Kerry Accuses Bush of Stifling Dissent

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON - Invoking bitter memories of the public tumult over the Vietnam War three decades ago, Sen. John Kerry is accusing the Bush administration of stifling dissent about its failed Iraq policies by branding critics as unpatriotic.

"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," Kerry, D-Mass., said in remarks prepared for delivery Saturday at Boston's Faneuil Hall.

"We have even heard accusations that this dissent gives aid and comfort to the enemy," said the senator, who was the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee and is a potential 2008 contender for the post. "That is cheap and shameful."

Kerry's remarks came exactly 35 years after he posed a haunting question during a speech before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as a young anti-war Vietnam veteran wearing military fatigues.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060422/ap_on_go_co/kerry_iraq_1;_

[tomhayes]

1. Bush to Kerry: Shut-Up

If America votes Republican this election cycle this country is over.

[luckyleftyme2]

5. KERRY'S RIGHT

THIS IS A RIGHT EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN HAS: WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THE "STATUS QUO". i believe this is one of the main differences between a democracy and a dictatorship.
i find people like "bush","cheney","karl rove" and a few others feel like only the wealthy,the empowered have this right.
well their wrong,in fact it would do these people well to examine what they or any member of their immediate family have done to contribute to the "betterment " of the people in this country.
i hardly think the largest deficit in history,or the mis-handled war in "iraq" or the major screw up of "katrina " to mention a few of their shameful legacy are nothing to brag about.
in fact that swager or to be a shameful crawl!

[ClintonTyree]

2. Why does John Kerry hate America?

He's giving aid and comfort to the enemy (whoever they are, everyone lately I guess). Why DOES John Kerry hate America? :sarcasm:

[OneBlueSky]

3. Gore/Kerry is looking more and more attractive to me . . .

unfortunately, I just don't believe that Kerry would settle for second place . . .

[cpousnret]

4. i got a better ticket

gore/boxer

[zann725]

24. While I'd love to see Boxer on the ticket...I'd prefer Kerry/Boxer...OR

Kerry/Feingold...OR Kerry/Gore. I'm sure they'll be plenty of shuffling Dem candidates as time draws near.

Plenty of possibilities. OUR time at last is near!

[wordpix2]

27. I'd prefer Gore/Feingold, although a woman veep would be great

[Ecumenist]

6. It's about time someone with visibility says what we

know has been going on for the better part of the last 6 years.

[maddezmom]

7. agree

I just hope more will start speaking out with forceful voices. :)

[Ecumenist]

8. We should add our voices to the rising tide of indignation

The more of us that scream the truth, the less they'll be able to stifle the cries..:hi:

[0007]

9. When I first glanced at that headline I thought it said;

Kerry Accuses Bush of Sniffing deserts.

[peacebird]

10. gosh - Kerry speaks out forcefully ... when bush ratings on FAUX are 33%

I admit that I am a bit underwhelmed.

It's a little too "Johnny come lately" and a LOT too "I wanna look presidential" for my tastes.

Yes - I know I will get bashed for not bathing Kerry in glory for his courage in speaking out but I just think it's pathetic that we are supposed to be THRILLED (*THRILLED*, I TELL YOU!) that he finally states the utterly OBVIOUS well into bush's second term.

Where was he with this during all the staged presidential "public" speeches? Why wasn't he speaking out against the "free speech zones"?

Hello? Earth to Kerry - WAY TOO LITTLE, way too late.


:rant:

:yoiks:

:hide:

[bleedingheart]

12. I have to agree, you summed up my thoughts on Kerry

[IndianaGreen]

23. Kerry was among a handful that filibustered Alito and supports censure

And despite Bush being in the 33%, the big stars in the Democratic Party are silent on Bush's dictatorship. Where are Hillary, Biden, Bayh, and others of their ilk?

I applaud our patriots that stand up to the Bush tyranny, from the fired CIA whistleblower, our retired generals, Al Gore, John Conyers, Russ Feingold, and John Kerry.

Better late than never!

[peacebird]

25. I also applaud our patriots - Gore, Conyers, Feengold, Byrd, Edwards

I just don't include Hillary, Biden, Bayh as our "big stars"

[kitticup]

28. Why is Edwards on the list?

He was definitely more pro-war than Kerry during the run up and afterwards. Kerry admitted his mistake in voting for the IWR which was sponsored by Edwards before Edwards issued his mea culpa.

[peacebird]

31. only because Edwards is constantly fighting for the little guy

They all pretty much screwed the pooch on the war vote. Some just seem a lot more concerned about US than the mega-corp sponsors or the DLC....

[kitticup]

35. What specifically has Edwards done (not said but done)

Why don't you consider that posturing for 2008 Presidential Run if you feel Kerry is? Especially given that Kerry has spent his life trying to make this country a better place, from protesting a war, to setting up one the country's first Special Victims Unit as a young DA (Note that he was not making a lot of money). He helped get an innocent man freed from prison. When he did go into private practice (like Edwards) and started to make good money, he chose to pursue a career in politics because he wanted to make a difference. Edwards stayed in private practice and amassed a multimillion dollar fortune. It was his son's death that lead Edwards to re-evaluate his life. Until that time, Edwards didn't bother to vote and he wasn't a philanthropist.

In addition Kerry wrote teh first legislation about acid rain, that would later be used for the Clean Air Act. He sponsored Youth Build, which gives low income kids a chance to learn construction skills, he was named the greatest friend of Small Business by Inc. magazine. He tried to expose the BFEE in the Iran Contra and BCCI investigations. Just think how different our world would be had all the Democratic senators had supported him (probably half the current administration would be completing their prison terms. Bush I would be reviled like Nixon and Baby Bush would probably be just a drunk.

[peacebird]

39. ummm - Kerry did many fine things in the past, and had he spoken this way

in the last election he would likely have won.

But he didn't. He played mealy mouthed pussy foot and tried to be all things to all people except the progressive left. I supported him nonetheless, as an ABB, however I never believed he was the best person for the job. Better than bush by a long shot - best person for president - no.

His words this week were good, but I am underwhelmed by his performance in Congress since Bush took over. The Reps in the House have cajones - the congressional Black caucus ROCKS. Kerry politely pontificates, and once in a while - like this week - he actually forgets about being politically correct and hits one out of the ballpark.

[ginnyinWI]

33. it's ok to be unimpressed,

but a lot of people here do seem very impressed by the speech. I will see it tomorrow on Cspan--looking forward to it!

What he's saying may be obvious, but it means more coming from one of the leading Democrats, especially to those who complain that the Dems have no message, no spine, etc etc. It seems Dems have to almost scream at the top of their lungs to get any notice at all in the media.

Also,this is all old stuff to the blogosphere, but not, I don't think, to mainstream America, so it bears repeating. Anyway, he's been speaking out continually in press relases and on TV and radio on all sorts of issues.

[creeksneakers2]

37. Kerry would have won if he'd spoken up sooner

I wish he'd read the E-mails he was getting in 2004.

[DoYouEverWonder]

41. Well at the moment

we have to take what we can get.

Everytime a DEM tries to do the right thing, someone's got to put them down. It gets old. Thanks.

[depakid]

11. Well, what did Bush & Co do during the entire 2004 election?

Kind of old news.

People were being arrested for wearing T-Shirts. Might have been nice to have made a bigger issue out of that then- and drawn a little contrast.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

13. Kerry has a gift

for stating the obvious.

What's the point of this? Like it's news?

Jeez, John. Again, too little too late.

[Demit]

15. Also a talent for ambiguity. He never fails to muddy a thought--

"A majority of our casualties in Vietnam occurred after Richard Nixon had given up on victory. That must not happen in Iraq."

So okay, a majority of casualties must not happen. But why introduce the thought of Nixon "giving up on victory", as if there ever was a chance of victory, and not a bowing to the inevitable? Plus, there's no parallel here with Bush. Bush will never give up on victory. Why introduce the concept of victory at all?

I really, really tried with Kerry. I really did. But he cannot express himself clearly. He drains all effect from his words with his peculiar brand of convoluted expression. It's ironic that he chose the anniversary of a time when he spoke simply and forcefully--of men dying, not "casualties occurring"--to be so insipid in his words. The contrast is so sad.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

20. There you go

That's what I thought, but didn't go into the perfect detail that you did.

I put my heart and soul (and $$$) into Kerry, and when he folded, I stayed in shock, seriously, for months. Never again. He's lost any credibility he had with me. I'm glad he's there, but he always seems to be playing it safe, holding back, and just a few steps behind everyone else.

He plays it safe, something he didn't do when he was younger. Alas, I wish he'd not lost that courage, but he has.

Thanks again for a most cogent post.

[bemildred]

14. Yeah, Bush is "increasingly dictatorial" with "anti-democratic tendencies"

:rofl::rofl:

[Evergreen Emerald]

16. Kerry says: it gets dark at night.

Every opportunity to shout from the roof tops is squandered. When the generals speak out--where are the Democrats reinforcing their cries? When the citizens get arrested for wearing t-shirts or shouting questions to a dictator, where are their voices?

I know that the mainstream media is stifling decent, but we have local media that is more than willing to report the stories. Where are the dissenters?

[Submariner]

17. BOSSHOG posted a bumper sticker he just saw...how fitting

Blind Allegiance
To Failed Leadership
is Not Patriotism

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Dr Ron]

19. Prepared text of Kerry's speech today

http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=2723

[IndianaGreen]

21. Ouch!

"Stifling dissent" are code words for dictatorship. Bush has outdone Nixon when it comes to power grabs.

[zann725]

22. "Speaking Truth to Authority"...oh what a different world w/ Prez Kerry

Soon. Soon. He's building momentum.

Oh how I wish I could hear him at Faneuil Hall. Will it be covered by CSPAN, or will there be video available here afterward?

[ginnyinWI]

32. 10 a.m. Eastern, tomorrow ( Sunday) morning, Cspan-1 n/t

[zann725]

36. Thanks for the update. I'll make it a point to watch!

'...No defeat, no surrender.'

[Orsino]

26. Late to the party....again.

Thirty-five years ago, he was rather early.

[mconvente]

29. Kerry great again!

The bullshit line from the repuke response:

In response to Kerry's speech Saturday, a spokeswoman for the
Republican National Committee denied the party questioned anyone's patriotism.

"While we have never questioned Democrats' patriotism, we do question John Kerry's motives, considering his eagerness to engage in political theatrics as he ponders a presidential run," Tracey Schmitt said.

Yeah, and the constant SwiftBoating wasn't questioning his patriotism - fucking bastards...

[ginnyinWI]

34. I guess they think we've forgotten and they can rewrite history.

Nope. I remember every painful attack as if it happened to my own brother.

[ProSense]

30. Awesome speech: Truth vs. the Bush-Cheney Doctrine.

Truth is the American bottom line. Truth above all is fundamental to who we are. It is no accident that among the first words of the first declaration of our national existence it is proclaimed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident…”.

We have even heard accusations that this dissent gives aid and comfort to the enemy. That is cheap and it is shameful.

The true defeatists are those who believe America is so weak that it must sacrifice its principles to the pursuit of illusory power.

The true pessimists are those who do not understand that fidelity to our principles is as critical to national security as our military power itself.

And the most dangerous defeatists, the most dispiriting pessimists, are those who invoke September 11th to argue that our traditional values are a luxury we can no longer afford.

Let’s call it the Bush-Cheney Doctrine.

According to the Bush-Cheney Doctrine, alliances and international institutions are now disposable—and international institutions are dispensable or even despicable.

According to the Bush-Cheney Doctrine, we cannot foreswear the fool’s gold of information secured by torturing prisoners or creating a shadow justice system with no rules and no transparency.

According to the Bush-Cheney Doctrine, unwarranted secrecy and illegal spying are now absolute imperatives of our national security.

According to the Bush-Cheney Doctrine, those who question the abuse of power question America itself.

According to the Bush-Cheney Doctrine, an Administration should be willing to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on the Iraq war, but unwilling to spend a few billion dollars to secure the American ports through which nuclear materials could make their way to terrorist cells.

According to the Bush-Cheney Doctrine, executive powers trump the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers.

According to the Bush-Cheney Doctrine, smearing administration critics is not only permissible, but necessary—and revealing the identity of a CIA agent is an acceptable means to hide the truth.

Snip…

And so there’s the crowning irony: the Bush-Cheney Doctrine holds that many of our great traditions cannot be maintained; yet the Bush-Cheney policies, by abandoning those traditions, give Osama bin Laden and his associates exactly what they want and need to reinforce their hate-filled ideology of Islamic solidarity against the western world.

We must insist now that patriotism does not belong to those who defend a President’s position—it belongs to those who defend their country. Patriotism is not love of power; it is love of country. And sometimes loving your country demands you must tell the truth to power. This is one of those times.

When we protested the war in Vietnam some 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.” And that’s what we must do again today.

The RNC's responds with more lies and hyposcrisy:

In response to Kerry's speech Saturday, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee denied the party questioned anyone's patriotism.

"While we have never questioned Democrats' patriotism, we do question John Kerry's motives, considering his eagerness to engage in political theatrics as he ponders a presidential run," Tracey Schmitt said.

http://www.syracuse.com/newsflash/washington/index.ssf?/base/politics-

http://www.johnkerry.com/action/deadline/?sc=e.20060418

[cosmicdot]

38. don't forget corporate media's role, John ....

when we've lost the 4th estate ... We the People are in deep trouble ...

i.e., America hardly knew the size of J20 (2001) ... that was over 5 years ago ...

how many times has, say, Kucinich been on 'if it's Sunday it's conservative' pundit shows, vs., say, McCain?








"What do you want?!"
"Democracy!"
"When do you want it?!"
"Now!!" January 20, 2001 chant --- over 5 years ago

Many knew the line should have been drawn on 11.7.2000.


and, don't forget about the caging at the 2004 Democratic Party's convention in Boston ...








The Democratic Convention is somewhere through that mass of fences and barriers.






All the orwellian sounding bills ... all the federal judiciary appointments ... all these wars ... the loss of of our rights, etc. ... all via usurped power.

[mvd]

40. Right on

And it's hilarious that every time the truth comes out, the Repukes dismiss it as political. Kerry should respond that it's obvious they have no real argument.