and then asked if I had a comment, wherein I stated my feelings on the matter. The woman I spoke with sounded really under the gun, and you could hear phone lines ringing off the hook in the background, in fact, she had to interupt our conversation twice to pick up ringing lines. Hopefully, it was other callers expressing displeasure with Kerry's reported stance.
All we can do, ...is try.


God_bush_n_cheney (5094 posts)
Oct-09-02, 02:45 PM (ET)
Reply to post #22
51. I called and asked...
What is this Bullshit I hear Kerry is gonna vote for war...She told me yes he had decided to side with the President...I again said well that is Bullshit. She said I am "Sorry you feel that way sir" I said Kerry is a Fecking Skull and Boner boy that is whay he changed his vote!. Hung up and am still pissed.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/cgi-bin/duforum/duboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=9980&forum=DCForumID60

[goobergunch]

46. Thanks for posting this!

DU was right on then...I don't have much to add.

[Jacobin]

71. It's like there's collective amnesia among Kerry supporters

Or perhaps they are closet Iraq Invasion supporters.

I can't tell.

Either way, with Kerry or Edwards or Bush*, we are fucked. the bloodbath will continue until people take to the streets, and the civil disobedience rises to the levels of the 1970's. It still took years to get the heck out of Vietnam even with all that.

God, i cannot fucking BELIEVE we are having to go through all this shit again.

[edzontar]

17. I think you have the wrong WAR!!!!!

Kerry bravely and effectively opposed the war in Vietnam after returning from honorable service.

On Iraq, he has performed very poorly, and hs vote for the IWR cannot be argued away, no matter hopw much sophistry is employed to that aim.

His vote stands, and cannot be revoked.

[oc2002]

18. Except HE VOTED FOR THE RESULUTION TO GIVE BUSH THE RIGHT TO INVADE IRAQ!

When Kerry had his vote, to make a difference, he supported Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeild, and lets not forget all the Neo-cons.

And thats a FACT JACK.

[WiseMen]

20. Wrong. Bushco could go without resolution. Resolution was to restrain them

[edzontar]

25. Then why did Kennedy, Byrd, Kucinich etc. vote NO?

Please explain, since the whole thing, according to you, meant nothing.

[JVS]

43. They must be bad men who didn't want to restrain Bush

Thank god for all those Republican Senators who understood how important it was to restrain Bush by voting for the IWR. All except for that evil, evil Lincoln Chaffee!

[polpilot]

62. Voting 'For' means 'Against'. What don't you understand?

It's called 'Kerryspeak'

[JVS]

97. I think that's just double plus ungood!

[Carolina]

41. a NAY vote

would have been the best restraint and we all knew it then.

[goobergunch]

49. Wrong - War Powers Resolution

Public Law 93-148

SEC. 5. (a) Each report submitted pursuant to section 4(a)(1) shall be transmitted to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and to the President pro tempore of the Senate on the same calendar day. Each report so transmitted shall be referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate for appropriate action. If, when the report is transmitted, the Congress has adjourned sine die or has adjourned for any period in excess of three calendar days, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate, if they deem it advisable (or if petitioned by at least 30 percent of the membership of their respective Houses) shall jointly request the President to convene Congress in order that it may consider the report and take appropriate action pursuant to this section.

(b) Within sixty calendar days after a report is submitted or is required to be submitted pursuant to section 4(a)(1), whichever is earlier, the President shall terminate any use of United States Armed Forces with respect to which such report was submitted (or required to be submitted), unless the Congress (1) has declared war or has enacted a specific authorization for such use of United States Armed Forces, (2) has extended by law such sixty-day period, or (3) is physically unable to meet as a result of an armed attack upon the United States. Such sixty-day period shall be extended for not more than an additional thirty days if the President determines and certifies to the Congress in writing that unavoidable military necessity respecting the safety of United States Armed Forces requires the continued use of such armed forces in the course of bringing about a prompt removal of such forces.

(c) Notwithstanding subsection (b), at any time that United States Armed Forces are engaged in hostilities outside the territory of the United States, its possessions and territories without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization, such forces shall be removed by the President if the Congress so directs by concurrent resolution.

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/warpower.htm

Public Law 107-243

SEC. 3. (a) AUTHORIZATION- The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to--

(1) defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and

(2) enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq.

(b) PRESIDENTIAL DETERMINATION- In connection with the exercise of the authority granted in subsection (a) to use force the President shall, prior to such exercise or as soon thereafter as may be feasible, but no later than 48 hours after exercising such authority, make available to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate his determination that--

(1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic or other peaceful means alone either (A) will not adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq or (B) is not likely to lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq; and

(2) acting pursuant to this joint resolution is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorist and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.

(c) War Powers Resolution Requirements-

(1) SPECIFIC STATUTORY AUTHORIZATION- Consistent with section 8(a)(1) of the War Powers Resolution, the Congress declares that this section is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization within the meaning of section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution.

(2) APPLICABILITY OF OTHER REQUIREMENTS- Nothing in this joint resolution supersedes any requirement of the War Powers Resolution.

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=107_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ243.107

[mikehiggins]

21. Let's make this very clear: Kerry is a master at CYA and he can

point to something he said or wrote to back up whatever position he is taking at any point.

If he wants to seem anti-War, look behind door One

If he wants to seem pro-War, look behind door Two

If you want to find out what Kerry really is all about? Keep looking.

[Snivi Yllom]

32. CYA Magum Cum Laude

LOL

He has a PhD in CYA.

[Sly Kal]

22. no he didn't

He did what he normally does, he made both cases so that later on he could trot out whichever would work in any given situation.

[nomaco-10]

24. Well, it's a moot point now anyway....

The sheeple don't care anymore. They are only concerned with their own self preservation. They only want health care and jobs, they could care less that people are dying in Iraq everyday. What do they care as long as they have access to the most sophisticated medical technology in the world and Iraqis and Afghanistanis die daily because there aren't enough doctors, equipment or medical supplies to treat even the most ordinary of injuries and childhood diseases. Iraqi civilians are killed daily and their body parts litter the streets because they tried to go to their JOBS, a direct result of this president getting enough votes from the senate and congress to wage war on a whim. A country was destabilized, people were killed and we have spawned thousands of Osama Bin Ladens to perpetuate the carnage for decades to come.
But, don't worry Wise Men your candidate is safe, there will be no retribution for those that voted for the blood lust for oil war because the sheeple are filled with anticipation about getting McJobs and filling up their tidy little ranch houses with trinkets made in China.

[Snivi Yllom]

29. and Kerry's quotes supporting the war you neglected to post:

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA): "Iraq may not be the war on terror itself, but it is critical to the outcome of the war on terror, and therefore any advance in Iraq is an advance forward in that and I disagree with the Governor ." (Fox News Channel's "Special Report," 12/15/03)

September 2003. KERRY: “I believe that over time, as people realize why we voted to go with a legitimate threat of force and to hold Saddam Hussein accountable, it was in fact important to the security of our country. The vote was correct.” (CNN’s “Larry King Live,” 9/2/03)

September 2003. DOYLE MCMANUS: “Senator, let me--if--if I could go back to Iraq for--for just a moment. You said that when you voted back in October to authorize military action, it ended up being on the basis of information that turned out to be untrue. Let me just put it as plainly as this. If you had known then what you know now, would you have voted the same way?” KERRY: “Well, it wasn’t only on that basis. If you read my speech, I was very clear. Saddam Hussein could not be left to his own devices based on everything we learned about him for seven and a half years while we were inspecting in Iraq. People have forgotten that for seven and a half years, we found weapons of mass destruction. We were destroying weapons of mass destruction. We were, the United States of America, together with Ambassador Butler, and the United Nations.” (CBS’ “Face The Nation,” 9/14/03)

John Kerry: “ithout question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction. So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real.” (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 1/23/03)

January 2003. KERRY: “e need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime. And we all know the litany of his offenses. The reason I think we need to really think about him is because he presents a particularly grievous threat through the consistency with which he is prone to miscalculation. He miscalculated an eight-year war with Iran. He miscalculated the invasion of Kuwait. He miscalculated America’s response to that act of naked aggression. He miscalculated the result of setting oil rigs on fire. He miscalculated the impact of sending scuds into Israel and trying to assassinate a former American President. He miscalculated his own military strength and he miscalculated the Arab world’s response to his misconduct. And now he is miscalculating America’s response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction. That is why the world, through the United Nations Security Council, has spoken with one voice, demanding that Iraq disclose and destroy its weapons programs. So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real, but it’s not new. Since the end of the Persian Gulf War we’ve known this.” (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At Georgetown University, 1/23/03)

John Kerry: “When I vote to give the president of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security….” (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 10/9/02, p. S10174)

September 2001. GLORIA BORGER: “Do we have any information that chemical and biological attacks were part of this? We got news this morning about the crop-dusting manuals.” KERRY: “No, no, no, n--at least I don’t and not to my knowledge do any of my colleagues. But it is something that we know--for instance, Saddam Hussein has used weapons of mass destruction against his own people, and there is some evidence of their efforts to try to secure these kinds of weapons and even test them. That’s why it’s so vital that we get the global community to be part of this effort to begin to make their lives miserable …” (CBS’ “Face The Nation,” 9/23/01)
rtsp://real.stream2you.com/rnc/020904R4.rm

December 2001. KERRY: “The important thing is that Saddam Hussein and the world knows that we think Saddam Hussein is essentially out of synch with the times. He is and has acted like a terrorist, and he has engaged in activities … that are unacceptable.” (Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor,” 12/11/01)

[LuminousX]

66. Darn you for pointing out Kerry's mealy-mouthed ways...

If only he'd pick a position and stick with it.


http://www.bartleby.com/61/95/M0179500.html">Mealy-mouthed defined. Tell me it doesn't suit Kerry.

[JVS]

31. Voting for war is support for war

[Padraig18]

33. Aren't you supposed to warn people before citing the 'Washington Times'?

I could swear there's a rule that says that about citing conservative sources...

[Carolina]

35. yeah, right

that's why he voted for it...

Will the Real John Kerry Please Stand Up? by Anthony Schinella


Watching Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign break down and then later surge has come as a big surprise. For over four years, Kerry has made it known that he desired the Oval Office and his place in history.

As someone who has watched Kerry over the years, seen him in other races, and observed him lose all spine when the tough votes came along, his surge is a big surprise. For 18 years, Kerry has done very little he can point to by way of accomplishment.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0219-11.htm

[WiseMen]

58. A reliable objective source?

[Carolina]

82. truth hurts, heh

J Hatfield (Fortunate Son), Paul O'Neill (Price of Loyalty) ... are discredited as sources by the Bushies too. But the facts are the facts despite the source or your opinion of it.

[ProfessorPlum]

36. Dude, you are fooling yourself

but I guess that's a minor flaw in today's world.

[Walt Starr]

38. Thank you

I haven't laughed that hard since I shared the following with my wife:

Me to my wife: Somebody on DU said they wanted a T-shirt that said "I fucked your wife while you were at Promise Keepers"

That cracked me up, just like your post!

[Sideways]

44. Walt I Just Pissed My Pants Laughing

This thread is so beyond lame....bring in the wheelchair. No the DOA cot. No bring out the you're dead cart...No the fucking French guy who farts in the direction of your Auntie...

I once had this three legged dog....

ShitHowdy Enough.

[Walt Starr]

48. I nearly did wihen I first read this thread

IT CRACKED ME UP!!!

[edzontar]

50. Sophistry is alive and well and will probably KILL us in November

Heck, at least Edwards stands BY his rotten war vote!

[ibegurpard]

56. I want one of those shirts!

:lol:

[Dob Bole]

51. Let's make this very clear- DUers are now sheep

I found this funny too. Nice try though, I'll give you that.

[Snivi Yllom]

57. Baaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

February 2003: "NO WAR IN IRAQ!"

February 2004: "Vote Kerry! Because it's not so bad he voted IWR."



(it's not so secret I hope I am wrong)

[nolabels]

88. These are the better pictures

The terrible ones with maimed and wounded, broken and burned, dead or missing are not being shown. * and his buddies in the corporate media didn't want to show them because they were afraid it would it would hurt the War (invasion). It would hurt the effort to steal the oil from people who didn't or couldn't use it's real value. The Iraqies often will say it's a curse for it to be under their feet.

The funny part * and the cabal never, just like almost all aggressors, got what they desired. The whole lie, a big lie, is not over.

We will pay for it as long we apologize for it, if Kerry loses for this vote, that would be stupid, but it was his choice. I don't hold it against Kerry as much I hold it to *. Being wounded and protesting wars means nothing if you don't learn from it.

Don't expect Kerry to change much on this, he is no position to. Making him pay three times seems much, but some pay with their life while others that instigated it are running around planning and doing more of it.

I can't plead for being rational, for their is nothing about being rational about losing your arms, legs or life because of ignorance or greed

The only rational thing I can see is when others are greedy you must be prepared to do the same or do without for a while, as immoral as that sounds. Make no mistake, the corporate media made sure we had these types of choices, which are not choices at all, just do or do without.

I do find it interesting that Kerry voted for IWR but not the the last gulf war. Did he become jaded or did he not have a real idea how it would come out? We will probably never know

[goobergunch]

53. Let's look at something else Kerry did:

<snip>

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES.

(a) Authorization.--The President is authorized to use the Armed
Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and
appropriate in order to--
(1) defend the national security of the United States
against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and
(2) enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council
resolutions regarding Iraq.

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=107_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ243.107

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The joint resolution having been read the third time, the question is, Shall the joint resolution pass?

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?

There is a sufficient second.

The clerk will call the roll.

(During the vote:)

The CLERK. Mr. Kerry?

Mr. KERRY. Aye.

The CLERK. Mr. Kerry, Aye.

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2002_record&page=S10342&position=all

So it seems that Kerry supports Bush* using the military in any way he wants regarding Iraq.

[RetroLounge]

55. ROTFLMAO

Yeah right, consistently: after voting for it and then seeing how Dean's message was popular and could be co-opted...

Yeah, whatever...

[Jacobin]

59. <digging through my emails to find the one Kerry sent me>

When I was blast faxing, emailing and calling congresscritters during the IWR debate in 2002, I got a canned email response from Kerry explaining how dangerous Saddam was and how important it was to use force to remove him and get his WMDs.

Does that count in this debate, or is it only his duplicitous backtracking and "explanations" that count now......oh, and his "the world is safer without Saddam" statement...does that count, or did he not mean that either. Because it is clearly a false statement.

Oh, that's right. He was "fooled".

Excuse me. I'll go back to my knitting.

:eyes:

[DrFunkenstein]

61. I Could Never Support Someone Who Approved Of Biden-Lugar

And anyone who did is a Bush-lite warmonger.

[ibegurpard]

63. Guess you don't support the ACLU then.

eom

[LuminousX]

68. Biden-Lugar never reached a finalized form

so what was supported was the abstract points. But Biden-Lugar, since it never came up for a vote in a finalized version is a red herring the Kerry campaign uses to distract people from that fatal flaw of Kerry being a hypocrit.

[Nazgul35]

65. I guess I was halucinating

when he told us he was right to vote for it because wecaptured Sadam......how is that against the war again?

[Jacobin]

69. He is for all things and all positions, but usually at different times

so, its okay.

See?

[Walt Starr]

70. David Copperfield has nothing on him

:evilgrin:

[Snivi Yllom]

73. If you had an infinite #of Kerry's and an infinite # of typewriters typing

positions on issues, eventually you would have nothing different from his current record and stances on the issues. An opinion on everything and a reposnse to suit all opinions.

[Nazgul35]

75. lol....

:evilgrin:

[Padraig18]

77. Sen. John "Color me plaid" Kerry, all things to all men.

:P

[LuminousX]

67. So why didn't Kerry stand up to be counted like Kucinich when Dean

said he was the only one who vocally opposed the war. We all know that others vocally opposed the war and those people were upset at Dean for ignoring them. Dean was wrong. Kerry never bothered, on all of the hot topics for Dean, to correct Dean on this issue.

Does Kerry consider himself an anti-Iraq war candidate? Could I campaign for Kerry calling Kerry anti-Iraq war? Can I say that if it were up to Kerry, we never would have gone into Iraq the way we did and Saddam would not have been forcibly removed from power?

[ProfessorPlum]

79. Hey L_X

You'll never get an answer - we'll have to move into the future never knowing.

A shame really .

[LuminousX]

81. Brick Wall

It is an amazing brick wall that has been erected. I reallyshould stop hammering my head into it.

[Padraig18]

72. Hoo boy! Hahahah! *giggle* *snort* *chortle* *guffaw* *wheeze*

Someone hand me some clean underwear---I just peed my pants reading this! :P

[Walt Starr]

74. I just went back and read this again

AND IT STILL CRACKS ME UP!!!!

[edzontar]

93. Up is down, black is white, shoes are hats, pigs can fly....

This is just about as convincing.

Please, spare us in the future....

[Walt Starr]

101. After reading this for a third time

I AM STILL CRACKED UP OVER IT!

[slinkerwink]

76. this is the funniest thread ever! I know that Kerry voted for IWR

so all his "protests" really don't matter to me.

[LuminousX]

80. A Member of Congress has few real jobs

but one of them is voting. All the rhetorical elegance in the world doesn't matter if it doesn't match with how the MC votes. That is like my telling someone that I am their friend and then stealing money from them. When actions and words don't mesh, actions speak louder than words.

[Faygo Kid]

83. John Kerry and VVAW: He was right. He showed guts.

OK, not to get into a generational thing here, but I was in college when Kerry had the guts to speak out against the Vietnam War. (I had a high lottery number, and make no apologies). I remember this guy - vilified horribly then by the Right - coming back and saying that war was wrong. And it was, and he was right. Not so fast, my friends. Thanks for posting from the Washington Times, by the way. Rev. Moon appreciates it.

[LuminousX]

84. Stop crying in your teacups and get over it, Kerry backed Bush's war

hoping to reap the benefits of a successful military campaign. Wiser people than he in Congress were aware of what would happen, but Kerry chose the 'politically safe' route, the route we can expect him to take everyday if he is in the White House.

[WiseMen]

85. Then why did he and Kennedy work so hard to prevent it even before IWR

[LuminousX]

86. He worked so hard in preventing it, he voted for it.

I think you need to explore exactly what you mean by 'work so hard.'

[WiseMen]

89. Kennedy has said that Kerry was intensely involved in negotiation to

prevent Bush from going into Iraq before the IWR. Rumsfeld was
pushing phony info and insisting in continuing from Afghan to Iraq
with similar style and without going to the U.N.

Kerry insisted on going back to the U.N. and restarting inspections.

[LuminousX]

91. And yet, when the smoke cleared, Kerry voted for, Kennedy voted against.

[Sean Reynolds]

90. John Kerry = Bush enabler.

He was the enabler on the PATRIOT ACT, Iraq War and NCLB.

[Cuban_Liberal]

94. I'm so glad someone posted something humorous in GD-P2004.

:wtf:

[zoeyfong]

95. Oh my ass, we all know what that vote was about.

And it wasn't a vote to send bush to the UN, it was a vote to send america to war. A number of dems tried to parse their support so they could have it both ways, depending on how the thing turned out, but there was no question that a yes vote was the final okay for war.

[WiseMen]

96. I am sure you do.

[Vernunft II]

98. I didn´t know that and it actually makes me breathe easier

[ShaneGR]

99. War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery.

I can't stand it when people do one thing and say another. I have respect for people who make a decision and stick by it. Waffling sucks.

[JCMach1]

100. Votes have consequences and the implications of this one were

transparent.

Kerry said one thing and did another giving Bush a blank check to do what he wanted.

That WAS the WRONG decision in retrospect.

Is that the kind of leader we want?

That's how I see it.



My vote now rests with Kucinich... formerly a Dean supporter...