Transcript of SENATOR KERRY'S 1997 Speech on Senate Floor: "WE MUST BE FIRM WITH SADDAM HUSSEIN"

Thomas.loc.gov ^ | November 9, 1997 | John F. Kerry

[christie]

This is what John F. Kerry thought about Saddam Hussein and Iraq in 1997:

"We must recognize that there is no indication that Saddam Hussein has any intention of relenting. So we have an obligation of enormous consequence, an obligation to guarantee that Saddam Hussein cannot ignore the United Nations. He cannot be permitted to go unobserved and unimpeded toward his horrific objective of amassing a stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. This is not a matter about which there should be any debate whatsoever in the Security Council, or, certainly, in this Nation. If he remains obdurate, I believe that the United Nations must take, and should authorize immediately, whatever steps are necessary to force him to relent--and that the United States should support and participate in those steps.

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 it is my belief that we have the ability to persuade them of how serious this is and that the U.N. must not be diverted or bullied."

[christie]

.
On the eve of the debate, we should all read the words of John F. Kerry as spoken on the floor of the Senate in 1997.

Fax this to the media. Use as talking points in letters to the editor.

Another flip-flop.

Added to John F. Kerry Timeline and Connect the Dots...Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden

The transcript is also available at http://www.archive-news.net/Articles/IR971109.html. I created a new file because the source, thomas.loc.gov does not store URLs from searches.
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[trashcanbred]

This is well known but thanks for the link to it. I am starting to wonder if people are going to get so used to Kerry's flip flops will the American public just accept it as a character flaw? Ugh... it is late (in Cambodia) what am I saying?

[Lancer_N3502A]

Yea, when Slick Willie was in office. I hope Bush uses stuff like this to smoke this commie RAT.

[Fatalis]

"We must recognize that there is no indication that Saddam Hussein has any intention of relenting. So we have an obligation of enormous consequence, an obligation to guarantee that Saddam Hussein cannot ignore the United Nations. He cannot be permitted to go unobserved and unimpeded toward his horrific objective of amassing a stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. This is not a matter about which there should be any debate whatsoever in the Security Council, or, certainly, in this Nation. If he remains obdurate, I believe that the United Nations must take, and should authorize immediately, whatever steps are necessary to force him to relent--and that the United States should support and participate in those steps."

That's your 30 second commercial right there.

[christie]

What is well known to us is not well known to the sheeple. The media knows, but unless it's thrown in their face, they'll ignore it. I just think we might want to throw it in their face.

And Bush needs to throw it into Kerry's face during the debate.

[Watery Tart]

According to Mara Liasson on "The Panel" tonight on Special Report, it must be only his last opinion/statement that is counted. Nothing he has lectured us on in the past twenty years is considered, apparently.

If anyone got a different take on this, please tell me where I'm wrong....

[jennyjenny]

He yields back the balance of his time? There was time left? I don't think anyone has called him on it yet because they couldn't make it through the darn thing, so they don't know it exists. All the more reason to point it out to those who couldn't suffer through it.

[christie]

...it must be only his last opinion/statement that is counted.

I'm sure foreign leaders will take comfort in this when he wants to negotiate with them. Of course, Bubba's word only lasted 15 minutes and they all loved him.

[TheCrusader]

"The reality, Mr. President, is that Saddam Hussein has intentionally or inadvertently set up a test which the entire world will be watching, and if he gets away with this arrogant ploy, he will have terminated a most important multilateral effort to defuse a legitimate threat to global security--"

Wow! And here Kerry is now claiming that Iraq was not a threat to the U.S. or our allies. Bush could really undermine Kerry's credibility on Iraq if he could memorize just this excerpt from Kerry's speech and recite it to all Americans on national T.V. Thursday night.

[TheCrusader]

"That's your 30 second commercial right there."

Super idea. The ad could begin with a Kerry excerpt of him saying Saddam was no threat to the U.S., and then show a photo of Kerry as the voice-over guy reads the 1997 excerpt. It would have a tremendous effect on destroying Kerry's credibility.

[genghis]

he can't remember what he said 10 days ago, how do you expect him to remember whagt he said 7 years ago?

[jellybean]

Rush played a clip of John Edwards on Feb. 24 saying Iraq was the country that posed the most imminent threat to our country.

KING: Senator Edwards, when discussing the North Korean problem, the president wants to confront the regime, deal with its own missiles program plus its exports. There is not a reasonable military option when it comes to North Korea is there?

EDWARDS: Well, I don't think we're focused on military options right now, John.

I think it was important, in answer to your last question, it was important for the president to go to the region. I think he did help alleviate some of the concerns that people in that area had about this "axis of evil" comment.

But I do think that the more serious question going forward is, what are we going to do? I mean, we have three different countries that, while they all present serious problems for the United States -- they're dictatorships, they're involved in the development and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction -- you know, the most imminent, clear and present threat to our country is not the same from those three countries. I think Iraq is the most serious and imminent threat to our country.

And I think they -- as a result, we have to, as we go forward and as we develop policies about how we're going to deal with each of these countries and what action, if any, we're going to take with respect to them, I think each of them have to be dealt with on their own merits.

And they do, in my judgment, present different threats. And I think Iraq and Saddam Hussein present the most serious and most imminent threat.

The entire transcript can be read HERE

[Smartass]

[adam_az]

[Fedora]

Thanks for finding this and posting it!

[Tempest]

hehe, cool thanks.

[stockpirate]

There, according to six eyewitnesses interviewed by the Sun, the plan was discussed and voted down, with Mr. Kerry speaking out against it, although there is disagreement about how narrow the margin of defeat was. On the third day of the meeting, Mr. Kerry and

The FBI records indicate that the plan was TABLED until it could be voted on at the Feb., 1972 meeting. It was not voted down.

[ThomasMore]

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.

I believe this is such a situation, Mr. President. It is a time for resolve. Tomorrow we must make that clear to the Security Council and to the world.

Mr. Flip/Flop had it right the first time! or...was this the first time....no...he said no to the first Gulf war. He is pathetic.

[ThomasMore]

If anyone got a different take on this, please tell me where I'm wrong....

You're absolutely right! Later, on Hannity and Colmes, a Dem consultant said the same thing. Sean nearly went through the roof. Talk about "in denial".