"I'd rather have a president who errs on the side of defending this country, and going after our enemies, than somebody like John Kerry who wants to sit on his butt and does nothing while Americans die."
err 
Listen: [ ûr, 
r ]
intr.v. erred, err·ing, errs
Obviously, in Alan Keyes mid, Bush made a mistake (erred) by going into Iraq.
My original statement stands; Keyes is critical of the war in Iraq.
It's an idiom. It means he'd rather see the risk of one error than the risk of the other. It doesn't necessarily mean he thinks either error was ever made.
Please read the quote.
". . . even if, let us say for a minute that Iraq was a mistake, as some people are trying to argue. I'd rather have a president who errs on the side of defending this country, and going after our enemies, than somebody like John Kerry who wants to sit on his butt and does nothing while Americans die. And I think that's the key issue here."-- Alan KeyesHe's not saying the war was a mistake! He said OTHERS are trying to argue it is.
And he says that proof that it WASN'T a mistake is that our president showed he would rather err on the side of protecting this country, than to risk destruction by holding back, as Kerry would do, and wait for better intelligence.
This is an outstanding argument. It diffuses the Michael Moores and Howard Deans, who want a timid leader who acts only on "perfect" intelligence. It says, "It doesn't matter if the intelligence data was correct or not. It matters that the president believed it was true, and acted appropriately to the perceived threats."
At least the Washington Times appreciates Keyes' argument, even if you don't.
Inside the Beltway
By John McCaslin
The Washington Times
April 6, 2004
Time to stand
Ambassador Alan Keyes, who was impressive in his challenge to George W. Bush for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination, will be on Capitol Hill this evening as Black America's Political Action Committee (BAMPAC) celebrates its 10th anniversary.
We happened to be tuning in last week when Mr. Keyes, co-founder and board chairman of BAMPAC — the largest minority political action committee in the country — was asked by syndicated radio host Sean Hannity how he felt about President Bush's performance in the White House.
"I am a conservative," Mr. Keyes replied. "I'm part of that group of conservatives in the party who is not altogether happy with George W. Bush. I see lots of reasons to find fault with steps that he has taken in various areas. But I'll tell you one thing: I think it's time that everybody in this country understand that when we are faced with a threat to our very survival, we put aside other things.
"Even if, let us say for a minute that Iraq was a mistake, as some people are trying to argue," he continued, "I'd rather have a president who errs on the side of defending this country, and going after our enemies, than somebody like [Democratic presidential contender] John Kerry, who wants to sit on his butt and does nothing while Americans die. And I think that's the key issue here."
That reminds this columnist of Edmund Burke's admonition: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
© 2004 News World Communications, Inc., WashingtonTimes.com http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040405-110950-7910r.htm
That didn't sound quite right to me, so I googled the quote. And look what I found - the entire quote:
"Even if, let us say for a minute that Iraq was a mistake, as some people are trying to argue," he continued, "I'd rather have a president who errs on the side of defending this country, and going after our enemies, than somebody like John Kerry, who wants to sit on his butt and does nothing while Americans die. And I think that's the key issue here," said Alan Keyes.
You see, you took the quote out of context in an attempt to smear Keyes.
Seems a little dishonest to me...