Reply #9: RECANTS his vote

[Martin Eden]

Kerry's vote for the IWR is by far my biggest problem with the man. Considering his Vietnam experience and activity in the VVAW, you'd think he would remember the consequences of the Tonkin Gulf Resolution. I'm not entirely willing to take his explanation at face value -- that the IWR was intended as leverage to re-admit inspectors, and that he felt betrayed when Bush launched the invasion without UN authorization.

I suspect Kerry may have been looking at the potential political consequences of a NO vote on IWR and how it would impact his candidacy, and in so doing failed to anticipate the larger consequences of ceding his Constitutional war authority to Dubya & Co.

This failure is inexcusable. Before the IWR vote, we at the DU were familiar with the PNAC neocons at the levers of Bu$h foreign policy, and what their goals were. And the lies and distortions spewing from this regime were becoming more and more apparent.

No one claiming presidenial qualifications can be excused for being "fooled" by the Bu$h/neocon intentions regarding Iraq.

But, having said all this, I would not be displeased if Kerry won the nomination. His IWR vote is a major strike against him (in my book), but on all other fronts I cannot find more fault with him than with any of the other contenders. He would go a long ways towards mending fences with those of us who are pasiionately anti-war if he would take the advice in the article:

After the meeting broke up, Art Spiegelman tried to tell Kerry that he should just stand up, and in a clear, unmistakable fashion say, “I was wrong to trust President Bush with this war. I thought he would do the things he promised before embarking on this war but I now see I gave him more credit than he deserved. I wish I could have that vote back but I can’t. Now the thing to ask ourselves is where do we go from here and who’s the best person for the job?” I second this emotion. Sure, a lot of self-important pundits—a least of couple of them English-born— would mock Kerry for admitting he made such a mistake. But most people would admire it.

Let us remember that Kerry is a man who may have a better chance to unseat Bu$h than Dean, and that he is a stalwart of the Democratic party and not a Repuke-lite like Lieberman.

Pundits from the right have displayed ludicrous surprise and indignation at the left's HATRED of Bu$h and at the viscousness of our attacks. It's just another example of their hypocrisy and spin, but there may be a lesson in it: let's direct our anger and our attacks at the enemy, and not at any Democratic candidate who might be our standard-bearer in November.

Kerry made a mistake -- a big one -- and I doubt I'll vote for him in the primary. But let's have enlightened and civil debates within our own ranks and not do the Repukes' job for them.

P.S. to soundgarden1: I'm not saying that you have been uncivil -- this just seemed like a good place to post something that has been on my mind.