1998: Kerry calls for ground troops to topple Saddam; Clinton not tough enough

The Boston Globe | February 23, 1998 | Aaron Zitner, Globe Staff

[nwrep]

WASHINGTON -- Senator John F. Kerry, who began his public life as a Vietnam War protester, said yesterday that the United States should use ground troops to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein if he does not comply with international demands to give up chemical and biological weapons.

Kerry, a potential presidential candidate in 2000, said sending US troops into Iraq should be "the last option, but it is a legitimate option."

The state's junior senator said President Clinton had not been tough enough in his measures to subdue the Iraqi president.

Because Iraq will try to rebuild its chemical and biological weaponry after a US air attack, "we will not eliminate the problem for ourselves or for the rest of the world with a bombing attack," Kerry said.

Kerry said his conditional support for using ground troops put him "way ahead of the commander in chief, and I'm probably way ahead of my colleagues, and certainly of much of the country. But I believe this."

[sully777]

FLip Wilson
meet
FLip Kerry ( http://tvparty.com/flip.html )

He can say it all! He's FLip.
Crossdressed as Geraldine he'll tackle the gay agenda.
And he'll sock it to ya on taxes, sucka.
But if you ask him he'll say, "The Devil made me do it!"

[Mo1]

Thanks .. I remember Wellstone , but I didn't remember that about Kerry

[McGruff]

from National Review Online:

But Kerry gave a speech on the floor of the United States Senate in 1997 in which he urged the Clinton-Gore administration to deal with Saddam's "ominous" and "grave" threat of weapons of mass destruction decisively, even if the U.S. allies did not agree and the U.S. had to act on a "unilateral basis."

In that speech, on November 9, 1997, titled "We Must be Firm with Saddam Hussein," Kerry made points he'd probably like to leave in his past:

Kerry made the case that Saddam's WMD programs were a serious threat: "It is not possible to overstate the ominous implications for the Middle East if Saddam were to develop and successfully militarize and deploy potent biological weapons. We can all imagine the consequences. Extremely small quantities of several known biological weapons have the capability to exterminate the entire population of cities the size of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. These could be delivered by ballistic missile, but they also could be delivered by much more pedestrian means; aerosol applicators on commercial trucks easily could suffice. If Saddam were to develop and then deploy usable atomic weapons, the same holds true."

Kerry warned if Saddam were not properly dealt with, a "world-threatening inferno" could result. "Were Israel to find itself under constant threat of potent biological or nuclear attack, the current low threshold for armed conflict in the Middle East that easily could escalate into a world-threatening inferno would become even more of a hair trigger. "

Kerry argued in 1997 that time to deal with Saddam was running out. "Saddam Hussein has continued to push international patience to the very edge."

Kerry conceded that some our allies might not fully understand or be worried about the danger posed by Saddam. "We must not presume that these conclusions automatically will be accepted by every one of our allies, some of which have different interests both in the region and elsewhere, or will be of the same degree of concern to them that they are to the U.S."

But be that as it may, Kerry argued that even if our key allies should lack resolve in dealing with Saddam, the U.S. should be decisive. "Should the resolve of our allies wane to pursue this matter until an acceptable inspection process has been reinstituted...the United States must not lose its resolve to take action."

Kerry even argued that the U.S. would be justified in acting alone.
"Were its willingness to serve in these respects to diminish or vanish because of the ability of Saddam to brandish these weapons, then the ability of the United Nations or remnants of the gulf war coalition, or even the United States acting alone, to confront and halt Iraqi aggression would be gravely damaged."
"While our actions should be thoughtfully and carefully determined and structured, while we should always seek to use peaceful and diplomatic means to resolve serious problems before resorting to force, and while we should always seek to take significant international actions on a multilateral rather than a unilateral basis whenever that is possible, if in the final analysis we face what we truly believe to be a grave threat to the well-being of our Nation or the entire world and it cannot be removed peacefully, we must have the courage to do what we believe is right and wise."

Kerry argued for Saddam to pay a grave price: "In my judgment, the Security Council should authorize a strong U.N. military response that will materially damage, if not totally destroy, as much as possible of the suspected infrastructure for developing and manufacturing weapons of mass destruction, as well as key military command and control nodes. Saddam Hussein should pay a grave price, in a currency that he understands and values, for his unacceptable behavior. This should not be a strike consisting only of a handful of cruise missiles hitting isolated targets primarily of presumed symbolic value."

[sweetliberty]

Well, do tell. Couldn't be another flip flop, could it?

[marblehead17]

ping

[Mears]

Well,I had heard of him of course.

I am proud to say he has been my senator for years,along with the wonderful Ted Kennedy,and the dynamic Barney Frank is my congressman.

Now that I've got that sarcasm out of my system it's time for a strong cup of coffee and something chocolate to calm my nerves.

Massachusetts is a sink!

[Howlin]

For reference.

[sweetliberty]

[Kackikat]

Flip-Flop

[sweetliberty]

[Mo1]

That's Kerry

You know, we are going to have to start a cart to keep up with all his flip flops ... there are so many

[FourtySeven]

LOL......

...excellent archival work! Thanks!

[Grampa Dave]

FLip Kerry describes this multi personality schizo, al Kerry.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks, one more document to show the consistent soul of the Democrats nominating process.

What the hell do they believe in?

You can't tell by looking at this candidate!

[MEG33]

This is good ammo!...but he is very canny."Went too soon, not enough support, poor planning, blah blah blah".

[highlander_UW]

Did you know Kerry served in Vietnam?

[sweetliberty]

"we are going to have to start a cart to keep up with all his flip flops"

Which, of course, will go both ways.

.

[FairOpinion]

Actually calling Kerry "flip-flop" is being too kind to him. What his changing "convictions" show is that he is willing to subordinate national security to his own political purposes, even if it would put the country in grave danger.

[Dane]

People should bring a trout in a bucket of water to the Kerry campaign stops and let the fish out and let the Kerry supporters watch the fish flip flop.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

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Flashback to 2003: John Kerry AGAINST Human Rights in Vietnam and Other Dictatorships

http://www.Freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1156873/posts


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