The Lies, foibles and misrepresentations of John Kerry

Monday I dwelled a bit on one of John Kerry's many yet-to-be-exploited-but-blindingly-obvious vulnerabilities: his vote [against] the 1991 Gulf war. [..]

Turns out I was giving Kerry too much credit. Rather than take a side--albeit the one he thought was most expedient--Kerry actually stood on both sides of the first Gulf war, much like he did this time around. Consider this "Notebook" item from TNR's March 25, 1991 issue, which ran under the headline "Same Senator, Same Constituent" :

Quote:

"Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition ... to the early use of military force by the US against Iraq. I share your concerns. On January 11, I voted in favor of a resolution that would have insisted that economic sanctions be given more time to work and against a resolution giving the president the immediate authority to go to war."

--letter from Senator John Kerry to Wallace Carter[/b] of Newton Centre, Massachusetts, dated January 22 [1991]

"Thank you very much for contacting me to express your support for the actions of President Bush in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. From the outset of the invasion, I have strongly and unequivocally supported President Bush's response to the crisis and the policy goals he has established with our military deployment in the Persian Gulf."

--Senator Kerry to Wallace Carter, January 31 [1991]

Will someone PLEASE put this guy out of his misery? Please?

Earlier this week while appearing at a town hall meeting on the Dartmouth campus, John Kerry had the courage to proclaim publicly what many of his fellow Democrats have been muttering privately--namely, that the South is a lost cause for their party and that they should therefore cede the region to Republicans in order to focus on more fertile electoral territory. "Everybody always makes the mistake of looking South," Kerry said in response to a question about winning the region. "Al Gore proved he could have been president of the United States without winning one Southern state, including his own." But saying that in New Hampshire is one thing; saying it in a Southern state is another.

And so the stage was set for last night's Democratic debate here in Greenville, South Carolina--held five days before the state's February 3 primary. Would Kerry follow his own advice [..]? Or would he retreat from his remarks and try to make a play for South Carolina voters? The answer came [..] when Tom Brokaw kicked off the debate with a question to Kerry about his anti-Southern comments earlier in the week, Kerry was ready to parse his own words. "I never said Democrats made a mistake," he replied. "I never said that at all. I was asked a question about the mathematics of election and I answered a question about the mathematics with respect to Al Gore's election. But I've always said I will compete in the South. I've always said I think I can win the South. I started my campaign in South Carolina. I've been here many times."

Kerry's retreat from his politically brave words about the South was completely in character: He's made a career out of uttering heterodox statements--on affirmative action, on education, on Social Security--only to later essentially disavow them.

Kerry's character became a vital issue in his (1996) race against Weld. [..] Globe and Herald reporters [..] started digging up dirt on Kerry's finances. First, it came out that his supporters had treated him to meals and more lucrative freebies in the '80s: a car he "leased" for 16 months without any payments, a ritzy condo he rented for $200 per month from a friendly developer, a no-risk $21,000 real estate windfall arranged by a top fund-raiser, a lobbyist's $8,000-per-month waterfront apartment where he crashed without paying. Then it came out that Kerry had given less than 1 percent of his earnings to charity before marrying Teresa Heinz. And, when Kerry claimed he had been strapped for cash because his kids were in private school, it came out that he had bought a handmade, ruby red, $8,600 Ducati motorcycle the same year he had given only $175 to charity. "What is he doing with all his money?" Weld asked. "I mean, he's making one hundred thirty thousand dollars a year. He's got free meals, free cars, and free housing. And he can't throw a few bucks to the United Way? Come on!"

It wasn't Watergate, but the scandal did suggest a political version of the entitlement mentality, a kind of Ducati liberalism. "That's the beautiful thing about campaigns," Meehan says. "You learn lessons. He said, 'You know what, I didn't do so well with contributions. I'm going to do better in the future.'" And he has done better. Of course, when he made that vow to do better, he had just married a ketchup heiress worth half a billion dollars.

Oh, no...not another politician who would lie.

What is this world coming to.

Oh...the suffering....the humanity!

Oh, no...not another Politician who would lie.

What is this world coming to.

Oh...the suffering....the humanity!

Looking for a completely honest politician is the same as Diogenese looking for an honest man. It does not exist. I reflect upon the fact that a politician who tells it like it is regardless of the situation and audience in all likelihood could not get elected dog catcher. Kerry's lies and misrepresentations pale when compared with that monumental liar sitting in the oval office at the present time.
IMO the only ticket that stands a chance against that ogre in the White House is Kerry/Edwards.

If the election were held today I would vote for Kerry. I certainly won't vote for Bush, not after all he's done to our country. I'm not 100% set on Kerry though. I have to observe him more over the next few months. But I like what I see so far. If he has lied it's nothing compared to Bush's lies. Bush's lies has directly resulted in the deaths of hundreds of American service men and women.