Jack Blum ltte in BG referring to article on Syria where Kerry is criticized by Elliot Abrams

[karynnj]

I’M SURPRISED to see The Boston Globe give Elliott Abrams a prominent forum to criticize the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Massachusetts’ senior senator, John Kerry, without mentioning their history (“Kerry’s softer stance on Syria scrutinized,’’ Page A1, April 28).
As the Globe documented in a 2003 story, Kerry, as a freshman senator, investigated and exposed an illegal war in Central America and the Iran Contra scandal. Elliott Abrams lied about it to Congress and pled guilty. He was saved from jail by a last-minute presidential pardon.

I was Kerry’s chief investigator at the time, and I witnessed the senator’s tenacity in unearthing the truth despite relentless attacks from the administration. Kerry persisted, and the Globe reported that Kerry’s interrogation of Abrams, then assistant secretary of state, at an October 1986 hearing “would result in Abrams pleading guilty to charges of withholding information from Congress.’’

Abrams is a neoconservative who advocated for an illegal war in Central America, pushed for the war in Iraq, and once proposed military action against Syria. I think he has been consistently wrong. That is his privilege. But only amnesia would let anyone forget he has a score to settle with Kerry.

Jack A. Blum

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2011/05

/04/elliott_abrams_is_a_curious_choice_for_critical_comment/

VERY COOL! This is a beyond wonderful LTTE. It was startling to see Elliott Abrams attacking Kerry in a very cheap shot - where most people actually had praise for Kerry's effort, which was well worth doing - and did not mean he was "soft" on Syria. I wish there were disclaimers when ANY of the RW felons speak - saying what they were guilty of.

It is also cool that Jack Blum, who is incredibly impressive in his own right is still so loyal to Kerry and wrote this letter.

[ProSense]

1. Excellent

Blum: "But only amnesia would let anyone forget he has a score to settle with Kerry."

So glad he wrote that.

[Mass]

2. I did not know who Abrams was, but I thought the article, in itself,

was fairly well written and presenting different POV. There are people without Abrams history with Kerry thinking the same way, and overwhelmingly, the article was favorable to Kerry's actions. The only reproach, as often, was the title that tried to put a negative spin on Kerry.

This said, good to Blum to tell us who Abrams was.

BTW, your link does not work.

[karynnj]

4. Thanks for fixing the link

My problem with the article was that headline and the prominence of the Abrams quote likely meant that a huge percent of people read only that point of view. Virtually all of the other points of view which came later in the article, would not justify the headline that Kerry was "soft" on Syria.

There has been an undercurrent of that "soft" POV - often going to calling Kerry a "supporter" or "friend" of Syria in the far right Israeli press that gets picked up by some of our far right.

It is a very dangerous theme because it smears anyone providing diplomatic liaison to countries that are problems. (In Sudan, Syria and Pakistan - that is Kerry.) But, it is precisely with these countries that persuading them that it is in their self interest to behave better that we get an alternative other than war or regime change initiating by us.

[Mass]

3. Full link here

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2011/05/04/elliott_abrams_is_a_curious_choice_for_critical_comment/