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Politics : Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Kerry -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ChinuSFO who wrote (3091)	2/19/2004 7:20:07 AM
From: tonto	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 81568

Interesting article that disputes your claim. During that run-up to the war, I was impressed by Kerry's resolve. When other Democrats were weak in the knees, hoping to "get the war authorization behind us" in order to move the focus to domestic affairs for the fall 2002 elections, Kerry was loudly and openly questioning the rush to war. In Kerry's September 6, 2002 New York Times Op-Ed, Kerry hewed to a nuanced argument, yet made a case for opposing the war authorization: For the sake of our country, the legitimacy of our cause and our ultimate success in Iraq, the administration must seek advice and approval from Congress, laying out the evidence and making the case. Between September 6th and October 9th, though, something changed. Kerry kept mouthing the same argument, but lost his resolve when it came to opposing the resolution. He ended his speech on October 9th with the standard parliamentary words, "I yield the floor." But at that moment, Kerry gave away a lot more than just the floor. Cynthia Tucker, editorial page editor for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, wrote a column yesterday that perfectly captures Kerry's problem. "Perhaps nothing was more pathetic in the last Democratic debate (and much about it was pathetic) than the diminished status of John Kerry," she begins. In her key graphs further on she continues: During the debate, Kerry answered questions thoughtfully enough, but he didn't distinguish himself from his colleagues. He is the candidate who has most befuddled the odds-makers. Pegged the front-runner a year ago by pundits and political consultants, he instead finds himself pushed aside by Dean in New Hampshire and Richard Gephardt in Iowa, both states with crucial early Democratic primaries. Kerry's malaise can be traced to one act, one decision, one vote: his support of the resolution giving President Bush the authority to invade Iraq. Had Kerry voted "no," he'd be the Democratic front-runner right now, bringing credibility on foreign policy because of his military service while also easily upstaging Wesley Clark on domestic policy. Even now, a year later, Kerry has trouble giving a cogent rationale for his vote to go to war. You'd think a man like Kerry -- a decorated Vietnam veteran who later became an outspoken critic of that war -- would have a succinct, indeed passionate, explanation for his vote. But Kerry stammers, sputters, doubles back, never able to give a short and simple response. Perhaps that's because Kerry's vote was based on politics, not principle.