Tom Friedman's Backhanded Kerry Endorsement Column

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/31/opinion/31friedman.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=

Columnists for this newspaper are not allowed to endorse presidential candidates. But I think this election is so important, I am going to break the rules. I hope I don't get fired. But here goes: I am endorsing George Bush for president. No, no - not George W. Bush. I am endorsing his father - George Herbert Walker Bush.

The more I look back on the elder Bush - Bush 41 - the more I find things to admire and the more I see attributes we need in our next president.

<snip>

So as we approach this critical election of 2004, my advice, dear readers, is this: Vote for the candidate who embodies the ethos of George H. W. Bush - the old guy. Vote for the man who you think would have the same gut feel for nurturing allies and restoring bipartisanship to foreign policy as him. Vote for the man you think understands the importance of facing up to our fiscal responsibilities for the sake of our children. And vote for the man who has the best instincts for balancing realism and idealism and the man who understands the necessity of using energetic U.S. diplomacy to make Israel more secure - by helping to bring it peace with its Arab neighbors, not just more tours from American Christian fundamentalists.

Yes, next Tuesday, vote for the real political heir to George H. W. Bush. I'm sure you know who that is.

[bushwakker]

1. blood on his hands

[DemFromMem]

5. Well, let's accept Bush is going to win then...

If we reject every former Bush supporter who realizes the error of their ways.

[JPJones]

2. It's a good endorsement - his intent is clear.

And he's borderline neo-con, so it's a good pick up.

[AlCzervik]

3. How could anyone give 41 the thumbs up?

imo 41 was to Ray-gun what cheney is to 43. the leader of the Bush crime family.

[BootinUp]

4. The worst thing papa Bush ever did

was have offspring.

[DinahMoeHum]

6. Yep, he and Babs were shitty parents. . .

and it's showed big time.

:kick:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

10. No shit...I thought he believed in eugenics

[Cats Against Frist]

7. Isn't this an extra low blow for the chimp?

Sounds like the man's saying that dimson is a fuckup and his father did better.

Bet Georgie's handlers don't show him this one.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

8. What a gutless wonder, to not even say JK's name.

[DemocracyInaction]

9. Yep, read it over at the NYTimes site about an hour ago and thought

it was great-------great in this sense: I had to bite my tongue about the praise for Papa because he was another 'ignore the peons" fuckhead but that drew in any REPUBLICANS reading his column. And then he hit them over the head with it at the end which was a clear endorsement for Kerry. I thought it very, very cleaver.