Reply #92: As a 'Friend' and a progressive, I think not [View All]

[quaker bill]

Having studied the man at length, I find little compelling about the candidacy of John Forbes Kerry.

My convictions lead me not to vote for a candidate that was complicit in the war on Iraq. This rules out GW Bush in the same manner that it rules out JF Kerry.

I am most disconcerted by the recent turn of events. After 20,000 dead civilians we find no evidence to support the justification for this action. Mr. Kerry was apparently beating the war drums on Iraq well after the Iraqi's had fully complied with the weapons ban. At a time when according to the available evidence now in hand, economic sanctions should have been lifted.

In 1998 the frustration was that the inspectors were finding no more weapons. Rather than accept this as the valid result one would expect because there were no more weapons, Mr. Kerry argued for military action with "sustained targeting of the regime". In fact, the best evidence now indicates there were no weapons then.

Not satisfied with the results of Desert Fox, Mr. Kerry argued in 1999, that Saddam remained a threat and that a "ultimate time of confrontation" would arise and the "sooner the better". Best evidence now indicates there were no weapons then either.

Best estimates are that approximately 500,000 Iraqi children died due to malnourishment and inadequate healthcare directly attributable to the economic sanctions. If facts and justice had prevailed, these sanctions should have been lifted nearly 10 years ago. John F. Kerry was then a leading voice in the 'Saddam is a threat' movement. We know now that there was very little if any real evidence to support this assertion.

What is the response to this? We are going to have a Warren Commission styled 'investigation'. The Washington establishment has closed ranks and will find some mid-level CIA operatives to demote.

Just a minute here. This is not a space shuttle accident. This has been the result of an orchestrated movement of the entire government running well back into the Clinton Administration. Its tangible result was the dropping of many 2000 pound bombs on a civilian population center of 4 million people with no justification. John F. Kerry is complicit as an advocate of agressive policy toward Iraq for at least 6 years if not longer. Bush* did not need to build a movement to support this war, it was already there, and in no small part because of the efforts of John F. Kerry.

I have been a straight ticket democratic voter for 32 years. I have fought hard for progressive values and to bring them forward within the party and my community. This party, my party, has the opportunity to choose to run a solid anti-war candidate. It even has solid options to choose among. I am so profoundly disappointed at this potential choice that I am quite unsure that I could countenance, support, and enable it with my vote.