Engagement Is a Constant in Kerry's Foreign Policy

Washington Post ^ | 3-20-04 | Glenn Kessler

[Indy Pendance]

When President Bill Clinton referred to the United States as "the indispensable nation" during his second inaugural address in 1997, and then as other U.S. officials picked up the term, Sen. John F. Kerry recoiled. He turned to his longtime foreign policy aide Nancy Stetson to ask, "Why are we adopting such an arrogant, obnoxious tone?"

Kerry, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has repeatedly slammed President Bush for what he calls a "go-it-alone" foreign policy. The line of attack comes naturally. Throughout his nearly 20 years in the Senate, the Massachusetts Democrat has expressed a deep commitment to negotiation and international institutions as a way to advance U.S. interests, according to interviews with the candidate and his aides and a review of his speeches, floor statements and votes.

Over the years, Kerry has pushed engagement with the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, the communists in Vietnam and the mullahs who run Iran. He faulted President George H.W. Bush for assembling a Persian Gulf War coalition that amounted to a "pax Americana," and has criticized the incumbent president for bungling the war in Iraq by failing to enlist the United Nations and key allies in the enterprise.

[BenLurkin]

an arrogant, obnoxious tone?

Describes the bombastic Kerry demagoguing to a "T".

[binger]

Two fingers in the wind...

[Piranha]

Kerry added that he is incensed at a Bush campaign ad saying he seeks U.N. approval to defend the United States. "Never. Never have. Never ever, ever in my life in the United States Senate have I ever ceded our authority to the U.N. or have I recommended it," he said. "Never. Not once in one vote; not in one speech. Never. That is a lie." (Washington Post)


“I’m an internationalist,” Kerry told The Crimson in 1970. “I’d like to see our troops dispersed through the world only at the directive of the United Nations.” (Harvard Crimson)

Pretty slippery how he limits his response to his time "in the United States Senate".

[Indy Pendance]

Thanks! I was hoping someone would post that quote. That's the one I was trying to remember when I read this article. Perfect!

[NYCVirago]

When President Bill Clinton referred to the United States as "the indispensable nation" during his second inaugural address in 1997, and then as other U.S. officials picked up the term, Sen. John F. Kerry recoiled. He turned to his longtime foreign policy aide Nancy Stetson to ask, "Why are we adopting such an arrogant, obnoxious tone?"

You know Kerry's too far to the left when he makes Clinton look like a hawk!

[NYCVirago]

Kerry is the master at flip-flops, isn't he? In 1991, he said this:

"Can it really be said that we are building a new world order when it is almost exclusively the United States who will be fighting in the desert, not alone but almost, displaying pride and impatience and implementing what essentially amounts to a pax Americana?" he asked. "Is that a new world order?"

Here's his flip-flop:

Eleven years later, when Kerry discussed the resolution for last year's war against Iraq, his opinion of Bush's father's efforts had changed: He praised the coalition that had been formed for the Gulf War, in part to complain that the current president had thus far failed to secure the same level of cooperation. Unbelievable!

[Belisaurius]

I tried to read the whole article, but apparently the Washington Post has special 286 server hooked up to a 14.4k modem for any stories that aren't absolutely worshipful of Herr Kerry.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

The Consensus Candidate; form a commission and do a study form a consensus, anything that goes wrong can be blamed on others while taking credit for what works. Unfortunately unless there is one dominate personality that makes his opinion the consensus the resulting course of action will be a mishmash of contradictory initiatives, but the results aren’t important just as long as the blame can be passed.

[FairOpinion]

[FairOpinion]

"I'm an internationalist. I'd like to see our troops dispersed through the world only at the directive of the United Nations."

--- Kerry, Inteview with Harvard Crimson, Feb. 18, 1970
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=352185


===


"We need a new approach to national security - a bold, progressive internationalism that stands in stark contrast to the too often belligerent and myopic unilateralism of the Bush Administration."

--- Kerry, Foreign Policy Speech
Georgetown University, Jan. 23, 2003
http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/issues/kerr012303spfp.html



=====


"And in the first hundred days in office, I will go to the United Nations -- I will go in the first weeks -- and I will travel to our traditional allies to affirm that the United States of America has rejoined the community of nations. "

I will treat the United Nations as a full partner -- not as an obstruction to get by -- not only in the war on terror, but in combating other common enemies, like AIDS and global poverty. We must seek not only to renew the mandate of the U.N., but to reform its operations and revitalize its capacity. And if I am president, the United Nations will be seen as the asset that it is, not a liability to a safer America. "

--- Kerry, Speech at Center for Foreign Relations, Dec. 3, 2003
http://www.cfr.org/pub6576//making_america_secure_again_setting_the_right_course_for_foreign_policy.php

I believe the Bush Administration's blustering unilateralism is wrong, and even dangerous, for our country. In practice, it has meant alienating our long-time friends and allies, alarming potential foes and spreading anti-Americanism around the world."

--- Kerry, Foreign Policy Speech
Georgetown University, Jan. 23, 2003
http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/issues/kerr012303spfp.html


Apparently, according to Kerry, "alarming potential foes" is a bad thing!

[expatpat]

You misjudge the Compost, sir! It is actually a minicomputer based on the Intel 4040 chip.

[expatpat]

What's the dateline for your WP quote?

[dozer7]

"You misjudge the Compost, sir! It is actually a minicomputer based on the Intel 4040 chip."

My take is the Z80

[expatpat]

Too advanced -- the 4040 was a 4-bit microprocessor.

[Piranha]

There is no dateline. It's on the second page of the article by Glenn Kessler at the top of this thread. You have to get into the WP website because we can only excerpt WP artlicles on Free Republic.

[expatpat]

Thanks.

[atomicpossum]

What a fawning article. It tries to paint every Kerry flaw as simple wonk-ishness. Not only a succession of softballs, but all definitely slow-pitch.

[Cobra64]

“I’m an internationalist,” Kerry told The Crimson in 1970. “I’d like to see our troops dispersed through the world only at the directive of the United Nations.” (Harvard Crimson)

I'd send this to Carl Rove, and Dick Cheney.

(I would if I knew how. Cobra is not an HTML kindaguy-expert).