Speaking of flip-flops, Kerry finally wakes up and abandons Arafat. I am sure that it has nothing to do with the fact that he is in Florida.
story.news.yahoo.com
Kerry Shifts on Views of Arafat
By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer
TAMPA, Fla. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) says he no longer considers Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (news - web sites) to be a statesman, but rather "an outlaw to the peace process" in the Middle East who has been rightly shuffled aside.
In a 1997 book, Kerry described "Arafat's transformation from outlaw to statesman." But in an interview with The Associated Press, he said he no longer views Arafat favorably.
"Obviously, Yasser Arafat has been an impediment to the peace process," said Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee-in-waiting. "He missed a historic opportunity and he's proved himself to be irrelevant."
On Tuesday, Kerry visited a coffee shop in a Cuban-American neighborhood in Tampa before flying to Chicago for campaign appearances. He was awaiting results in four Southern states — Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas — with delegate elections.
In a wide-ranging interview Monday with the AP, Kerry said Arafat "blew his opportunity" to be effective in 1999 and 2000.
"He was (a statesman) in 1995," Kerry said, recalling frequent White House meetings between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in search of peace in the Middle East. "As far as I'm concerned, he's an outlaw to the peace process."
The Bush administration has ruled out dealing with Arafat, a veteran Palestinian activist, claiming he is tainted with terror against Israel, a close U.S. ally. In the peace process, the administration has dealt only with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) and senior Palestinian officials appointed by Arafat.
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