Matt Yglasias weighs in on the speech: "JK, Foreign Policy Warrior"

[ginnyinWI]

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=john_kerry_foreign_policy_warrior

It's a few days old but I didn't see it posted here so thought I would.

This guy was always writing snarky things about JK a few years ago. He's on board now it would seem. :)

first four:

Six years ago, I helped put together the 30th anniversary issue of the student alt-weekly paper I edited, which gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with our archives. It was a bit startling to see that the coverage of John Kerry's ultimately failed 1972 campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives already depicted Kerry's ultimate goal as the White House.

Kerry's loss in 1972 slowed his political ascent. He went to law school, passed the bar in 1976, and went to work as a prosecutor. In 1982 he became lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. In 1985 he entered the U.S. Senate. By the time he re-emerged on the national stage, in other words, his name had already been bandied about as a potential president for over a decade. In 2004, 32 years after that initial defeat, Kerry ended up both closer and farther than ever, as George W. Bush narrowly secured re-election. Not only did Kerry lose, but he did so in a particularly dispiriting manner, running amid a controversial and failing war without anything resembling a clear message on it. To some extent, he was merely the victim of circumstances, but it was infuriating for liberals to spend months backing a candidate who would neither denounce the decision to begin the war nor call for its end, all in the name of the higher cause of beating Bush, only to see Bush win anyway.

Last night, Kerry gave a mix of the speech liberals wished he'd given in 2004 with the speech liberals wished the other convention speakers had given earlier in the week. With the Denver festivities dominated by the need to "humanize" Michelle Obama, to introduce a vice-presidential nominee who'd been announced just over the weekend, and to devote two major slots to Bill and Hillary Clinton ritually passing the baton to Barack Obama, the base was thirsting for some red meat.

And politically, some meat was very much in need. Contrary to the myth that Obama would somehow be winning the election by default if only people were more comfortable with him, the Democratic nominee has a 60 percent favorable rating combined with the misfortune of an opponent who's also popular. Someone had to take the shine off McCain, and Kerry razed him in a fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan.

[Noisy Democrat]

1. "In a fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan"

That is truly funny. Considering how often that line has been cited in contexts such that it made me cringe, it's nice to get a laugh from it. And it's a great article. Thanks for calling our attention to it!

[karynnj]

2. That is a fascinating article

Nice for the praise of JK 2008, but frustrating that he clearly had beans in his ears in 2004. This sentence made me want to throw something at the computer - "He took the clear stand against the invasion of Iraq he never stuck to in 2004, deeming it "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time." Anyone listening in 2004 heard him say the same ""the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time." thousands of times. (The only difference was he was MORE direct in 2004 - wrong war, wrong place, wrong time.

As to calling for the war's end, it was more subtle - he spoke of what he would do. Had the left really read what he proposed, it was a plan to quickly and honorably resolve the issues and start withdrawing in 2005. Even Dean wasn't calling for an immediate withdrawal. He also clearly missed that it was Kerry who pushed the Democrats to their current position. So, while I'm happy that he is praising Kerry now - I wish he would actually have paid attention to what was really happening in 2003 - 2007.

[ginnyinWI]

3. I thought that when JK included that phrase in the latest speech--

"wrong war, wrong place, wrong time", he did it to subtly say, "See I told you so!" Because if anybody remembered, that was the same terminology he used back in 2004 and since then. And Yglasias' use of the Gengis Khan comparison--maybe that was on purpose, too, recalling Lt. Kerry.

Yglasias has a point about JK's campaign. This last speech--that is the real JK, and during his 2004 campaign, his message got diluted by his campaign advisers and the political climate he was running in. The shadow of 9/11, if you will, made everyone leery of saying anything that would seem anti-national security. So that was a big problem--that extra caution he had to take. But it had to be done--his chances would probably have imploded in the primaries if he had come on stronger. JK's instincts were most likely right about not coming on too strong and being more like Dean. Yglasias should remember the mood of the country back then. You just can't ignore how things were.

JK came so close, and if Ohio had been counted correctly, would have edged into the White House. History would have been written as, "Bushes are one-term presidents" and so much would be different by now! JK would be running for his second term, and Obama would probably be thinking about 2012.