Joe Klein's only witness to his opposition to the Iraq War was ... John Kerry

[beachmom]

I just love this, it's so hilarious:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2007_02/010695.php

OPPOSING THE WAR....Was Time's Joe Klein opposed to the war in 2002? Here's what he said on Monday:

I remember sitting in John Kerry's office as he went to the floor to cast his vote in October 2002. He read me his speech supporting Bush and asked what I thought. I said I thought it was an ok speech, but I wouldn't be voting that way. But I can't prove that...I can, however, prove that as early as this column and this one, I was criticizing the Bush administration's conduct of the war.

This provokes a question that goes beyond generic Klein bashing. Taking him at his word, he plainly opposed the war as early as October 2002. (It doesn't get much plainer than opposing the war resolution, after all.) However, also taking him at his word that the columns he links to are the best examples he has of his opposition, it means that for five solid months he opposed the upcoming war in Iraq but never wrote a single word clearly saying so in public.

Joe, Joe, Joe. Perhaps that bit about calling Kerry "Frenchy" last week was at odds with your own interests. See -- you could get these bloggers off your back with a simple call to the Capitol to have your "alibi" corroborate your sad story. Of course, maybe some actual op-eds AGAINST the Iraq War might have come in handy AT THAT TIME, but I digress .....

[wisteria]

1. LOL. That man is full of himself. n/t

[karynnj]

2. What an odd man

The problem is that he didn't publicly say anything for the 5 months - an interval where Kerry was on record, publicly against the war.

If this story is true, his animousity towards Kerry is like that of some DU LW freepers who wanted Kerry to be Kerry 1971 - a clear anti-war voice as he was in 1991 (rather than a pretty clear "Don't rush to war" voice). This ties to his claim that Kerry didn't make prison abuse an issue, even though Kerry said more than any other Democrat. He is holding Kerry to a standard that no other politician has been held to, but it may have been because of prior respect.

It would be interesting to know if the story were true and if so what Kerry answered.