AWOL

National Review Online ^ | October 28, 2004 | Deroy Murdock

[christie]

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AWOL
Issues that should come up before Tuesday.
by Deroy Murdock

In the final inning of a seemingly endless presidential playoff, at least three issues surprisingly remain outside the ballpark.

It is extraordinary that John Kerry huddled during wartime with enemy officials opposite whom U.S. diplomats negotiated for peace. Kerry did so in May 1970, while an inactive Navy reserve officer, even as Hanoi killed American soldiers and tortured U.S. POWs.

"I have been to Paris," Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 22, 1971. "I have talked with both delegations at the peace talks, that is to say the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government and of all eight of Madame Binh's points." These were, respectively, North Vietnam, the Viet Cong's political wing, and its delegate, Madame Nguyen Thi Binh.

Kerry was free to protest the Vietnam War at home. But communicating with hostile powers while Henry Kissinger confronted them at the bargaining table could not have advanced U.S. foreign policy. Nor did Kerry's July 22, 1971 press conference endorsing verbatim the Viet Cong's peace proposal.

"I realize that even my visits in Paris," Kerry testified, "are on the borderline of private individuals negotiating."

Oops.

Kerry's Paris sojourn may have broken the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and self-evidently violated the 1799 Logan Act's prohibition on freelance diplomacy, and the Constitution's Article III, Section 3 strictures against giving "Aid and Comfort" to America's enemies.

Imagine a Navy reserve officer traveling to the Pakistan-Afghan frontier to sip tea with Osama bin Laden. He surely would come home to handcuffs. Yet, after tampering with actual peace negotiations, Kerry seeks the presidency.

The words "mass graves" went unuttered across three presidential debates. Friends and foes of Operation Iraqi Freedom should applaud this: The American-led Coalition disabled Saddam Hussein's mass-graves program.

So far, investigators have identified at least 270 graves; others could hold an estimated 290,000 people. Reporters recently toured a site containing more than 200 corpses in al-Hatra. Those buried there without due process included women, some blindfolded, at least four of whom were pregnant. Each was shot in the head, as were children, including a boy who clutched a ball in his hand. These innocents were shoved into the ground Nazi style — with bulldozers.

Iraqi mass graves are now bad memories, not current nightmares. Inexplicably, President Bush barely mentions this huge humanitarian victory, something Kerry would concede. They both should address this matter.

Graham Allison's new book, Nuclear Terrorism, features this chilling comment from al Qaeda spokesman, Suleiman Abu Gheith: "We have the right to kill 4 million Americans — 2 million of them children — and to exile twice as many and wound and cripple hundreds of thousands."

Allison explains that al Qaeda blames Judeo-Christian infidels for the deaths of some four million Muslims due to, as Islamofascists believe, America's posture toward Iraq since Gulf War I, the Taliban's ouster, Israel's Palestinian policy, etc.

"Parity will require killing 4 million Americans," Gheith declared on an al-Qaeda-tied website in June 2002. "America can be kept at bay by blood alone."

Four million American deaths would equal a horror-movie version of Bill Murray's film Groundhog Day. Every morning would be September 11 for 1,343 days, or about three years and eight months. Al Qaeda never could hijack that many jets. Allison imagines more efficient methods.

"Detonated in Times Square, a 10-kiloton weapon could kill one million New Yorkers. And why should bin Laden or other terrorists stop with one? Four nuclear explosions, in New York, Washington, Chicago, and Los Angeles, could achieve Al Qaeda's gruesome goal of killing four million Americans."

Bush and Kerry should speak up about al Qaeda's desires to recreate in America two-thirds of what Hitler heaped upon European Jewry, only with the terrible, swift swords of suitcase nukes or homemade A-bombs.

Kerry has made a few admirable remarks about securing Russia's nuclear materials on a timetable faster than Bush's. But Kerry's foresight evaporated in a blinding flash when he recently told journalist Matt Bai that "as a former law-enforcement person," he wants to make terrorism a mere "nuisance" — like prostitution and illegal gambling.

These questions merit greater discussion by candidates and voters alike before the chatter stops November 2.

[christie]

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Deroy Murdock's web site:HUSSEINandTERROR.com. A great site.

Lots of facts and quotes about the president-wannabe at the John F. Kerry Timeline.
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[christie]

ping

[rocklobster11]

Expect to hear proof of Kerry's Other than Honorable Discharge for his anti-war activities to come out by Monday.

[Freepdonia]

(keeping fingers crossed)

[Fedora]

"I realize that even my visits in Paris," Kerry testified, "are on the borderline of private individuals negotiating."

This is the first time I've seen this exact quote from Kerry's testimony. Have I not been reading/listening closely enough or has this been sanitized out of online transcripts and video clips?

[stockpirate]

This has been posted by Chief on the Swiftboat site concerning todays information about Kerry's discharge:

New information has developed on Kerry's Discharge. We have been proven correct in our assertions, however without the proper folks coming forward this will not be public until after the elections.

- Chief

[christie]

From the transcript:

Mr. KERRY: Mr. Chairman, I realize that full well as a study of political science. I realize that we cannot negotiate treaties and I realize that even my visits in Paris, precedents had been set by Senator McCarthy and others, in a sense are on the borderline of private individuals negotiating, et cetera. I understand these things. But what I am saying is that I believe that there is a mood in this country which I know you are aware of and you have been one of the strongest critics of this war for the longest time. But I think if we can talk in this legislative body about filibustering for porkbarrel programs, then we should start now to talk about filibustering for the saving of lives and of our country. [Applause.]

[christie]

As much as we'd all like to know, Kerry's discharge won't have an affect on the election. For one thing, the MSM wouldn't make an issue out of it. Kerry is doing a pretty good job of burying himself.

[Fedora]

Thanks! I guess I overlooked that part in the transcript I skimmed before, from the C-Span website. I think C-Span edited it out of the video they showed, though. I will watch it again later to check.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[cpdiii]

It is to late in the election cycle for this to have any effect. However, I hope the Swift Boat Vets continue to press Kerry and explore all avenues to obtain Kerry's military record. I would dearly love to see him lose not only his quest for the Presidency but his next run for reelection for the Senate

Once the election is over, Kerry will sue the Swift Boat Vets if there is nothing in the record. If he does not sue, the reason is this would open his military records to the legal discovery process.

The Swift Boat Vets have repeatedly said to sue them if they have lied or slandered him. A great deal of the book "Unfit for Command" is footnotes and appendix that backs up everything they printed.

O'Neil the leader of the Swift Boats Vets graduated first in his class from UT Law School. He is no fool.

[ApesForEvolution]

Is Chief - Troy?

[ApesForEvolution]

Can you ping this out happy?

>>>

This has been posted by Chief on the Swiftboat site concerning todays information about Kerry's discharge:

***New information has developed on Kerry's Discharge. We have been proven correct in our assertions, however without the proper folks coming forward this will not be public until after the elections.***

- Chief

[Ramius]

Hey Fedora...

I have a tickle in the back on my brain [admittedly perhaps a different problem altogether] that tells me of a provision in the Constitution that forbids anyone from serving in Congress or as President if they have even so much as met with an enemy in a time of war.

I think it dates back to an idea that the framers were understanding of a problem if the loyalists might, after the revolutionary war, get into power and turn things back over to the King. I'm not sure of this, but it's been bugging me for some days now.

[Fedora]

Hey, Ramius!

Yeah, I'd think that follows from Article II Section 4; and if Kerry does somehow manage to steal the election it might be grounds for impeachment, so it's something to keep in the back of your brain for possible future deployment. . .

[christie]

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

-- United States Constitution, 14th Amendment, Section 3

Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

-- Title 18, United States Code, Section 953

Any person who-- (1) aids, or attempts to aid, the enemy with arms, ammunition, supplies, money, or other things; or (2) without proper authority, knowingly harbors or [protects or gives intelligence to or communicates or corresponds with or holds any intercourse with the enemy, either directly or indirectly; shall suffer death or such other punishment as a court-martial or military commission may direct.

-- Title 10, Section 904, Article 104 of the United States Code, UCMJ

Whosoever belonging to the continental army, shall be convicted of holding correspondence with, or giving intelligence to, the enemy, shall suffer such punishment as by a general court-martial shall be ordered.

-- Article 28 of the American Articles of War of 1775

[christie]

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.

--Constitution of the United States. Article III, Section 3

Do you have the text for Article II, Section 4?

[Fedora]

Thanks, christie! Sure sounds like that applies to Kerry.

[christie]

Here it is:

The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

--Article II, Section 4.

[Fedora]

"The President, Vice-President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." I think that applies more specifically to an elected President, though; what you posted is probably more directly applicable to Kerry as a Senator and candidate.