From "Democratic Daily"
http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/
John Kerry: Bush Administration Owes New Orleans Economic Action, Not Photo Ops
January 12th, 2006
Bush is on a photo op tour as a part "of a series of events to showcase his priorities leading up to the State of the Union address." Today's stop was a visit to the "still-ravaged Gulf Coast Thursday after three months away." Bush said today that he "was committed to rebuilding communities devastated from Hurricane Katrina." But if that is the case, why has not been back there more often and what is taking so long for the economic action neccessary to rebuild the Gulf Coast? Bush's visit today followed a meeting of angry residents in New Orleans over the proposed Katrina Recovery Plan.
John Kerry issued a statement today, saying that the Bush Administration is still delaying help for Gulf Coast Small Businesses:
"Rather than another round of photo ops, the President needs to deliver real help for the Gulf Coast and make his Republican Congress pass relief for small businesses devastated by the hurricanes. At every turn to provide real assistance, this administration has chosen to turn its back. Twice the administration scuttled the bipartisan Kerry-Snowe relief for small businesses devastated by the hurricanes, even though it passed the Senate 96 to 0. Of 352,000 applications the SBA has received after Hurricane Katrina, a mere 38,000 loans have been approved. Not one dime of the $62 billion President Bush requested for hurricane relief has been earmarked for immediate small business relief. That's hardly a `heck of a job.'
Gotta love the snark.
Meanwhile, back at the press conference,
http://news.yahoo.com/...
HYDERABAD, India (Reuters) - U.S. Senator and former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said on Thursday that Iran was making a dangerous choice in pushing ahead with its nuclear ambitions.
"Iran has made a dangerous and silly decision of confronting not just the U.S. government but the entire international community," Kerry told reporters in the southern Indian technology hub of Hyderabad during a visit to India.
Kerry's statement came as officials from Britain, France and Germany plan to meet their counterparts from China, Russia and the United States in London next week to discuss Iran's decision to restart sensitive nuclear work.
Kerry said Iran could be referred to the U.N. Security Council if the crisis continued.
"If all diplomatic channels fail, we have no choice but to take the issue before the international body," Kerry, a strong proponent of nuclear non-proliferation, said.
Separately in London, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he thought it highly probable that Iran would be referred to the Security Council over its decision to restart sensitive nuclear work.
Pushing for a diplomatic solution, it seems.
Of course, we all know that's probably not what the Bush administration is pushing for.
I found it interesting, during the questioning of Condi at her confirmation hearing, how much Kerry pushed the article by Sy Hersh that detailed exactly what we were doing in Iran even then. Condi hadn't read it, but knew it was false, she said if I recall correct. Sure hun. You've not read it, but it's false. O-B-K-B.
Thus endeth the Kerry news dump o' the day.