KERRY TELLS TIME HE WILL ‘ALMOST CERTAINLY’ SEND HIS OWN TEAM TO IRAQ

drudgereport.com ^ | Sun Mar 07 2004 09:07:19 ET | drudge

[ThreePuttinDude]

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KERRY TELLS TIME HE WILL ‘ALMOST CERTAINLY’ SEND HIS OWN TEAM TO IRAQ TO ASSESS SITUATION ‘WITHIN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS OR MONTHS’

Sun Mar 07 2004 09:07:19 ET

Mentions Sending Senate Colleague Joseph Biden, Chief Campaign Foreign Policy Adviser Rand Beers and Longtime Senate Aide Nancy Stetson

White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett says Kerry’s Mission Reveals His Attacks are ‘Based on Politics, Not Facts’

New York – Senator John Kerry tells TIME that he “almost certainly” will send a team to Iraq “within the next few weeks or months” to help him formulate his Iraq policy positions. “I may ask some Democratic colleagues and experts to go to Iraq and make this assessment so I have a strong basis on which to proceed,” he tells TIME’s Perry Bacon, Lisa Beyer and Karen Tumulty on his campaign plane from Washington, DC to Florida last week. He mentions Senate colleague Joseph Biden, chief campaign foreign policy adviser Rand Beers and longtime Kerry Senate aide Nancy Stetson. But, says White House communications director Dan Bartlett, Kerry’s “mission to finally understand what is happening in Iraq reveals once again that [his] attacks are based on politics, not facts.”

Whatever approach he embraces will have a better chance of success, Kerry argues, because he knows how to play well with others, TIME’s Nancy Gibbs reports. The interview with Kerry is part of TIME’s Special Report on Iraq One Year Later (on newsstands Monday, March 8).

When asked by TIME about President Bush’s hate of the word ‘nuance’ and his opinion of the word, Kerry says, “Some of these issues are very complicated and deserve more than a simplistic this or that,” says Kerry. As he speaks, Kerry heats up, grows loud, almost angry. His message shifts: Don’t for a moment think all that worldliness means he has no convictions. Or that he is weak or a waffler or a political opportunist, TIME reports.

“I don’t think war is nuanced at all. I think how you take a nation to war is the most fundamental decision a President makes,” Kerry says, “and there’s nothing nuanced at all about keeping your promises. There is nothing nuanced about exhausting remedies that give you legitimacy and consent to go to war. And I refuse ever to accept the notion that anything I’ve suggested with respect to Iraq was nuanced. It was clear. It was precise. It was, in fact, prescient. It was ahead of the curve about what the difficulties were. And that is precisely what a President is supposed to be. I think I was right, 100% correct, about how you should have done Iraq.”

Kerry says he learned from Vietnam, where he served as a swift boat commander, that you go to war only if all other options fail and that you had better make certain you are prepared to do what it takes to secure peace afterward. Whatever his criticisms of Bush’s war, Kerry says he is committed to finishing the mission. “My exit strategy is success,” he says, “a viable, stable Iraq that can contribute to the stability and peace in the Middle East.”

Among the first things Kerry would do as President, says Sandy Berger, who was a National Security Adviser under Bill Clinton and has consulted with Kerry on the subject, would be to tell the American people to “put aside your misgivings or whatever you thought about this in the beginning. We cannot fail now.”

Developing...

[Unicorn]

Will he or won,t he I guess he can't make up his mind.

[tet68]

Talk about a loose cannon, this guy is plain scary!

It was, in fact, prescient. It was ahead of the curve about what the difficulties were. And that is precisely what a President is supposed to be. I think I was right, 100% correct, about how you should have done Iraq.”

Our first "Prescient President"! Will wonders never cease?

[AmericanMade1776]

John Kerry on the left and his Iraq advisor on the right.

[doberville]

OOOOOOOOOOO. "Whiff of Clinton". How apt.

I like it!

[PeteFromMontana]

Whatever approach he embraces will have a better chance of success, Kerry argues, because he knows how to play well with others, TIME’s Nancy Gibbs reports.

ROFLMAO. How Presidential!

[Miles Vorkosigan]

Because he's a cowardly worm. We need to post this everywhere we can.

[Edit35]

"Kerry says he learned from Vietnam, where he served as a swift boat commander, that you go to war only if all other options fail ...

Kerry learned squat from Vietnam. He was only there four months, and skeedaddled back to the good ol US as fast as possible at his own request.

I wish that for once some journalist would ask him how in the freakin world did driving a boat on the Mekong River a handful of times teach him anything at all about how to handle world affairs.

Of course Time Mag would be the last organization to question the man they consider to be their savior.

If the GOP and/or the Bush White House do not begin to go on offense soon, I fear that they will allow these loser Kerry to frame many of the issues.

[bikerman]

I agree and maybe he can stub his toe on the way off the plane and receive another Purple heart.

[Consort]

He could send David Bonior, Jim McDermott, and Mike Thompson.

[Go Gordon]

With three thousand families torn by the 9/11 attacks, the dems have managed to rally 22 to protest the ads. That's about the normal percentage (roughly 1%) of ranting ninnies that get all the media attention in today's journalistic world.

You may want to re-read the post to which you are replying. It says 22 families have SUPPORTED Bush's ads. Actually, I think there were less than 6 people that the DNC dragged out. In fact the group the propped these people up was financed by Terry Kerry.

[hershey]

Hey, that's a great idea! On the other hand, any positive photo ops would have to be staged since the troops wouldn't welcome him with open arms.

[daviddennis]

I think the entourage has to pay its own way, if it comes at all.

That being said, my complaint isn't that he's sending people to Iraq, but rather that he doesn't have the guts to go himself.

D

[WOSG]

Media Bias 101, they learn it in journalism school:

Every Bush act must be challenged. That's the role of the press, to challenge the powers-that-be (as long as they are conservative).

No Kerry act may be challenged. To do so would be 'divisive' and 'character-bashing'.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

NEVER FORGET


JOHN KERRY called American Soldiers fighting for Freedom in Vietnam...

...TERRORISTS.

http://www.TheAlamoFILM.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1320



MEL GIBSON was inspired to do his "PASSION of the Christ" while filming the real story of American Soldiers fighting for Freedom in Vietnam titled...

.."WE WERE SOLDIERS"

http://www.TheAlamoFILM.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=39081



Now, just WHO see things clearly..?



Signed:.."ALOHA RONNIE" Guyer / Vet-"WE WERE SOLDIERS" Battle of IA DRANG-1965

http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_collection.htm
(IA DRANG-1965 Photos)


NEVER FORGET

[hershey]

Yup, the strategy is to act more presidential than Bush, angrier, more manly, intelligent, poetic, thoughtful(nuance is a good thing, to paraphrase Martha, our newest RAT felon). His shadow govt. in the hands of his media pals will assume legitimacy, a very dangerous thing. We've already got Euroweenies saying they'd like to vote in the election...they'd pick Kerry. The North Koreans have climbed on board the Kerry bus, but I guess we won't mention that. It's time for the republicans to roll out big gun political ads. I sure hope Karen Hughes and Karl Rove aren't asleep at the switch.

[Seruzawa]

would Kerry have us believe that be four months on a swift boat has given him the experience to lead a nation.

Heck, I was on a picket boat near Danang for a whole year! I should be Emperor of Earth!

[hershey]

I'm not sure he deserves the title: Senator, since he missed 62 % of the votes, and when he was there, couldn't make up his mind which way was up.

[mass55th]

Has this puke ever set foot in Iraq over the past year? And if not, why not. Hell, he's served on the Foreign Relations Committee and could have gone over there himself. It will be interesting to see Biden's take on it all as I believe he's already been over to Iraq and came back with positive things to say about it. Wonder if he'll roll over and lie for Kerry.

How stupid of me...of course he'll lie...he's a RAT!

[cricket]

[You know, I was just thinking... The DNC keeps saying that GWB never served in a war. Well they are completely wrong. He's Commander of our Armed Forces during the War on Terror and the war in Iraq:

He went to Ground Zero after 9-11 and stood with the firefighters and police officers, against the advice of the Secret Service. # He flew into Iraq to visit the troops in the middle of a war. # He continually leads this country against terrorism and aggression by rouge doctators...

Why and the hell doesn't someone at the RNC use this?]

These are great talking points to just counter quickly the Kerry/media BS.

This would be 'good copy' to keep on hand; in car; place on a windshield with a JK sticker on it. I have made 'short copy' of info posted here to use for 'quiet activism'. . .leave under NYT's paper at Starbucks etc.

And there is always Bush.com. . .call to Hannity/Rush :^)

So much truth! So little time. .

. . .and yes, totally frustrating that the RNC/Bush.com 'big guys' miss so much.