John Kerry Smackdown
20 August 2006 10:02 am by Taylor Marsh
John Kerry Smackdown
Kerry
on ABC's \”This Week\” slammed Joe Lieberman. The quotes below don't do the interview justice, frankly. Kerry flatly stated that Lieberman is the new Cheney. Ouch.
\”I'm concerned that [Lieberman] is making a Republican case,\” Kerry
told ABC News' \”This Week with George Stephanopoulos\” in an exclusive
appearance.Kerry accused the 2000 Democratic vice presidential candidate of \”adopting
the rhetoric of Dick Cheney,\” on the issue of Iraq.\”Joe Lieberman is out of step with the people of Connecticut,\”
Kerry added, insisting Lieberman's stance on Iraq, \”shows you just why
he got in trouble with the Democrats there.\”Kerry called Lieberman's independent bid a \”huge mistake\” and applauded
businessman-turned-politician Lamont as \”courageous\” for challenging
Lieberman on the war.Of his own views on Iraq, Kerry stated forthrightly, \”The course of
this country in Iraq is making the world more dangerous.\” …
But it didn't start with this morning's conversation with George Stephanopolous.
Last night, Kerry was at a closed press event with a group of Indian-Americans.
A partial transcript was sent to me. It
nails George Allen, a man who does not deserve to be in the United States Senate.
“It was so disappointing to hear one of my colleagues make comments
that have no place in Virginia, no place in our country, and certainly no
place in the United States Senate. George Allen singled out a lone Indian-American
college student for ridicule in front of a crowd of mostly white voters. After
using a word I won’t repeat, he added insult to injury when he said:
“Welcome to America.”Well, to Senator Allen I think it’s time we said ‘welcome to
the twenty first century’ where slurs and slights aren’t a laughing
matter. Welcome to a new day where we refuse to accept insults made about
Indian-Americans that, if we heard them about African Americans or Jews or
Hispanics, would be the end of a political career.Welcome to our America, where immigration is a source of pride and not a
punch line. Welcome to a politics where a young Indian American born in Fairfax
Virginia can tell a US Senator: “I’m just as American as you are.”
And welcome to Virginia where it’s clear some Republicans need reminding
about the “truths” a real Virginian—Thomas Jefferson– wrote
were “self evident” two hundred thirty years ago. And
if you ever want a test of whether Republicans are ashamed of George Allen
or just embarrassed by him, it comes on November 7th when we have a chance
to say ‘welcome to the United States Senate– to his Democratic opponent,
Jim Webb.’We need to stop the politics of name-calling and division that push us apart
and separate us. These times we live in are too important for that kind of
distraction from what counts most. This is a time for leadership, and this
is a time for truth. It’s no accident that the first words of our first
declaration as a free nation were “We hold these truths to be self-evident,”
and truth remains America’s bottom line.”–
John Kerry
The video
of Kerry on \”This Week\” lays out the problems with Lieberman,
and why Ned Lamont is getting so much attention. The war in Iraq is a critical
national security element that is harming the \”war on terror\” because
it is making more enemies and shifting America into a desperately weak position,
both politically and militarily, as our own forces become debilitated.
Kerry singling out George Allen's racist remarks further illustrates how wrong
the Republican Party is for the current challenges we face here at home and
abroad.
If you want further example of the Republican Party's credibility collapse,
see John
McCain on parade, offering some nonsense about the American people not being
for a timed withdrawal. Keep up, Johnnie, we're way ahead of you, babe.
The people in power — see the Republican Party — are a disgrace. They need to be held accountable for what they've wrought around the world.
