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Kerry accuses Bush of creating ‘spirit of intolerance’ on war
GRINNELL, Iowa —Sen. John Kerry accused the Bush administration on Saturday of stirring up a “spirit of intolerance” to suppress dissent over the war in Iraq.
The Massachusetts Democrat said the Bush administration is targeting opponents of the Iraq war in much the same way he was attacked for protesting failed policies in Vietnam in the 1970s.
“Dismissing dissent is not only wrong but dangerous when America’s leadership is unwilling to admit mistakes, unwilling to engage in honest discussion and unwilling to hold itself accountable for the consequences of decisions made without genuine disclosure or genuine debate,” Kerry said.
He added, “The spirit of intolerance for dissent has risen steadily, and the habit of labeling dissenters as unpatriotic has become the common currency of the politicians currently running our country.”
Sarah Sauber, a spokeswoman for the Republican Party of Iowa, rejected Kerry’s claims.
“John Kerry continues to bring his record of hypocrisy and flip-flopping back to the state that rejected him in 2004,” Sauber said. “Iowans know that John Kerry doesn’t share their values.”
Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president in 2004, spoke at Grinnell College. During his visit to Iowa he repeated his call for a deadline for American troops to be pulled out of Iraq by the end of the year.
“The Iraqis have shown they only respond to deadlines,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I think you’ve got to be tough here.”
Kerry first drew public attention 35 years ago when, as a decorated Navy veteran, he testified to Congress in opposition to the Vietnam war. Some fellow veterans criticized him then, and his opposition to the war has been a point of controversy throughout his political career.
In the last campaign, Kerry was criticized for being slow to respond to the attacks on his patriotism, and his speech Saturday blasted those who sought to suppress dissent from the war.
“Once again, we are imprisoned in a failed policy,” he said. “And once again we are being told that admitting mistakes, not the mistakes themselves, will provide our enemies with an intolerable propaganda victory.”
Kerry has shown interest in seeking the Democratic nomination again. He’s made several trips to Iowa, where precinct caucuses launch the presidential nominating season. His surprising win in those caucuses in 2004 gave him momentum which led to the nomination.
Wild Thing’s comment…….
I wish we would follow what Abe Lincoln said.
“Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime
that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs
and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged.”
President Abraham Lincoln –
Does it surprise anyone that John Kerry would preach the virtues of cutting and running or dissent?
This man has never had backbone and now he wants to do the same thing he did upon return from Vietnam. I really believe that it cost him the election, or at least a part of it.
Most Americans, real Americans, pull together in a time of war. We are fighting people who have no regard for their own lives so they certainly do not care about the lives of others.
The only way to win is to stay strong and kill the enemy.
One thing you can say about this prattling cretin…he has an infinite capacity to expose himself as a despicable, witless pinhead and then go on as if nothing happened.
He recently misquoted Jefferson, and was widely ridiculed for it…and now, as Tim Blair puts it, he’s off giving speeches again “with a lot of powerful quotes”.
Ellen Goodman, the lefty columnist, claims she voted for Kerry six times (in Massachusetts) and has now written a column demanding that someone “stop him before he ruins the Democratic Party’s chances again”.
Kerry, I think, is widely detested among Democrats, and he’ll gradually slip into the obscurity and oblivion he deserves. Politics is about power, and as Kerry inflates further into the rotten grandiosity of his mental disorder, someone will throw a blanket over his shoulders and escort him off the stage. His days are numbered, and he has a lot to answer for.
Big Dog I agree, real Americans pull together in time of war. Kerry got away with it years ago saying the things he did and just keeps doing the same thing today. I can’t stand it.
Thanks for commenting BD.
Rhod that is so interesting about Ellen Goodman and how she is fed up him. Thanks for the input.
Poor Kerry, ever since losing the election he’s been resigned to play KETCHUP……
Sorry…….
Billy
Billy I love your humor, good one.
George Bush and Dick Cheney are traitors and once the truth is discovered about this falsely elected president (two stolen elections to his credit) impeachment and war criminal trials will not be far behind.
Rather than buying into the lies, take a moment and check out: http://icasualties.org/oif and ask yourself, why your media is censuring you? Why are America’s sons, in anticipation of a pre-emptive attack on Iran (why then are we building 14 permanent bases in Iraq AND a 104 acre embassy???) streaming across the Canadian border seeking shelter from the coming storm.
So supportive of the war, then enlist!
This from a retired NCO with a son in Afghanistan who wants all of you hawks to know that the Taliban IS regrouping… wake up children… it’s MUCH later than it seems… or can you not see that through the trees?