Kerry campaign apparently trying to keep opponent off ballot

[bean fidhleir]

During the state Democratic convention in Lowell, delegates will vote on whether Kerry's rival, Gloucester lawyer Edward J. O'Reilly, should appear on the party's primary ballot on Sept. 16.

....

But Kerry's supporters were working to keep O'Reilly off the ballot. Kerry's campaign is paying for a bus to carry delegates from Western Massachusetts to the convention.

Aaron L. Saunders, a Ludlow selectman, was in Lowell today, working as a volunteer to help Kerry at the convention. Saunders said Democrats should avoid a primary contest for U.S. Senate in order to allow Kerry and party activists to focus on helping Democrats defeat Republican challengers for various offices in the Nov. 4 general election.{emphasis added}

Class act, eh?

Apropos O'Reilly, a popular defense atty from a working-class background who served as a firefighter to pay for school:

{Rep.} Tierney also did something O'Reilly said is his main motivation for {challenging Kerry rather than Tierney}: Tierney voted against giving President Bush the authority to invade Iraq in 2002.

"Robert Shrum (Kerry's 2004 campaign strategist) is saying Kerry voted for action based upon being elected president, not based upon the facts of whether there were weapons of mass destruction there," said O'Reilly. "This was the most important vote of this generation, and when the bell rang, he didn't stand up for what was right. He knew he was voting for his own political ambition."

[babylonsister]

1. Do you have any links, for anything? nt

[bean fidhleir]

3. Sorry! Knew I forgot something

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/06/sen_kerrys_camp_trying_to_dera.html?category=Politics

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/punews/local_story_163093919

[babylonsister]

4. First link sponsored by The Republican Newsroom...

might be nice to find a less divisive source, no?

[bean fidhleir]

5. That's small-r republican, as in "pertaining to the republic"

They actually seem no worse than, oh, the Boston Globe, WashPost, or NYTimes.

[babylonsister]

7. Well, I happen to think Kerry is a HUGE class act.

According to this, his supporters are involved in staving off O'Reilly. Meh, that's politics and today's the convention. Good luck to Kerry! :toast:


Kerry seeks to head off primary battle
Supporters set to challenge O'Reilly at party convention

Globe Staff / June 7, 2008

He's been in federal office for 23 years. He was his party's presidential nominee in 2004 and his $9.2 million campaign war chest dwarfs that of any of his opponents. And yet, US Senator John F. Kerry finds himself in a situation where he may have his first primary challenge since taking office in 1984.

As the state's top Democratic Party officials hold their convention today at the Paul E. Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Kerry supporters are hoping to deny challenger Ed O'Reilly a spot on the ballot.

O'Reilly, a Gloucester lawyer and former commercial lobsterman, has met all the requirements so far, including meeting with party officials, attending scores of local meetings to introduce himself, and gathering 10,000 signatures.

But unless he can garner 15 percent of the vote from party leaders today, he won't make the ballot.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/06/07/kerry_seeks_to_head_off_primary_battle/

[bean fidhleir]

13. Thinking he's a class act is your right, of course, and I wouldn't for a second think of

arguing with you about it. But I live in western Mass, and I'm one of quite a few people out here who think he's not much and never was.

Most importantly, since you think it's okay for Kerry's campaign to do what they're doing, could you explain what conditions make it appropriate to keep someone off a ballot? Are there principles involved, or is it only a matter of "do it because you want to"?

[blm]

22. The operating principle is that Obama IS our nominee and he wants Kerry to lead his defense on TV

and lead the attack on McCain for him, since no one knows McCain better than Kerry.

But some want Kerry punished for supporting Obama instead of Clinton and want to WHINE their way through this process.

They think Kerry should be debating a guy who wore himself out on a school board while Kerry uncovered IranContra, BCCI and cIA drugrunning ALMOST ALONE for years, and don't want Obama to have his A team out there for him starting now.

Some of you may be easily manipulated by these old games but savvy citizens who take their responsibility seriously and actually READ National Security Archives on background know the real deal.

[bean fidhleir]

30. I don't think I quite got that. Are you saying we elected Obama king or something?

Why should anything he wants count in calculating who will best represent Massachusetts in the Senate?

[blm]

39. The best lawmaker on open government issues isn't good for Mass? Best mind on global terrorism is

wrong for Mass? Best environmental senator in DC isn't good for Mass?

Since when did Mass decide it was FOR closed government and FOR government corruption?

Since when did Mass decide that not understanding global terrorist networks and their fascist funders is right for their state?

[bean fidhleir]

48. The PDA chapters in Mass have separately endorsed O'Reilly. They seem to think he's the better

more progressive choice. They live here, as I do, they've had Kerry as senator for 24 years, as I have. Twenty-four years should certainly be enough time to form a reasoned opinion, and they believe the negatives outweigh any positives.

I voted for Kerry every time right up until he ignored tens of thousands of pleas from Mass voters and signed up for Bush's crime against peace, making himself *AND US* complicit. That's unforgiveable. He would be hanged, if the Nuremberg Principles were applied to the US. I don't think anyone like that should be in public office.

[blm]

52. You missed when he sided with weapon inspectors and stood againt the decision to go to war

as no other IWR supporter would as they sided with Bush's decision to invade Iraq.

Kerry never sided with that decision and was the only IWR supporter who stood by his promise to speak against any decision to invade when weapon inspections were proving force was not needed.

Did you back him up on that principled stand or did you help Rove by saying Kerry was prowar when there were many speeches, statements and article about Kerry standing against Bush's decision to invade? Did you help Bush by misstating the facts?

You believe O'Reilly has the knowledge and ability to help President Obama draft an exit plan for Iraq?

Get serious - you sound like a petulant sophomore so certain of their own views they can't see.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

61. Does Obama really need John Kerry to lead his "attack"?

Seeing as that worked out so well for us the last time........

If Obama picks Wes Clark as his Veep, that problem is solved.

[blm]

64. Kerry didn't have a Kerry-calibre attacker out there in 2004. Bill Clinton supported Bush

publicly at every turn so he was completely useless and useful only to Bush. Most of the best known Dems were sided with Bush and his war decisions and they are the ones who GOT on TV most of that year. Funny how Kerry gets smeared for their backstabbing of him.

Kerry did his job and won - The RNC had to steal that election for Bush and McAuliffe's DNC sat on their hands for four years after 2000s theft and LET the RNC do it.

How did the left media do in 2003-4? Did they outshine the RW message machine or dominate it in any way?

[Mass]

28. He is following the rules of the convention that he did not write, as far as I am aware.

He is trying to get as many delegates as he can. Apparently, O'Reilly is afraid not to make it on the ballot and is calling the media to say so.

[wisteria]

55. I personally think you are foolish to back a lesser candidate for selfish

and inaccurate reasons. Trying to throw aside a great senator for a virtual unknown who is running on a thin resume and one issue.

[wisteria]

54. I agree, Sen. Kerry is a HUGH CLASS ACT! n/t

[blm]

9. And they want the top lawmaker against government corruption out of DC, too?

They want the top advocate for open government out of DC, too?

They want the lawmaker most knowledgeable about global terror networks and the illegal operations of official governments that have been financing global terror networks for decades out of DC, too?

Boy - BushInc would LOVE that.

[Mass]

46. The Republican is not a GOP newspaper. It is a actually a good paper.

from the Springfield (MA) area. However, despite a sensationalist title, all it presents are a few O'Reilly supporters complaining and the fact that Kerry hired a bus for Springfield delegates to go to Lowell. And the fact that Kerry is fighting for every vote, not exactly a surprise. I image O'Reilly does as well.

[RC]

2. And Kerry folded the day after the election and disappeared for several months.

Class act indeed...

[blm]

6. And there isn't ONE LAWMAKER in all DC who uncovered more government corruption than Kerry has

And if not for Kerry's dogged pursuit of Reagan and Bush and their illegal operations, this nation would be in its second decade of New World Order fascism by now.

O'Reilly is a FRAUD and a deadbeat who dropped out of serving on a SCHOOL BOARD because it was too much work and you want him to replace the lawmaker who effected this nation's historic record and the PRESERVATION of that historic record more positively than any lother lawmaker in modern history?

What a bunch of tools for fools. O'Reilly was tapped to distract Kerry, just as Nixon, Reagan, Bush always had those posing as lefties to snipe at him.

Fools.

[bean fidhleir]

10. Why would "dropped out" be fair to say about someone who served his 2-year term?

And what makes him a "deadbeat"? Do you have evidence that he doesn't pay his bills?

[blm]

16. He's lazy. He has poor follow through. You would trust him to deal with Pakistan and Iran over

Kerry who uncovered IranContra and BCCI and CIA drugrunning and did so with the entire powerstructure in DC set against his efforts?

O'Reilly was set up to distract - to be a gadfly - just another tired old trick from Segretti's moth-eaten playbook. And angry Clinton supporters in Mass decided they'll punish Kerry for being behind Obama so they want to punish him and don't care if they push out the most knowledgeable lawmaker in DC on environmental and global terror issues.

Some citizenship y'all got going on....ever read the BCCI report instead of propaganda generated by the same tired GOP tricksters who infiltrated VVAW and other groups for decades just to snipe at Kerry from the 'left'?

[bean fidhleir]

27. Don't you think you should have more behind your opinion than things you make up?

How can you possibly know anything about O'Reilly's "follow-through"? He's a successful defense attorney, which suggests that his follow-through is just fine.

[blm]

41. No he isn't, he's had problems, but why are YOU against the top anti-corruption senator

in DC?

[bean fidhleir]

49. You keep putting out innuendo, but you don't cite any facts to support what you claim

Why not? What evidence do you have for those alleged "problems"?

[blm]

51. Why do YOU want the top anti-corruption senator out of DC?

bluemassgroup has plenty on it about O'Reilly's problems - go there.

But you are here slamming Kerry - so WHY do YOU want the top anti-corruption senator out of DC?

[bean fidhleir]

56. How about a more focused pointer than "bluemassgroup". Because I found nothing there

except more innuendo. If it's there, please point me to it exactly.

[blm]

57. How about WHY do you want top anti-corruption senator out of DC?

.

[blm]

31. What makes YOU want the lawmaker who uncovered the fascist agenda pushed out of DC?

.

[w13rd0]

21. Actually...

...after the election, Kerry went back to work at his day job, being a Senator. That's a position where senators legislate. Though some grandstand, for the most part, its not the worlds most visible job.

[sallyseven]

8. He had better be worried.

I can't go to the convention due to illness but I had every intention to vote for O'Reilly. Kerry has been very lax in doing things for the constituents. I hope O'Reilly gets the 15 % he needs to get on the ballot. Kerry is very worried and he should be.

[blm]

11. Because uncovering fascist agenda and govt. corruption was not helpful to Mass citizens

who preferred the safety of closed government over the open government pursuits and advocacy of a John Kerry.

O'Reilly couldn't handle his seat on the school mboard because it was too much work - you think he could have handled uncovering BCCI for 5 1/2 YEARS?

Clinton supporters are mad that Kerry was behind Obama from the beginning and they want the nation punished by removing Kerry when they should have removed Bill Clinton for covering up for BushInc on IranContra, BCCi and CIA drugrunning - but then, who wants the burden of open government anyway - not lazy citizens.

[bean fidhleir]

20. I don't think school-board work is a paid job here in Mass

Whereas being a federal senator very much is. So the idea that Kerry is wonderful for doing his well-paid job but there's something disgraceful about O'Reilly not going for a second unpaid school-committee term doesn't seem to make much sense. Perhaps you could explain it?

[blm]

25. You want the best lawmaker in DC pushed out for a guy who felt burdened by his duties on a

schoolboard.

You want O'Reilly investigating the crimes of Bush2 into the next decade or the guy who who managed to uncover IranContra, BCCI and CIA drugrunning with all of DC powerstructure trying to stop him?

When does common sense and concerned citizenship kick in?

[bean fidhleir]

35. Is Kerry on the school committee in DC or Boston? Or was he ever?

Did he even try to be? I don't think so. So who's the one who's "burdened"?

[blm]

42. Why do YOU want the top senator against government corruption out of DC?

.

[Mass]

19. Why? Because he did not support your candidate? It is really sad to see,

[jasmine621]

12. Keeping folks off the ballot is straight from the Obama play book in Chicago.

I don't like this bit of anti-democray tactics coming from the Dems.

[stillcool]

15. you mean authenticating signatures.

on a petition don't you? I'm fortunate enough to be able to vote for Senator Kerry this fall. Sorry you can't vote against him. But have fun reading the Boston Herald.

[stillcool]

14. Yes. Kerry is a class act...

I am going to vote for him in November. Sorry you can't vote against him. Funny how people love to diss one of the most liberal Senators isn't it? And link to the Boston Herald to boot.

[babylonsister]

18. He's done so much, it drives me nuts when people diss him. They

need to go read his record, and see what he's accomplished.

[stillcool]

26. It is odd those that have it in for Kerry...

they don't like Kennedy much either, or any of the other liberals in the Congress..or Obama. Weird.

[blm]

34. This is about Obama. Kerry and Biden are Kerry's offensive line for the next 5 months

and some want Kerry distracted and they're using a gadfly to try and do it. Some kneejerk Clinton supporters angry at Kerry for helping Obama are joining the gadfly operatives completely unconcerned for the reality of what they are doing.

[bean fidhleir]

43. Well, on some level you're right...but not for the reason you imply

I don't think there are very many real liberals in government. Kucinich and McKinney, and maybe Lynn Woolsey. That's all I can think of. They're the only ones trying to do real things for the labor pool. They're the only ones I respect. Conyers was on that list too...til he sold out.

[stillcool]

47. I myself like to look at the totality..

of the votes. I still respect John Conyers, and hope to see all the work he has done come to fruition when we gain real control of the U.S. Congress.

[Name removed]

50. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bean fidhleir]

23. Nice jumping to conclusions there

I live in western Mass and so can vote for senator, and the links are to the Springfield Republican (that's small-r republican) and the Gloucester Daily Times, not the Boston Herald.

[stillcool]

32. I live in Gloucester...

it was nice to see the link...further down the thread.. that you provided. I noticed that article did not diss Senator Kerry as much as you would have liked it to.

[Mass]

33. Neither is the Republican, who is simply reporting O'Reilly's supporters

complaining that he may not make it on the ballot. I think he will make it, but it is up to O'Reilly to get enough delegates, not to Kerry.

[stillcool]

45. thanks...I read that..

I posted in a knee-jerk fashion to the OP before reading the article. What a difference reading the actual article makes. :hi:

[blm]

29. They want him distracted from being part of Obama's offensive line for the next few months

because everyone is realizing that Daschle, Durbin and that darn Kerry have been behind Obama and his rise early on.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

62. My mother says if she still lived in Mass......

...she would never vote for him or Ted again because of the Obama endorsements. Ridiculous. I think she'll get over it.

My only issue with John Kerry is that he's a great senator but a lousy campaigner.

[sniffa]

69. We'll be voting for him too

[Mass]

17. You mean he is trying to get as much votes as he can? What as surprise.

[Mass]

24. If the progressives here had a little bit of common sense, they would have proposed a real candidate

not endorsed somebody that even his supporters do not believe is ready to be senator.

I have nothing against a REAL challenge to Kerry, that is democracy. I am however disturbed by a candidate whose supporters do not even believe he is up to the job?

[stillcool]

36. I agree with you...

I would have no problem voting for somebody else. I was disappointed when John Bonifaz did not win the SOS election. I'd like to see him run for office again.

[bean fidhleir]

37. "even his supporters"

Where are you getting that?

[Mass]

38. From them, including in the media and blogs like bluemassgroup

in addition to those people I know who will vote from him. It is notable that his former campaign manager is calling to support Kerry, for example.

[bean fidhleir]

59. So nothing citable, apart from more unsupported opinion in a blog? (nt)

[blm]

66. Why do YOU want the top anti-corruption senator out of DC?

.

[undeterred]

40. John Kerry's letter to Progressive Democrats of America

(PDA's endorsement went to Kerry's more progressive opponent. I have mixed feelings about it- Kerry isn't progressive enough on some issues, but he is a highly valued elder statesman of the party.)

Sen. Kerry Addresses PDA Members' Concerns
By Senator John Kerry
June 5, 2008, Boston, MA

Dear PDA member,

I got into politics as an activist and activist grassroots politics is what brought me to the Senate and what has kept me there. Many of you first got to know me in 1971 when I testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about my conviction to end the war in Vietnam. When I was a 27 year old political novice then, cutting my teeth in the anti-war movement, knocking on doors in Washington that didn't always open, I learned an important lesson. Some people would weigh in against us saying: “My country right or wrong.” Our response was simple: “Yes, my country right or wrong. When right, keep it right and when wrong, make it right.” That belief has guided me ever since and guides me today.

I remind you of where I come from because while I'm not and never have been, a perfect Senator, I want you to hear from me why I believe what I believe, what motivates me, and what I believe is worth fighting for--not myths, not misinterpretations and not second-party distortions. As someone who came up through the activist ranks, I committed to always having a dialogue and always telling my constituents how I have come to any decision. And when I make a mistake, I admit it.

Having spoken to many PDA officials and members in recent months and listened to what they had to say, I want to address the three issues I heard about most often. I may not be able to sway your opinion or change your mind, but I feel it is important to let you know my take on these issues.

The War in Iraq. In 2002, I voted for Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution. It was a mistake. As I've said before, it was the single worst vote I ever cast. A lot of proud progressives--including Sen. Tom Harkin, Sen. Tom Daschle and Sen. John Edwards--made the same mistake. I made the mistake of taking President Bush and Secretary Colin Powell at their word that the Administration would use the threat of force as leverage for a multilateral response to Saddam Hussein. They broke every promise. You may recall that in 2004 I called Iraq “the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

What have I done since? I've opposed the Bush policy every step of the way. I voted against giving George Bush a blank check on Iraq spending in October, 2003- just one of 11 Senators to do so. I was the first Senator to author and force a vote on legislation demanding the Bush Administration set a deadline to bring our troops home from Iraq. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't popular at the time. When my legislation was first introduced in the Senate in early 2006, just 13 other Senators supported my plan. Today, my plan to withdraw our troops from Iraq has the support of more than 50 of my colleagues and with some Democratic gains in November, this Democratic plan will lead to what is long overdue--the return of our troops to their families.

I was among the first eight sponsors of legislation with Sen. Feingold and Sen. Reid to cut off funding for this Administration's failed Iraq policy and require the President to redeploy American troops. And just last week I voted against any further funding of this Administration's Iraq policy.

Single Payer Health Care. Make no mistake--America's health care system is broken and our most vulnerable citizens are paying the price (literally, with their lives) for years of corporate greed and government indifference. You sent me to Washington to address this issue and I have worked tirelessly to make universal health care a reality for every American. It's a bedrock issue, especially for progressives--and as I said in 2004--I want to make quality health care "a right and not a privilege." The Democratic Party must stand for health care for all Americans--or we don't stand for anything at all.

The question is how do we get there? How do we get quality health care for the 46 million Americans who don't have it?

I could easily write that I support single payer health care and pledge to lead the fight in the Senate. Perhaps that would placate some of you but I'm not in the business of taking the easy way out and you deserve the truth.

In the Senate at this time, there are too many members, both Democrats and Republicans, opposed to single payer health care. It is a conversation-ender not a conversation-starter. I do not oppose single payer health care but I have spoken to my colleagues and I know that today we can't make single payer health care a reality in this country, period. Senator Ted Kennedy-- health care's greatest champion--would tell you the same thing.

But we can get what I care most about: quality health care for every American and to me that's what counts. I think the approach that will be most successful looks something like what I proposed in 2004 and strengthened in 2006: a plan which achieves health care for 96%-98% of Americans immediately - including all children - with a mandate that if by 2012 we haven't achieved universal health care, then another mandate would finish the job.

Impeachment. We have a President who ignores the Constitution and a Vice President who acts as if he never read it. We've had illegal eavesdropping. We've had tremendous abuse of the Patriot Act. We've seen a CIA officer outed as political retribution.

This is why in 2006 I was just one of three Senators to join Russ Feingold on legislation calling for the censure of President Bush.

As for impeachment, it isn't going to happen. With just months remaining until the Bush Administration is out of office and considering the current makeup of Congress, impeachment is an unrealistic option and an unattainable goal for those who support it. There simply is not the support necessary among members of either party to expect impeachment proceedings to commence against either the President or Vice President, let alone succeed.

I've focused my efforts on instead doing what we can best do: investigate, hold the Administration accountable, and try to end a war that never should have started.

I understand that some will regard my answers as unacceptable and not in fitting with their own political views. Anyone involved in the Progressive Democrats of America is going to be politically active and politically knowledgeable and I ask you only to recognize that rather than taking the easy way out and simply parroting PDA's positions on these issues, I have tried to give you an honest, non-spin assessment of where the Senate stands on these issues and where I stand and why I've made the choices I've made.

I've taken position after position which drove the right wing crazy. I do what I think is right. I've never been afraid to be one of a handful of Senators to stand up and vote the right way, no matter how unpopular--whether it was filibustering drilling in ANWR or taking on many in my own party to raise fuel efficiency in 2002, being a thorn in the side of my own caucus leading the filibuster of Judge Alito or forcing a vote to withdraw from Iraq that most in our caucus vehemently opposed. I hope that I'll be judged on these tough, lonely fights as well. I also hope that if what you're looking for is an activist who speaks out and stands up and fights for progressive causes, you'll compare my lifetime of leading those fights to any of the alternatives I face in this or any other election. Our democracy demands nothing less.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

John Kerry

http://www.pdamerica.org/articles/campaigns/2008-06-05-13-50-59-campaigns.php

[undeterred]

44. Ed O'Reilly's letter to Progressive Democrats of America

A Letter From Ed O'Reilly on the Eve of the Massachusetts Convention
By Ed O'Reilly, PDA-endorsed Senate Candidate, MA
June 5, 2008

The following is a letter from Massachusetts senatorial candidate Ed O'Reilly who is challenging Sen. John Kerry for the party's nomination:
Dear PDA Members,

Campaigning the length and breadth of Massachusetts, I know firsthand that the polls are right--the majority of Massachusetts voters are eager for significant change. Some of the people working hardest for change are the members of Progressive Democrats of America, the grassroots leaders of our party. Some political campaigns want activists to serve as cheerleaders--but in PDA we've got real leaders, not cheerleaders.

On issues such as Iraq and single-payer health care, PDA is leading the way. My campaign is putting these issues front and center, and I am proud to be part of the movement for progressive change that PDA represents.

Why are the voters hungry for progressive change? It's because of the economic war that the Cheney-Bush regime is waging against ordinary working families--too often with the help of docile Democrats. Just look at the shift in wealth that is going on in this country today. The richest hedge-fund managers, who rake in billions of dollars, pay a lower rate of tax than Americans making less than $20,000.00 a year. We need fair taxes, and that's what I'm fighting for, alongside PDA.

The voters are hungry for progressive change because our children and grandchildren are going to have to pick up the tab for Bush's billion-dollar-a-week war in Iraq. That's money we should be spending on our schools, on public safety, and on combating global warming. But, sadly, it's money that Democrats in Congress are diverting towards Bush and Cheney's corporate cronies: Halliburton, Blackwater, and the many others. If I have the privilege to be elected, you can count on me to file a Senate counterpart to the National Health Insurance Act (HR 676) that Rep. John Conyers has sponsored in the House.

From the North and South Shores to the Berkshires I have met with active, vibrant PDA chapters. These encounters with grassroots leaders confirm my belief that when Democrats are forthright and fearless, when we stand up and fight for what we believe in, we can win!

Sincerely,

Ed O'Reilly



http://pdamerica.org/articles/campaigns/2008-06-05-13-56-27-campaigns.php

[wisteria]

53. I doubt that things are being done as this post claims. But, they would be doing us all a favor-

O'Reilly is not even remotely qualified to fill the shoes of Senator Kerry. He is a one issue candidate taking Kerry on for his vote for the IWR for which Senator Kerry has apologized and more than made amends for.

[bean fidhleir]

58. I think you should ask the Iraqis whether he's "more than made amends"

I think they might have a different view than yours.

[blm]

63. IWR didn't take this country to war. And Kerry sided with the weapon inspectors against Bush

but I'll bet you sided with Rove and smeared Kerry with the lie that he was FOR war, when he made many public statements siding with weapon inspectors and against any decision to go to war.

Letting IranContra, Iraqgate and BCCI criminals go led to war in Iraq - and THAT was closed government Democrats and Republicans who did that - against years of Kerry's efforts to uncover and expose those illegal operations. So you side with closed government and its protectors when you side against Kerry.

[wisteria]

65. He voted to protect this country- it was Bush who went to war.

I would never vote against a leader who did what he thought was best for this country-even if it turned out he was wrong.
And, you fail to acknowledge all the heat and anger Sen. Kerry faced from his own party when he tried to do all in his power to bring our troops home and end the war.

[bean fidhleir]

67. Do you really believe that he couldn't see Bush's complete untrustworthiness?

Tens of millions could. Tens of thousands in Massachusetts alone.

Whether or not he was duped as he claims, he's not fit to hold his office. Either he's too stupid to see what millions without his staff and sources of information saw clearly, or he's too psychopathic not to vote to kill people for money. Either way, he doesn't belong in office.

[blm]

68. He sided with weapon inspections and STAYED sided with weapon inspectors against war

but you choose to pretend otherwise because you don't understand the difference between a resolution and a DECISION to go to war made in the decades before.

Kerry wanted a principled position to stand with or against war depending on the reports from weapon inspectors and you don't like that he held that principled position.

You trust O'Reilly can draft an exit plan for Iraq that is doable - you think Obama is going to depend heavily on O'Reilly's ability to deal with that entire region?

You want the top anti-corruption senator out of DC and good Americans who actually CARE about open government matters would like an answer to WHY.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

60. Will Kerry even have a GOP opponent?

The last time he only had a Greenie running against him.

[bean fidhleir]

70. O'Reilly is on the ballot.

So now we'll get to see whether being elected senator in Mass is a lifetime sinecure.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

71. Abhorrent, but expected. Have a lovely Sunday.