Sen Kerry responds to another dumb Bush remark

[TayTay]

and, gulp, today is the 4 year anniversary of the Senate vote that Bush interpreted, with a signing statement no less, as a "I can do anything I want in Iraq" bill. Wrong them, wrong now.

Sen. Kerry's statement responding to Bush's press conference remarks:

Kerry Responds to Bush Attacks on Kerry Iraq Plan

Washington – Today, rather than bring together Americans to face the reality of the civil war in Iraq, President Bush chose to attack John Kerry’s Iraq plan, arguing: “I would cite my opponent in the 2004 campaign, when he said there needs to be a date certain from which to withdraw from Iraq. I characterize that as cut and run, because I believe it is cut and run.”


Senator Kerry responded with the following statement:

“Today we heard more hollow attacks from a president acting like campaigner in chief rather than being commander in chief.

President Bush continues to be profoundly wrong about Iraq. He wraps my strategy in slogans because he’s afraid to take responsibility for his Katrina foreign policy that kills and maims our soldiers and weakens America in the fight against terror. Every day we continue the President’s failed stay-the-course strategy is another day we play into the hands of the terrorists.

We must change course in Iraq. This is why I have proposed a deadline for Iraq and a comprehensive plan to end the civil war. We must refocus our military efforts from the failed occupation of Iraq to what we should have been doing all along: tracking down and killing members of al Qaeda.

This is the opposite of President Bush’s stand-still-and-lose strategy. It's a clear alternative from a broken policy of "more of the same." Every time President Bush tells the Iraqis we will "stay as long as it takes," he is giving squabbling politicians there an excuse to take as long as they want.

At each step along the way, the Iraqi leaders have responded only to deadlines. So we must set another deadline to extricate our troops and get Iraq up on its own two feet -- a clear deadline of July, 2007 to redeploy our combat troops.

We also desperately need something else this president disdains: diplomacy. Real diplomacy -- a Dayton-like summit of Iraq and the countries bordering it, the Arab League, NATO, and the Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council. This too will only happen with a deadline to push and prod Iraqis and their neighbors to the bargaining table.

Today of all days, on the four year anniversary of the vote on the use of force in Iraq, we should be having this debate, openly, honestly, and in a way that honors America’s troops and our best traditions.”

[MsKandice01]

1. I'm lovin this new Kerry...

[TayTay]

4. In all honesty, I like the part where he notes the anniversary

of that vote. Smacking Bush around for his awfulness (just all-around awfulness) on Iraq is like shooting fish in a barrel. Bush is simply wrong.

But in light of that report that lists 600,000+ Iraqis dead after the March invasion, I thought it was poignant and right to mention that this is the 4th anniversary of that vote. It's not like a lot of people need reminding how that vote turned out. It's good to know that it's on Kerry's mind, very good indeed.

[StoryTeller]

5. Same Kerry

At least from the study and reading I've done about him.

It's not that he's changed, or that his ideas have changed. He's just communicating them in a different way--a way that doesn't maybe come as naturally for him. So he's had to work on it and learn. But it's a credit to his character and the strength of his convictions that he's willing to make adjustments in his communication style in order to fight for what he believes in.

[blm]

7. Back then people EXPECTED leaders to sound intelligent, statesmanlike,

and civil. Kerry was a standout in that regard.

Media has been telling the public for years that they don't want that anymore - telling them they want someone who speaks and acts like he's born in a tavern.

But they really don't - after Katrina and the failed Bush presidency, all most people want is an intelligent and competent president.

[pagam]

2. Direct and simply put

This is how Democrats should respond to bushito's dumbass slogans. repugs have problems understanding nuance.

[wisteria]

3. Bush goes after Kerry because he knows Kerry has it right and has

all along. Bush doesn't like people calling him out on his mistakes.
It is funny in a way, that Bush still singles out Kerry to criticize. The last time he did this, Kerry got a lot of PR. Maybe it will work that way this tim too. It would be nice if more people could be made aware of Kerry's "real" plan and not the Repub interpretation.

[ProSense]

11. My headline:

Bush: Kerry was right!

[blm]

6. Bush can't stand that people noted Kerry was right AGAIN on North Korea

And he's trying to pre-empt the inevitable turn when more people start saying Kerry's withdrawal plan for Iraq is right, too.

[MethuenProgressive]

8. John Kerry 9/9/06 - TayTay's signature quote

"'Staying the course' isn't far-sighted; it's blind. Leaving our troops in the middle of a civil war isn't resolute; it's reckless. Half of the service members listed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall died after America's leaders knew our strategy would not work. It was immoral then and it would be immoral now to engage in the same delusion." John Kerry 9/9/06
---------
You listen to Kerry speak, to Gore speak, to the Clintons speak - and then listen to the marginally articulate current President, and you just shake your head...

[TayTay]

9. Kerry spoke about this in April in Boston

The woman who directly introduced the Senator, Judy Droz Keyes, was a veteran of the Vietnam anti-war movement. Her husband Donald Droz, died "after we knew our strategy wouldn't work." Ahm, unless I am mistaken, most of Kerry's time in Vietnam, occurred "after we knew our strategy wouldn't work."

I found that kind of sobering. I wonder how many other names he's rubbed off that Wall in DC of people he personally knew who died "after we knew our strategy wouldn't work." I'm glad Kerry brings this up, cuz I think there are people dying now "after we knew our strategy wouldn't work," this time in Iraq.

[11 Bravo]

10. Marginally articulate?

Damn, you must grade on one Hell of a curve! My take is that the jug-eared little prick couldn't string together a coherent sentence if his life depended on it.

[blm]

12. *snort*

heh....that was precious.

[Unbowed]

13. After all this time, Bush is still going after Kerry.

Makes one wonder why. Maybe he doesn't like the comparison he sees America making now. Kerry was right and Bush was wrong. Every day more and more examples come to light.

Cut and run my ass! We'll see who the country cuts and runs from in November. Something tells me it won't be democrats.

Kerry sure put Chimpy in his place! "Stand still and lose." :rofl:

[blm]

14. I agree Bush is irked by Kerry was right talk. Started when George Will

came out and said Kerry has always been right about how to fight terrorism.

This North Korea mess is another confirmation.

[MrCoffee]

15. "his Katrina foreign policy" - Bwah!

That is some bad-ass phrasing, Mr. Senator! :applause:

[truthisfreedom]

16. giving squabbling politicians there an excuse to take as long as they want

now THAT's an observation that people haven't heard before.