Democrat (CATHOLIC) Kerry Urges Caution on 'Passion'

Reuters News Service ^ | 26 February 2004 | Patricia Wilson

[MegaSilver]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Front-runner John Kerry arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday ready to debate his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination but unsure about the city's latest controversial production, "The Passion of the Christ."

"I don't know," he said when asked if he would see the Mel Gibson film about the last days of Jesus' life and its particularly harrowing focus on his crucifixion.

Kerry, a Catholic, said he was worried about the movie's potential anti-Semitism. Some critics have complained that Gibson portrays Jews as responsible for Jesus' death.

"I am concerned," he told reporters. "I don't know if it's there or not but there's a lot of it around now. I think we have to be careful."

The four-term senator from Massachusetts hasn't had much time to see movies lately. He has been running for president virtually since the beginning of last year.

In fact, the last movie he saw in a theater was another Mel Gibson flick released in 2002 called "We Were Soldiers," set in Vietnam where Kerry commanded a Navy Swift boat and was decorated for heroism.

Relaxed and chatty -- so long as the topic wasn't politics -- Kerry conceded aboard his campaign plane that he had enjoyed on video the special effects in "Terminator 3," starring California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Having declared the press cabin of his Boeing 727 a politics-free zone for about 10 minutes, the ever-cautious Kerry batted away questions about the state of the presidential race, his major rival Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, and even how he was adjusting to life with Secret Service protection.

But he appears to have had a seamless transition to the protective bubble, slipping easily in and out of black SUVs, working and making phone calls from the back seat.

In New York on Monday, his motorcade of about a dozen vehicles, including three press buses, shot through red lights in Manhattan. In Ohio and Minnesota, state troopers blocked highway on-ramps and intersections.

Despite what Kerry called "a great adventure," so many months on the campaign trail have taken a toll.

"We haven't sat down to a family dinner since maybe pre-Christmas," he said. "But I'm having a great time." He misses his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, who has mostly stumped for her husband separately. The couple will see each other for the first time in 10 days when she joins him to await the results of Super Tuesday's 10 primaries and caucuses, including the big states of California, New York and Ohio.

Kerry's daughters from a previous marriage, Vanessa, who is studying medicine at Harvard, and Alexandra, a film student in Los Angeles, campaigned with their father during the holidays.

He acknowledged that he and Alex had had "some fights" but refused to say what about. Those in the know say it was probably involving politics. Alex has declared herself more liberal than her father.

The issue is certainly not boyfriends.

"I never fight about that," Kerry said. "I'm a very good dad. I listen about their boyfriends."

© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.

[Unam Sanctam]

Given that he takes public policy positions flatly contradictory to Catholic doctrine on abortion and has basically told the Church that it has no right to speak up on public issues such as homosexual marriage, I for one don't give a hoot whether Kerry says I should watch this movie or not.

[doubleA]

I read a great characterization of Kerry in Peggy Noonan's coulumn: He's "Al Gore without the charm".

[Desdemona]

Al Gore has charm?

[Use It Or Lose It]

When asked if he had a spine, Kerry replied,

"I am concerned," he told reporters. "I don't know if it's there or not"

[/sarcasm]

[bray]

Yaaaaawn Cash & Kerry was in Nam??? Who would have guessed, did he win any medals?? Nice yes,no 20 min answer for a braindead Limolib!

Pray for W and Revival

[Homer_J_Simpson]

He hasn't had an original idea in years...other than chasing rich women.

Sorry to break it to you, but he didn't exactly invent that one, either

[Maigrey]

Alex has declared herself more liberal than her father.

I didn't think this was possible.

[oldironsides]

Let us see if the candidate Kerry can deal with the diocese of Boston and his pro abortion views. He should be careful. Cardinal Law left and now we will see how pro abortion politicians demand that the church change the laws of the church for them.

[bondjamesbond]

In fact, the last movie he saw in a theater was another Mel Gibson flick released in 2002 called "We Were Soldiers," set in Vietnam where Kerry commanded a Navy Swift boat and was decorated for heroism.

John F'n Kerry was in Vietnam? You gotta be kiddin' me. He never talks about it, so you would never know. Ya' know?

[KQQL]

Kerry Urges Caution on 'Passion'

In the meantime

JESUS Urges CAUTION on "Kerry"

[Mike Darancette]

I don't know

He got that right!

[IoCaster]

"In fact, the last movie he saw in a theater was another Mel Gibson flick released in 2002 called "We Were Soldiers," set in Vietnam where Kerry commanded a Navy Swift boat and was decorated for heroism."

*gag* *retch* *puke*

I've read enough. I'm not going to bother reading further, as I can see where this BS is heading.

[KQQL]

#

[johnb838]

Vietnam where Kerry commanded a Navy Swift boat and was decorated for heroism.

Bet he got out of there as fast as he could!

[prairiebreeze]

Good line!

[feedback doctor]

Kerry Said this about anti-Semitism: "I am concerned," he told reporters. "I don't know if it's there or not but there's a lot of it around now. I think we have to be careful."

Yes there is alot around now, and it's coming from liberal dRats!

[Wombat101]

What a silly place we live in, this United States. Only in America can:

-A Republican president spend more welfare money than LBJ and still be considered "conservative".
-A democratic (small d intentional)Presidential-wanna can be in favor of states rights (so long as it's about something important. You know, like gay marriage).
- Only in America can you NOT question the patriotism of a former Commander-in-Crotch...errrr...Chief, who dodged the draft and attended anti-war rallies in London and Moscow, but conversely, it appears to be alright to do so to someone who wore the uniform, regardless of service and regardless of circumstance.
-Only in America do we make things like the proper spelling of "potato" a political issue.
- Only in America do people trust a politician (typically a trained lawyer, many of whom have never practiced law all that much) to write the damn things for us.

and finally...

- Only in America could someone give a rat's behind(and consider it news, no less!)if a soon-to-be-relegated-to-the-trash-heap politico gives us his impression of Roger Ebert.

And we wonder why our society is going to heck in a handbasket?

[jonboy]

It begins! Just as I predicted on another thread, the Democrat would try to come down and straddle this movie. He says that we have to have caution. Why? Lot's of adults heard the same thing about the anti-semitism and simply went to see the movie for themselves. This man wants to be the leader of the most powerful country in the world and can't go see a movie to decide something for himself? As I thought would happen, he is demonstrating that his liberal bent has caused him to be OBLIVIOUS to the potential damage that he could suffer. He has a political tin ear. It's the same thing that is happening with the media. They don't have a basis for objectively looking at this movie. Their disdain for conservatism and religion is bleeding through in the most transparent ways and being seen for what it is.

My prediction: Kerry will NOT go see the movie and try to sit the story and the questions about it out. He will be seen to be AGAINST (which he is)something that a large number of people have had a very powerful gut reaction to. When he finally realizes that it would be politically expedient to see the movie, his opportunity will have passed and the damage will have been done.

While this happens, George Bush will view the movie, love it like most others, and then let people know that he loved it (this will have political benefits but will not be political, he is a man of faith). The press will be overjoyed that he loves the movie because they think it will damage him. They won't see the political Mack truck until they are traveling down the road embedded in its grill.

[jonboy]

AND will be terribly damaged by doing so. The downside is only for Kerry, none for Bush.

[plain talk]

A real Christian wouldn't answer in calculating political terms like that. He's a CINO.