Kerry: Rantisi's killing was justified

The Jerusalem Post ^ | April 18, 2004 | Janine Zacharia

[Piranha]

US Senator John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said on Sunday Israel's killing of Hamas leader Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi was justified because Israel "has every right in the world to respond to any act of terror against it."

"Hamas is a terrorist, brutal organization," he told NBC's Meet the Press.

"It has had years to make up its mind to take part in a peaceful process. They refuse to ... and I support Israel's efforts to try to separate itself and to try to be secure."

[MinuteGal]

We have flip-flop sandals for Kerry's flip-flops.

Can't think of what we could have for Kerry's panders.

Can anyone post that well-known FR pic of Peter Pan-derer Kerry?

Leni

[okie01]

(how do you say "base" in French?)

That would be "base".

But say it with a sneer...

[TheSpottedOwl]

Time to start making bets on how long it will be before he reverses himself on this one. Especially since the UN and European Allies are outraged.

Hmmm, he can't disappoint all his foreign "supporters", can he? The Arab groups know how the game is played. I'm sure they know they can count on him. Too bad the Jewish groups might actually buy his latest BS.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Everytime a Hamas leader gets blown up, an angel gets his wings".

Hahahaha, I love it!

[OldFriend]

LOLOL......uh oh, what's his math professor friend from City College going to say now!

Poor ketchup boy, pander to the jews or pander to the muslims.......

[LoudRepublicangirl]

Kerry" I was for the airstrike until I was against it"

[Ichneumon]

Ooops, looks like he just lost the Arab vote.

It'll also be interesting to see whether the Europeans who swoon over him have any reaction to Kerry approving the action they've "condemned".

[okie01]

"Hamas is a terrorist, brutal organization," he told NBC's Meet the Press.

Yet, only a few weeks ago, Kerry characterized Hamas as "sort of...terrorists".

What have they done in the interim to change his mind?

Or, alternatively, what have his contributions done in the interim to change his mind?

[oolatec]

This just in...Kerry actually said the killing of Rantisi was justified, before he said it wasn't.

[tessalu]

The only good terrorist is a dead terrorist. We need to get this straight right now.

[Minuteman23]

Amazing. But wait. Tomorrow he may call in unnecessary. It all depends on the way the wind is blowing.

[adam_az]

Good, all of al-Qairry's LLL supporters will end up supporting al-Nadir.
The ANSWER and other assorted "anti-War" candidates will start to protest him more and more.
Their numbers will outpace the handfull of extra votes Kerry will get by looking "centrist" on this issue.

[Piranha]

Wait, wait! There's more! He also may be signalling approval of an Israeli assassination of Arafat (check out the comment about Arafat -- "Arafat refuses to." -- in Kerry's first reply).

This is from the transcript of his comments about Israel from Meet the Press (interestingly, I tried to go back to it and it had disappeared, so I can't provide the link):

MR. RUSSERT: Israel assassinated Hamas leader Rantisi. Do you support that assassination?

SEN. KERRY: I believe Israel has every right in the world to respond to any act of terror against it. Hamas is a terrorist, brutal organization. It has had years to make up its mind to take part in a peaceful process. They refuse to. Arafat refuses to. And I support Israel's efforts to try to separate itself and to try to be secure. The moment Hamas says, "We've given up violence, we're prepared to negotiate," I am absolutely confident they will find an Israel that is thirsty to have that negotiation.

MR. RUSSERT: On Thursday, President Bush broke with the tradition and policy of six predecessors when he said that Israel can keep part of the land seized in the 1967 Middle East War and asserted the Palestinian refugees cannot go back to their particular homes. Do you support President Bush?

SEN. KERRY: Yes.

MR. RUSSERT: Completely?

SEN. KERRY: Yes.

MR. RUSSERT: You also said in December that you would consider as presidential ambassadors to the Middle East President Clinton, but also former President Carter and Secretary of State Baker. You then met with Jewish leaders and said, "I will not send Carter or Baker." Why?

SEN. KERRY: I think that what I was trying to talk about, Tim, was a kind of potential for bipartisanship as to how you might be able to approach putting a special envoy in place. The names obviously need to be acceptable to everybody within the community. You've got to do that as a matter of diplomacy. Subsequent to those names being floated, obviously, some people have different views about it.

MR. RUSSERT: Why do you think Carter and Baker are not acceptable?

SEN. KERRY: Well, that's not important. What's important is how to resolve the crisis, how do you move forward. I believe there's a way to move forward, I'm convinced of that. Now, I think what the president did in the last few days is to recognize a reality that even President Clinton came to. If you're going to have a Jewish state, and that is what we are committed to do and that is what Israel is, you cannot have a right of return that's open-ended or something. You just can't do it. It's always been a non-starter. I personally said that at a speech I gave to the Arab community in New York at the World Economic Forum. I've said that. I've also said that it is realistic because we know that at Taba they negotiated the annexation of certain territory. So it's really stating a reality.

What this administration has not done that it needs to do, what we need is a diplomacy that is ongoing and engaged with the Arab community in order to help to create and help emerge the kind of entity that will provide a peaceful resolution to this. Israel has no partner, no one to be able to negotiate with today. I think the United States and this administration could have done a much more effective job of helping that to emerge, but they were completely disengaged. I will not be disengaged. And I will have somebody involved in that at the highest level that has the respect of the community, the trust of Israel, and we will be able to move forward.

[Mo1]

OMG! PANDERING

Not only was it pandering .. but also danagerous and most likely will tick off Hamas and their followers

[Piranha]

The link is back up at http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4772030/

[JusPasenThru]

"Finally, one statement from Kerry that makes sense."

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then.

[Bobby777]

US Senator John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said on Sunday Israel's killing of Hamas leader Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi was justified because Israel "has every right in the world to respond to any act of terror against it."

"Hamas is a terrorist, brutal organization," he told NBC's Meet the Press.

"It has had years to make up its mind to take part in a peaceful process. They refuse to ... and I support Israel's efforts to try to separate itself and to try to be secure."

I would hope this would become the true belief of all U.S. Gov't politicians ... anything else amounts to National Stockholm Syndrome (as coined by a FReeper) ...

[BipolarBob]

Kerry: I was FOR Hamas before I was AGAINST Hamas.

Get your Flip-flops and waffles while they're hot.

[Lijahsbubbe]

Ooh, good point. I recall those pictures of Muslim supporters for Kerry. Bet those signs are being chucked and/or burned fast!

[mtbopfuyn]

Hannity said last week we'll see the RATS pulling Kerry out of left field to become more middle of the road. Yep, looks like it's true.