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Kristol: Disgraceful
The Weekly Standard ^ | 10/04/04 | William Kristol

Posted on 09/24/2004 3:08:03 PM PDT by Pokey78

The disgraceful behavior of John Kerry and his team is sufficient grounds for concern about his fitness to be president

WE REALLY DON'T KNOW what a President John Kerry would do about Iraq. His flip-flops about the war, his inconsistencies, the ambiguity of his current position (win or withdraw?)--all of these mean we can only guess about a Kerry presidency. He would probably be inclined to get out of Iraq as soon as possible; it might be the case, however, that as president he would nonetheless find himself staying and fighting. Who knows?

What we do know is this: Kerry and his advisers have behaved disgracefully this past week. That behavior is sufficient grounds for concern about his fitness to be president.

On Tuesday, President Bush spoke to the United Nations General Assembly. Senator Kerry decided not to say anything supportive of the president as he made the American case to the "international community." Nor did he simply campaign that day on other issues. No. Less than an hour after President Bush finished speaking in New York, Kerry was criticizing his remarks in Jacksonville, Florida: "At the United Nations today, the president failed to level with the world's leaders. Moments after Kofi Annan, the secretary general, talked about the difficulties in Iraq, the president of the United States stood before a stony-faced body and barely talked about the realities at all of Iraq. . . . He does not have the credibility to lead the world."

So Kerry credits Kofi Annan--who a few days before had condemned the "illegal" American war in Iraq--as a more accurate source of information on the subject than the president of the United States. Kerry also seems to think it significant that the General Assembly sat "stony-faced" while the president spoke. Would the applause of delegates from China, Sudan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and, yes, France, have made the president's speech more praiseworthy in Kerry's eyes?

Then Kerry was asked about Kofi Annan's description of the war in Iraq as an "illegal" invasion. Kerry answered: "I don't know what the law, the legalities are that he's referring to. I don't know." So the U.S. government is accused of breaking international law, and Kerry chooses not to defend his country against the charge, or to label it ridiculous or offensive. He is agnostic.

Then Kerry continued: "Well, let me say this to all of you: That underscores what I am saying. If the leader of the United Nations is at odds with the legality, and we're not working at getting over that hurdle and bringing people to the table, as I said in my speech yesterday, it's imperative to be able to build international cooperation." It's our fault that the U.N. is doing almost nothing to help in Iraq. After all, according to Kerry, "Kofi Annan offered the help of the United Nations months ago. This president chose to go the other way."

Leave aside the rewriting of history going on here. The president of the United States had just appealed for help from the United Nations and its member states to ensure that elections go forward in Iraq. Kerry could have reinforced that appeal for help with his own, thereby making it a bipartisan request. He chose instead to give the U.N., France, Germany, and everyone else an excuse to do nothing over these next crucial five weeks, with voter registration scheduled to begin November 1. If other nations prefer not to help the United States, the Democratic presidential candidate has given them his blessing.

Two days later, Iraqi prime minister Ayad Allawi spoke to a joint meeting of Congress. Sen. Kerry could not be troubled to attend, as a gesture of solidarity and respect. Instead, Kerry said in Ohio that Allawi was here simply to put the "best face on the policy." So much for an impressive speech by perhaps America's single most important ally in the war on terror, the courageous and internationally recognized leader of a nation struggling to achieve democracy against terrorist opposition.

But Kerry's rudeness paled beside the comment of his senior adviser, Joe Lockhart, to the Los Angeles Times: "The last thing you want to be seen as is a puppet of the United States, and you can almost see the hand underneath the shirt today moving the lips."

Is Kerry proud that his senior adviser's derisive comment about the leader of free Iraq will now be quoted by terrorists and by enemies of the United States, in Iraq and throughout the Middle East? Is the concept of a loyalty to American interests that transcends partisan politics now beyond the imagination of the Kerry campaign?

John Kerry has decided to pursue a scorched-earth strategy in this campaign. He is prepared to insult allies, hearten enemies, and denigrate efforts to succeed in Iraq. His behavior is deeply irresponsible--and not even in his own best interest.

There is some chance, after all, that John Kerry will be president in four months. If so, what kind of situation will he have created for himself? France will smile on him, but provide no troops. Those allies that have provided troops, from Britain and Poland and Australia and Japan and elsewhere, will likely recall how Kerry sneered at them, calling them "the coerced and the bribed." The leader of the government in Iraq, upon whom the success of John Kerry's Iraq policy will depend, will have been weakened before his enemies and ours--and will also remember the insult. Is this really how Kerry wants to go down in history: Willing to say anything to try to get elected, no matter what the damage to the people of Iraq, to American interests, and even to himself?


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: kerry; kerryiraq; kristol; weeklystandard
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Oh well. I just spent the last 20 minutes furiously typing out every explitive I could think of, along with a few that I just made up, over the treasonous two-bit petty mean-spirited hypocritical sacntimonious moron, the fornicating spawn of Satan known in my world as Ef'n al-Qerry. But I didn't really want to be zotted for obscenity, so I erased it all.

Felt pretty good, though.


41 posted on 09/24/2004 3:41:56 PM PDT by JusPasenThru (What did Dan Rather know, and when did he know it?)
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To: NoobRep
You really think there's a "war on terror?"

Ask yourself what would happen to you if you came across Osama bin Laden on a street in New York and decided to kill the f#%&er right there in his tracks.

42 posted on 09/24/2004 3:42:04 PM PDT by Alberta's Child (I made enough money to buy Miami -- but I pissed it away on the Alternative Minimum Tax.)
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To: delacoert
You can call me a lot of things, and you may not agree with anything I've ever posted here on FreeRepublic.

"Full of sh!t," however, is probably the last phrase anyone should ever use to describe me.

43 posted on 09/24/2004 3:43:17 PM PDT by Alberta's Child (I made enough money to buy Miami -- but I pissed it away on the Alternative Minimum Tax.)
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To: Alberta's Child

"I'd be an Albertan."


Weather's good there in the fall...(Four Strong Winds)


44 posted on 09/24/2004 3:43:22 PM PDT by edwin hubble
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To: Kristian

BRAVO! my friend from across the pond


45 posted on 09/24/2004 3:43:23 PM PDT by MJY1288 (A PROUD MEMBER OF FREE REPUBLIC'S PAJAMAMUJAHADEEN)
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To: Pokey78

The UN is just praying for a Kerry victory. Too bad.


46 posted on 09/24/2004 3:44:39 PM PDT by WildTurkey
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To: edwin hubble
Anyone who can quote Ian Tyson is quite all right, in my book. LOL.

Check out my profile page for some great Alberta scenery!

47 posted on 09/24/2004 3:45:37 PM PDT by Alberta's Child (I made enough money to buy Miami -- but I pissed it away on the Alternative Minimum Tax.)
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To: Pokey78

I do not think Kerry will be welcome in Iraq any time soon. Or late. Or, ever in his lifetime. People have long memories.

Isn't it obvious that for Kerry, Iraq would be Nam II? He'll run the hell out, and leave plenty of men behind--many theirs, and ours.

Sequels just are not as good as the first, though, Mr. Kerry. This one's a can do--as was the other one, no thanks to you and your kind.


48 posted on 09/24/2004 3:46:57 PM PDT by combat_boots (Dug in and not budging an inch)
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To: WildTurkey
All of America's enemies are praying for a Kerry victory.

Now that Kerry has insulted all of our allies, all he has left is our enemies

49 posted on 09/24/2004 3:48:28 PM PDT by MJY1288 (A PROUD MEMBER OF FREE REPUBLIC'S PAJAMAMUJAHADEEN)
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To: Pokey78

I've disagreed with a lot of things Kristol has said over the past few years. But this article is entirely on target.

Kerry is a traitor to his country. He was back in the Winter Soldier days, he was in the days when the senate pulled all support for the Nicaraguan Contras, and he is now.

At least Jane Fonda apologized--sort of.


50 posted on 09/24/2004 3:49:01 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Pokey78
Is the concept of a loyalty to American interests that transcends partisan politics now beyond the imagination of the Kerry campaign?

The obvious answer to that question is "yes." More to the point, that same answer would apply to all but a small handful of Democrats.

51 posted on 09/24/2004 3:49:19 PM PDT by Wolfstar (John Kerry may trust the enemies of America, but the American people just can't trust John Kerry.)
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To: O.C. - Old Cracker
Are those courageous young men fighting a "war on terror," or are they fighting a war against an enemy?

It is the height of idiocy for this country to fight a "war on terror" overseas while at the same time allowing nearly unfettered access to potential enemies across our southern border and through our international airports.

52 posted on 09/24/2004 3:49:57 PM PDT by Alberta's Child (I made enough money to buy Miami -- but I pissed it away on the Alternative Minimum Tax.)
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To: Alberta's Child
You got some serious problems, the least of which is confusion over your prefered nationality. For your sake, I hope you don't let your piehole flap about these views around the friends or family of someone who gave their life fighting a war you've dubbed as 'nonsense'. If you do, we may be forced to eulogize you.

Sober up, take a shower, shave, and put on some clean clothes. Then go visit the Vietnam Memorial in D.C. And try to grow up.

53 posted on 09/24/2004 3:50:05 PM PDT by O.C. - Old Cracker (When the cracker gets old, you wind up with Old Cracker. - O.C.)
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To: Pokey78
Obviously he got the memo I sent - John Kerry and the Democratic Party are anti-America! But they don't think they are anti-American because their idea of America is their utopian dream of what they want to remake America to be! In other words - they are in favor of what they want America to be - but they are definitely against everything America is currently.
That is the only way they can nuance themselves into believing they can be called patriots!
DKK
54 posted on 09/24/2004 3:50:33 PM PDT by LifeTrek (<-- Uses Times New Roman just like 60 minutes! (http://lifetrek.blogspot.com))
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To: Alberta's Child

My friend, if I were you I'd get my asbestos underwear on and high-tail it to a 1950's era home bomb shelter until the fall-out settles down a little.

But if you don't do it, that will be cool with me too. I just want us all to be friends.

Series, folks, maybe we should put our creative focus on where it needs to be, which is making sure the entire country know what a shriveled excuse of a flaccid male member Ef'n al-Qerry is. May his pets become road-kill.


55 posted on 09/24/2004 3:50:49 PM PDT by JusPasenThru (What did Dan Rather know, and when did he know it?)
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To: Alberta's Child
I don't think there are too many people out there who still believe in this "war on terror" nonsense anymore, though.

Then you are wrong. As a woman who has studied islam....I say fight it over there! Keep that garbage out of America as long as possible.

56 posted on 09/24/2004 3:51:48 PM PDT by Lady Heron
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To: Kristian
Mr Bush, has realised that we are at war with Islam . . .

That's where you are wrong. If that were the case, then let's go and have at it -- I have a militia ready, willing, and able to fight that war.

In fact, President Bush has gone out of his way to make the case that we are not at war with Islam.

57 posted on 09/24/2004 3:51:52 PM PDT by Alberta's Child (I made enough money to buy Miami -- but I pissed it away on the Alternative Minimum Tax.)
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To: Kristian

Thank you for your kind words about our President George Bush.

John Kerry is a pacifist who dresses himself in military sheep's clothing to garner votes and masquerade as a warrior. He has single handedly done more harm to more American military personnel in harm's way than any of our declared enemies.

We cannot forgive or forget that John Kerry turned on his fellow soldiers while they still served in combat. That fact alone disqualifies him as President of the United States of America.


58 posted on 09/24/2004 3:51:53 PM PDT by BlessedByLiberty (Respectfully submitted,)
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To: combat_boots

Please excuse my not-so-polite word there. I am so done with Kerry. He's a 9/10 man in a post 9/11 world.


59 posted on 09/24/2004 3:52:30 PM PDT by combat_boots (Dug in and not budging an inch)
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To: Alberta's Child

"It never ceases to amaze me how someone can be so full of sh!t and yet can maintain any credibility when making public comments about issues like this."

Sorry, dude, but it kinda' reminds me of the things you are saying on this thread.

Canada has opted out of Iraq. Their choice, but sorry if no one here takes what you are spewing seriously. You got no dog in this hunt and it's easy to talk, harder to walk. This is what Kristol is pointing out in his article about Kerry.

You are so filled with hate and bile for Kristol. Were you slapped around by a right of center columnist when you were young? If so, maybe some government-paid-health-care therapy is in order.


60 posted on 09/24/2004 3:54:00 PM PDT by Owl558 (Pardon my spelling)
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