Posted on 03/16/2004 1:19:04 PM PST by PhiKapMom
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
KERRY STANDS BY WHAT HE SAID LAST WEEK
Boston Globe Reporter Corrected His Report Of Kerry’s Wording. “The Boston Globe reporter who was covering a Florida fundraiser for Kerry on March 8 wrote in a pool report, which was distributed to the rest of the press corps, that Kerry said he had spoken with ‘foreign leaders’ who had indicated they want him to beat Bush. But on Monday, the reporter said that, upon review of his tape, he realized that Kerry had in fact said ‘more leaders’ want him to beat Bush.” (Matea Gold, “Kerry Pushed On Claim As Reporter Corrects Quote,” Los Angeles Times, 3/16/04)
But “Kerry Never Disputed” Meaning Of What He Said. “During the past week, Kerry never disputed that he was talking about foreign leaders when referring to dissatisfaction abroad with Bush. He told reporters Sunday he was talking about ‘people around the world’ at ‘different levels.’” (Matea Gold, “Kerry Pushed On Claim As Reporter Corrects Quote,” Los Angeles Times, 3/16/04)
Now His Aides Try To Change Their Story. “But the campaign said Monday that the Globe's clarification demonstrates some ambiguity about what Kerry meant. His reference to ‘more leaders,’ said Kerry's spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter, ‘could mean anybody.’ The media's repeated references to ‘foreign leaders’ allowed critics to suggest he was talking about heads of state. ‘He was misquoted,’ said Cutter. ‘Had he not been misquoted, this wouldn't be a story.’” (Matea Gold, “Kerry Pushed On Claim As Reporter Corrects Quote,” Los Angeles Times, 3/16/04)
But Kerry Is Sticking With His Original Statement. “[K]erry is not backing down from his claim that some foreign leaders privately support him against President Bush, dismissing suggestions by the White House that he is lying if he is not willing to identify the leaders. ‘I'm not making anything up at all,’ Kerry told The Associated Press in an interview Monday. … He continued: ‘I stand by my statement.’” (Mike Glover, “Kerry Sticks To Claim Of World Support,” The Associated Press, 3/16/04)
AND KERRY STILL WON’T REVEAL WHICH FOREIGN
LEADERS HE “MET” OR “HEARD FROM” …
Kerry Believes He “Heard From” Foreign Leaders, While Continuing To Assert He Also “Had Meetings” And “Conversations.” “[K]erry disputed the wording of his comment, and tried to change the subject from individual leaders’ specific support of his efforts to oust President Bush to a broader deterioration of the United States’ international reputation. ‘I think the quote, the quote in the comment I made publicly, I believe, was that I “heard from,” that’s the direct quote,’ Mr. Kerry said. ‘I’ve likewise had meetings. I’ve also had conversations. I said I’ve heard from, that was what I believe I said.’” (Jodi Wilgoren, “Kerry Remark On Foreign Leaders Faulted,” The New York Times, 3/15/04)
Kerry Wouldn’t Say “What Rank Or Position” Leaders He Had Talked To Held. “Questioned by reporters, Kerry declined to say what rank or position the people he met with held, describing them only as ‘people at different levels.’” (Paul Farhi, “Kerry Challenged On Claim Of Foreign Support,” The Washington Post, 3/15/04)
Kerry Listed Countries He Visited, But Not Leaders He Met With. NBC’S KELLY O’DONNELL: “Although Senator Kerry has made no foreign trips since he began campaigning, he says he did visit England and France on personal time right before he made his announcement, and says he's had some of these conversations with leaders while home in the US.” (NBC’s “Nightly News,” 3/14/04)
Kerry Acknowledged Leaders Were From U.S. Allies, But Still Won’t Name Names. “Pressed on the campaign trail and by reporters to name the leaders, Kerry declined, although he said they were U.S. allies. ‘I'm talking about people who were our friends nine months ago,’ Kerry said. ‘I'm talking about people who ought to be on our side in Iraq and aren't because this administration has pushed them away.’” (Mike Glover, “Kerry Pressed On Foreign Leader Claims,” The Associated Press, 3/15/04)
Kerry Didn’t Want To “Betray A Private Conversation,” The Content Of Which He Already Made Public. “The town meeting was contentious at times, with 52-year-old Cedric Brown repeatedly pressing the candidate to name the foreign leaders whom Kerry has said are backing his campaign. ‘I'm not going to betray a private conversation with anybody,’ Kerry said. … ‘That's none of your business.’” (Mike Glover, “Kerry Talks Health Care In Two Battleground States,” The Associated Press, 3/14/04)
Kerry Spokesman Said Kerry Campaign Wouldn’t Discuss “Private” Counsels. “‘In terms of who he's talked to, we're not going to discuss that,’ spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said yesterday. ‘I know it would be helpful, but we're not going into that. His counsels are kept private.’” (Charles Hurt and Stephen Dinan, “Kerry Fails To Back Up Foreign ‘Endorsements,’” The Washington Times, 3/12/04)
Another Kerry Spokesman Refused To List Kerry Meetings. “Asked about which ‘foreign leaders’ the Senator was referring to yesterday, Kerry spokesman David Wade told the Bulletin this morning: ‘We are not going to reveal any private conversations.’ Asked if he could provide a list of any world leaders the Senator has met with over the past year or so, Wade responded, ‘I wouldn't, actually. Then it becomes a guessing game about who he is referring to.’ Wade added, ‘There are a wide range of leaders that he has relationships with, that he talks to, and I am just not going to help divulge any kind of private conversations.’” (“Kerry's Comments About Meetings With Foreign Leaders Under Question,” The White House Bulletin, 3/9/04)
First Kerry Said He “Met Foreign Leaders” Who Endorsed His Candidacy. “‘I’ve met foreign leaders who can’t go out and say this publicly, but boy they look at you and say, “You’ve got to win this, you’ve got to beat this guy, we need a new policy,” things like that,’ [Kerry] said.” (Patricia Wilson, “Kerry Predicts Character Attacks, Foreign Support,” Reuters, 3/8/04)
LEST WE FORGET, HE’S BEEN MAKING
MYSTERIOUS CLAIMS FOR MONTHS
March 2004: Kerry Floats Story That Bush Administration Helped Overthrow Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. “Asked if he believed the U.S. government engineered the overthrow of Aristide, Kerry said: ‘I don’t have evidence of it personally. I’ve heard stories of it. I don’t believe anything without evidence.’’ But, he added, ‘There may be some legitimate questions.’” (Peter Wallsten, “Bush’s Policies On Haiti At Issue,” The Miami Herald, 3/1/04)
February 2004: Kerry Cited “Friends In The British Government” As Source Of His Claim That Bush Administration Delayed Libya Deal For Political Gain. “Kerry also suggested Bush sat on December’s deal to have Khadafy renounce weapons programs to get a political boost. ‘Khadafy’s been trying to get back into the mainstream for several years now,’ Kerry said. ‘There’s evidence that we could have had that deal some time ago.’ As proof, [Kerry] said he’d heard ‘from friends in the British government that the deal was in a slow lock,’ although he declined to give specifics to back it up.” (Thomas M. DeFrank and Maggie Haberman, “Kerry’s Haiti Jab,” [New York] Daily News, 2/29/04)
October 2003: Claims Bush Administration Refused To Work With France And Russia But Doesn’t Offer Specifics. “‘I have it on the highest authority’ that the French and Russians were prepared to make an offer at the UN, but were rebuffed by American officials intent on going to war, Kerry said. ‘I’m going to talk about it more publicly at a later time.’ [Kerry] would not disclose details of the position the countries, which opposed the US-led military offensive, were prepared to take or identify the source of the information.” (Patrick Healy, “Kerry Won’t Elaborate On Missed Deal,” The Boston Globe, 10/22/03)
April 2003: Claims He Spoke To Number Of Foreign Leaders But Doesn’t Name Names. “In remarks in the basement of the Peterborough Public Library Kerry … said ‘I talked to leaders of a number of countries … that told me they lost all confidence in the administration.’” (James Pindell, “Kerry: $8 Million In The Bank,” PoliticsNH.com Website, www.politicsnh.com, Accessed 4/3/03)
John Kerry’s Conspiracies Are Not New:
INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY IV: http://www.gop.com/News/Read.aspx?ID=4010
INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY III: http://www.gop.com/RNCResearch/read.aspx?ID=3983
INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY II: http://www.gop.com/news/read.aspx?ID=3960
INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY I: http://www.gop.com/RNCResearch/read.aspx?ID=3362
We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists, democrats and the mainstream media are sad ~ very sad!
– Charles Pierce, January 5, Boston Globe Magazine
“If she had lived, Mary Jo Kopechne would not have cared what Sen. Kerry
might have said or even which foreign leader he might have spoken to."
Boston Globe
Marlin Perkins: Watch carefully, kids, and you'll see a political eel change the subject by accusing his opponent of changing the subject:
Asked about the comments, Kerry, a four-term senator from Massachusetts, told reporters Monday the president's allies were trying to divert attention from Bush's record.
"They want to change the subject from jobs, health care, environment, Social Security," he said. "They don't have a campaign, so they're trying to divert it."
Marlin Perkins: Didja see it? This is a particularly fast and slippery species of eel, known for the impunity with which it contradicts even itself. See how he switches the subject even as he accuses his foe of doing so? You may want to rewind and watch it again.
Jim: This species of eel is the slipperiest and nastiest of its kind I've seen, Marlin. Trouble is, it's so fast to contradict itself that it sometimes bites itself in the butt.
Marlin Perkins: You're right, Jim. Nature is sometimes downright freakish!
. 
..
.. 
.. 
I tell ya -- the RNC could and should have fun at John Kerry's expense.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.