ONE answer that gives Kerry a debate WIN

I've tried to distill all of the salient points of Kerry's stance on Iraq into as few words as possible.  Its inspired largely by comments and daries I've read here on dKos (special thanks to JeffLieber's inspiration for the last line).

"The vote by the Senate was a vote to support the President and give him the authority he needed to negotiate with the UN and Iraq from a position of strength.  It was not, as the President and many others have said, a "vote for war" -- check the record and you'll find that the President himself called it a "vote for peace".  It was my hope, and the hope of many of my colleagues, that the President would use this authority to bring Saddam Hussein back into compliance with the UN resolutions requiring inspections and disarmament, neutralizing him once and for all.  And it did work, before the President lost patience and needlessly invaded Iraq and alienated our allies in the process.  Now our military is bogged down in Iraq and there's no end in sight, and we have no trump card left to play when dealing with Iran, North Korea, Packistan and any other real threats to our security.

In short, I voted to trust the President to protect the United States without needlessly squandering our military, economic and political assets.  And now I'm running for President because I believe that George Bush no longer deserves that trust.  If that makes me a flip-flopper, then so be it."

•  too complicated..

  Theodore Roosevelt said, "Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick". I voted to give give President Bush the Big Stick. Unfortunatley, I did not realize that he would forgot what Roosevelt said about speaking softly. Based on the President's unwillingness to speak truthfully with Congress, the people of this country, and the United Nations it is obvious that he never intended to doing anything but invade Iraq. Bush ignored the real terrorist threat that was left unfinished in Afghanistan.

  Let me assure you, I know how to speak softly. I know how to build a meaningful coalition. I know how to read intelligence reports that say there are no weapons of mass destruction. But understand how strongly I am committed to our safety and wellbeing. When America must call upon its military to protect the people of this country, I will not hestitate. Not one minute. When our country is in real jepoardy, I will not hesitast to use the worlds most powerful stick to get the job done.

  by mperloe on Wed Sep 29, 2004 at 09:23:43 AM PDT