Tired of John Kerry slyly skirting the issues? Sound Out!

[jmoss]

:-(

[bluestateguy]

1. I can't wait until the Fall

Threads like this will no longer be allowed!

[King Coal]

3. What issues is he skirting?

[HFishbine]

7. Here's his latest example

From Sunday's debate, if you have the patience to read his completely non-responsive answer (I include Edwards' answer at the end for the prupose of contrast):
-----------

GILBERT: Let me turn to you, Senator Kerry, because you said your vote wasn't a vote for what the president ultimately did. But you did vote to give him the authority, so do you feel any degree, any degree of responsibility for the war and its costs and casualties?

KERRY: This is one of the reasons why I am so intent on beating George Bush and why I believe I will beat George Bush, because one of the lessons that I learned -- when I was an instrument of American foreign policy, I was that cutting-edge instrument. I carried that M- 16.

I know what it's like to try to choose between friend and foe in a foreign country when you're carrying out the policy of your nation.

KERRY: And I know what it's like when you lose the consent and the legitimacy of that war. And that is why I said specifically on the floor of the Senate that what I was voting for was the process the president promised.

There was a right way to do this and there was a wrong way to do it. And the president chose the wrong way because he turned his back on his own pledge to build a legitimate international coalition, to exhaust the remedies of the United Nations in the inspections and to go to war as a matter of last resort.

Last resort means something to me. Obviously, it doesn't mean something to this president. I think it means something to the American people.

And the great burden of the commander in chief is to be able to look into the eyes of any parent or loved one and say to them, "I did everything in my power to prevent the loss of your son and daughter, but we had to do what we had to do because of the imminency of the threat and the nature of our security. "

I don't think the president passes that test.

GILBERT: But what about you? I mean, let me repeat the question. Do you have any degree of responsibility having voted to give him the authority to go to war?

KERRY: The president had the authority to do what he was going to do without the vote of the United States Congress. President Clinton went to Kosovo without the Congress. President Clinton went to Haiti without the Congress.

That's why we have a War Powers Act. What we did was vote with one voice of the United States Congress for a process. And remember, until the Congress asserted itself, this president wasn't intending to go to the United Nations. In fact, it was Jim Baker and Brent Scowcroft and others and the Congress who got him to agree to a specific process. The process was to build a legitimate international coalition, go through the inspections process and go to war as a last resort.

He didn't do it. My regret is not the vote. It was appropriate to stand up to Saddam Hussein. There was a right way to do it, a wrong way to do it.

My regret is this president chose the wrong way, rushed to war, is now spending billions of American taxpayers' dollars that we didn't need to spend this way had he built a legitimate coalition, and has put our troops at greater risk.

GILBERT: You cast the same vote, Senator Edwards, is that the way you see it?

EDWARDS: That's the longest answer I ever heard to a yes or no question. The answer to your question is of course.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A44506-2004Feb15?language=printer

[oasis]

13. Complicated issue, complicated solution, complicated answer.

[tobius]

19. are you slyly skirting...? n/t

[oasis]

26. Kerry has previously stated, (many times) that Bush broke his promise and

rushed into war. Bush did not exhaust every possible alternative to war.

Kerry spoke in plain enough language for most Democrats.

[HFishbine]

23. Funny

So complicated that even John Edwards couldn't answer it directly. D'oh! Wait a minute. He did.

[emulatorloo]

16. Let me boil it down for you

"Last resort means something to me. Obviously, it doesn't mean something to this president. I think it means something to the American people."

[HFishbine]

24. Red Herring

The question wasn't about "last resort" it was a simple, "Do you take responsibility?" We already have a president who refuses to answer questions directly.

[maxanne]

12. a good thing, too

we wouldn't want to rock the boat by actually asking questions or thinking, now, would we?

[library_max]

21. Actually, flamebait threads are against the rules now. /nt

[jonnyblitz]

25. don't like free speech much eh?

yeah it sucks I agree.

[BeFree]

2. Kerry may be a bastard

But at least he is OUR bastard.

And you can bet, we will be heard in Warshington(sic) come this time next year!

[Debi]

20. John Kerry is not...

MY bastard, thank you very much...

I caucused for Howard Dean and still proudly support him.

[oasis]

4. Since you're accusing Kerry of not being more specific, how about

giving us some details?

[tobius]

5. Shhh- can't ask that question.

just remember ABB=victory. This election isn't about issues.

[oasis]

6. Clever answer. Now just what issues do you want to see addressed?

[tobius]

15. clever response: Kerry's stances are "fuzzy"?; how dare you!

The list of issues that supporters would like clarification on is extensive, I don't want to restate them all here, but if you are truly interested; some good places to start:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=340966

search result Kerry, issues ---http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php

[Kahuna]

8. He needs the practice for the GE. Why tamper with success?

:shrug:

[killbotfactory]

9. Nothing says "Fair Trade" like voting for NAFTA

Or fast track...
Or free trade with China...

There isn't an asscrack John Kerry wouldn't be proud to blow smoke up.

[rucky]

10. We're not going to get issues this year

But whatever Kerry's doing seems to be working. So on a leap of faith, I will trust that President Kerry will live up to his lifetime liberal record. It would be nice to have some reassurance of that, tho.

edit: But that would require Kerry changing what he's been doing, and whatever he's doing is working, so I don't expect him to change it.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could be unashamed liberals & have that work as a political strategy as well? Gotta dream... and vote for Kucinich in the primary to bring that one step closer to reality.

[revcarol]

11. Like what we are supposed to do for cash until we get that TAX CREDIT

on our overpriced health insurance plan that Kerry is proposing.


Shhhh. Can't discuss that.

[Debi]

22. Doesn't getting a TAX CREDIT

mean you have to HAVE the money in the first place????

Maybe Mrs. Heinz-Kerry will lend me some, I'll pay it back after I pay off the mortgage on my beach house...:evilgrin:

[nomaco-10]

14. Didn't you get the memo?......

The election is not about issues, it's about electability. Everyone is convinced all we have to do is run a ham sandwich so we got one real quick to unite the dem party, only problem is some people wanted a deluxe cheeseburger.

[duvinnie]

17. from commondreams - how JK has figured out how to do it

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0217-06.htm

[JVS]

18. Oh hell yeah!

[Moderator]

27. Locking.....

1. If you start a thread in this forum, you must present your opinion in a manner that is not inflammatory, which respects differences in opinion, and which is likely to lead to respectful discussion rather than flaming. The moderators have the sole authority to decide whether a thread topic is inflammatory. Extremely inflammatory or inappropriate topics will be deleted rather than locked, and the thread's author will receive a warning.


DU Moderator