Kerry, Too, Needs to Clear the Air by Scott Ritter

[Rose Siding]

February 9, 2004

On April 23, 1971, a 27-year-old Navy veteran named John Kerry sat before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and chided members on their leadership failures regarding the war in Vietnam.

"Where is the leadership?" Kerry, a decorated hero who had proved his courage under fire, demanded of the senators. "Where are they now that we, the men they sent off to war, have returned?" Kerry lambasted those who had pushed so strongly for war in Vietnam. "These men have left all the casualties and retreated behind a pious shield of public rectitude."

Today, on the issue of the war in Iraq, it is John Kerry who is all pious rectitude.

"I think the administration owes the entire country a full explanation on this war - not just their exaggerations but on the failure of American intelligence," Kerry said following the stunning announcement by David Kay, the Bush administration's former lead investigator in Iraq, that "we were all wrong" about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in that country. The problem for Sen. Kerry, of course, is that he, too, is culpable in the massive breach of public trust that has come to light regarding Iraq, WMD and the rush to war.

Almost 30 years after his appearance before the Senate, Sen. Kerry was given the opportunity to make good on his promises that he had learned the lessons of Vietnam. During a visit to Washington in April 2000, when I lobbied senators and representatives for a full review of American policy regarding Iraq, I spoke with John Kerry about what I held to be the hyped-up intelligence regarding the threat posed by Iraq's WMD. "Put it in writing," Kerry told me, "and send it to me so I can review what you're saying in detail."

I did just that.......

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vprit093662615feb09,0,771652,print.story?coll=ny-viewpoints-headlines

[Gman]

1. This is a bogus issue

Kerry, and everyone else was lied to about WMD's. Can you fault a Senator or anyone else in high positions of responsibility for choosing to believe intelligence from the administration over all others? Someone in such a high position of responsibility such as a Senator has to believe that the president of the United States would not lie about something so serious as WMD's and going to war against another people.

Unfortunately, the "president" did lie and must pay the consequences by being voted out.

[Larkspur]

4. Nancy Pelosi and the 230 House Dems didn't fall for the con job

so why did Kerry?

Put his finger in the wind, he did.

[candy331]

2. Sure would be nice if

this would be aired in the media about 633 times, maybe people will get it because Kerry sure doesn't.

[xultar]

3. Agreed, they need to Air it blow it out of proportion and then apologize

plus Novak and his evil RW machine ass needs to call Kerry a Jerk.

Like he called Clark a Jerk.

[jpgray]

5. Here is a thread of mine where this is discussed on GD2004

This thread contains both links to the Newsday article and links to what Ritter sent Kerry. Read both and decide for yourself.

edit: His contention that Kerry is equivalent to Bush in obfuscating the evidence is pretty ironic, since he offers no facts to prove it.