Kirk says he regrets words on Iraq, race
Posted on 09/18/2002 1:55:41 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Kirk says he regrets words on Iraq, race
Cornyn sought apology for 'divisive comments' about his motivations
09/18/2002
Democratic Senate candidate Ron Kirk, dogged by criticism that he insulted military personnel, said Tuesday that he regretted saying last week that GOP rival John Cornyn's position on a possible war with Iraq was motivated by race and class.
In a statement released by his campaign, Mr. Kirk said his remarks were based on his "concern about each and every American who potentially will be on the front lines fighting in Iraq."
"I regret the way I stated those concerns and had no intention of offending anyone, particularly those who serve or like my father have served this country," he said.
Mr. Kirk, however, did not say whether he stood by his original comments, which included him saying that U.S. forces fighting Iraq would be "disproportionately minority" and that Mr. Cornyn "would be just as deliberative as the rest of us" if his wealthy friends were on the front lines.
"I think the statement speaks for itself," said Justin Lonon, a spokesman for Mr. Kirk, who was in Washington for a fund-raiser. "He regrets the way he stated his concerns."
AP Senate hopeful John Cornyn visits students in Fort Worth. |
Mr. Cornyn was campaigning Tuesday in Dallas and Fort Worth when he called on Mr. Kirk to apologize for the "firestorm" he created with remarks about the military's ethnicity. The Kirk campaign then issued its statement, and Mr. Cornyn later said Mr. Kirk's "regret" was appropriate.
"There are people who want to serve their country for patriotic reasons and Mr. Kirk turned that into something ugly," Mr. Cornyn said. "His divisive comments were shot out of the blue and they offended me because my dad served in the Air Force for 31 years."
Mr. Kirk's father, the first black postal worker in Austin, was a veteran of World War II.
Iraq and politics
As part of Mr. Kirk's statement, he accused Mr. Cornyn of using the Iraq question for political gain.
"John Cornyn is the only Senate candidate in the nation who has tried to politicize the important decision about how we conduct a war in Iraq," said the former Dallas mayor.
"Throughout this campaign, my opponent has attempted to distort my position on the war on terrorism, my support of President Bush and our troops and my support of a strong national defense."
Mr. Cornyn, the state attorney general, rejected the accusations.
"I wish he would make it clear," Mr. Cornyn said. "The problem is that Mr. Kirk's position on this and other subjects is very fluid. When he encounters public criticism over what he's said, he tries to cover up his opinions and make them more politically palatable."
The Senate candidates sparring over Iraq began when Mr. Cornyn criticized Mr. Kirk for siding with Senate Democrats and calling for a deliberate approach before possibly attacking Saddam Hussein.
Mr. Kirk said the president should get support for a military strike against Iraq from the United Nations, Congress and the American public.
Mr. Cornyn said the United States should deal with Iraq regardless of how the rest of the world felt.
After Mr. Cornyn questioned Mr. Kirk's views, the Democrat called it a knock against his patriotism. At a campaign event with veterans Friday in San Antonio, he lashed out at Mr. Cornyn.
"I wonder how excited they'd be if I get to the United States Senate, and I put forth a resolution that says the next time we go to war the first 500,000 kids have to come from families who earn a million dollars or more," he said to the veterans.
He later said minorities would do most of the fighting in a war with Iraq.
Critics of the Vietnam War had similar sentiments.
"Look who would be doing the fighting," Mr. Kirk said later that day. "They're disproportionately ethnic; they're disproportionately minority. ... The point is, I would be curious to see if we would go to war without any thought of loss if the first half-million kids to go came from families who made $1 million."
According to the Department of Defense, minorities as of September 2000 made up 41 percent of the uniformed personnel in the Army, 36 percent in the Navy, 32 percent in the Marines and 25 percent in the Air Force.
Saturday, Mr. Kirk stood by his comments, which he said were motivated by his anger at Mr. Cornyn's suggestion that the Democrats were not being supportive of Mr. Bush.
"Everyone commended the president and stood with him after his speech to the United Nations," Mr. Kirk said. "It just bothers me ... that John Cornyn would question my patriotism because I didn't make a blanket pledge to go [to war]."
Other remarks
Mr. Cornyn said Tuesday that his criticism of Mr. Kirk was based on policy, not his personal patriotism. He suggested Mr. Kirk was prone to making reckless statements on the campaign trail, only to later back away from them.
In August, Mr. Kirk apologized to Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas after he accused Mr. Cornyn of trying to score political points by criticizing Travis County prosecutors for not seeking the death penalty against a man convicted of killing a sheriff's deputy.
Some law officers were upset because Mr. Kirk had not taken a stand on whether he supported the death penalty for offenders who intentionally kill police officers. Mr. Kirk told the group his campaign's statement was more "political than thoughtful."
More recently, Mr. Kirk said his campaign erred in suggesting that the Cornyn attorney general's office allowed racist testimony to be used in several murder trials.
Other Republicans have been quick to criticize Mr. Kirk.
Campaigning in Dallas, Republican Gov. Rick Perry said Mr. Kirk's initial remarks on the military were inappropriate.
"I think Ron's about 35 years too late with his statement," he said. "That sounds like something that I heard in 1967, 1968 from the radical left. We have a volunteer Army today. Day in and day out, I am proud of the young men and women who volunteer to serve their country, keep us free."
Also in Dallas, Tony Sanchez, the Democratic nominee for governor, declined to comment on Mr. Kirk's remarks, but said he supported Mr. Bush's approach in dealing with Iraq.
E-mail gjeffers@dallasnews.com
Oh yeah? Try race-baiting and class warfare. My opinion of Ron Kirk went straight into the sewer.
If anyone doubts that Ron Kirk is a screaming liberal, that should put all doubts to rest.
Kirk's not ahead. Consider this race a dead heat, poll wise.
I've been out most of the day, and I'm just now catching up to you.
Mr. Kirk, however, did not say whether he stood by his original comments, which included him saying that U.S. forces fighting Iraq would be "disproportionately minority" and that Mr. Cornyn "would be just as deliberative as the rest of us" if his wealthy friends were on the front lines.
He's practicing and getting in shape for all those "Junkets" that he'll be taking..... tough job but he's prepared as someone has to do it.
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