Posted on 06/13/2006 3:49:46 PM PDT by fuyb
Washington, D.C. (CNSNews.com) - U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts on Tuesday told an audience at the liberal Take Back America conference that he was sorry for voting to authorize the war in Iraq, calling the entire mission "a mistake."
"We were misled, we were given evidence that was not true," Kerry said. "It was wrong, and I was wrong to vote [for it]."
Kerry, who led an unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2004, said it was necessary to admit mistakes because "you cannot change the future if you''re not honest about the past." He criticized supporters of the war, who label anti-war activists and politicians as unpatriotic and pessimistic.
"The true pessimists are those who will not accept that America''s strength depends on our credibility at home and around the world," Kerry said. "The true pessimists are those who do not understand that valuing our principles is critical to our national security and it is as critical to our national security as our military power itself."
He said questioning the war and fighting in it are "two sides of the very same patriotic coin" and compared the modern anti-war movement to the anti-war movement in the Vietnam War. Kerry, who served in Vietnam, returned to the United States and offered testimony to Congress, opposing the war and describing horrific war crimes he said soldiers committed there.
He said opposing the war is "a right and an obligation" because it was "founded on a lie [and] can never be true to America''s character."
Kerry also lashed out at war supporters who accuse anti-war activists of not supporting the troops. "The best way to support the troops is to oppose a course that destroys their lives," he said.
Kerry renewed his call for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq, saying that he supports setting a timetable for the removal in Iraq that is not "cut and run." Without saying when he would like troops removed from the war zone, Kerry said he believes "we need a hard and fast deadline."
Kerry made his comments during a speech at the annual Take Back America conference in the nation''s capital. Organized by the liberal Campaign for America''s Future, the conference has also feature U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton and U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. U.S. Sens. Russ Feingold and Barack Obama are scheduled to appear Wednesday.
A spokesman for the Republican National Committee was not immediately available for reaction to Kerry''s comments.
For those who "forgot" what Hanoi Kerry
did in the past read on and learn the truth.
Hanoi Kerry was still a USNR officer while he:
gave false hearsay testimony to Congress
negotiated with the enemy
helped the US lose a war
abetted in the deaths of millions
created a hostile environment for all servicemen
http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/index.php?topic=Documents
Karl Rove knew, Nov. 7, 2004 , that hanoi kerry would try to run in '08
and knew Swift Boat Vet's would be called upon,
again, to serve our country.
Rove Credits Swiftvets With 'Energizing' Bush Vote (Thank You Karl Rove!)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1345603/posts
Well, as long as you admit you're wrong, how about signing that old 180 and prove US wrong about your fake military history.
Who knew?
Actually, Kerry was right about the war before he was wrong.
KERRY: "Tell me what you want me to say and I'll say it."
Or ordering drinks.
Wait a little. I could not quite make it - was he right to be wrong or was he wrong to be right? I see at least three more months' worth of waffling and flip-flopping here.
Is he talking about the time when Ronald Regan sent him up the Tigris River on a secret mission on Christmas Eve of 1980?
Kerry, who led an unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2004, said it was necessary to admit mistakes because "you cannot change the future if you''re not honest about the past."
Which is why he will never be a part of the future.
Fortunately the American voters were right.
Uh...er...ah...
WHY THE **** NOT?!?!?!?!???!?
COMEDY...what a douchebag!
Kerry was wrong on Vietnam; when will he admit that?
Kerry is such a jackass. I hope he runs for president again.
KERRY-GORE '08 !!!
Bwahahahahahahahaha
A tad late, John.
If you were so wrong in voting for the War, doesn't that make you a weakly candidate for the Presidency? If you, all of the sudden, change your mind, you cannot change the courses of events.
Indecisiveness is one flaw the Commander in Chief should not have. If you were President, John, what kinds of potential problems would your indecisiveness and changing-your-mind in the course of events impact America?
And besides, I just remembered I wasn't in Cambodia.
An apologetic metrosexual reaching out for the soft vote.
The can call their campaign "Girth and the Lurch"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.