Consider this your Kerry news dump o' the day.
Speaking of news, he was on Tavis yesterday, will be on Hardball with Chris Matthews today and will reportedly be on Wolf Blitzer tomorrow.
Moving right along...
First, I loved the bitchslapping Kerry gave Darth yesterday in answer to Cheney's words at a GOP fundraiser.
First Darth:
It's a pleasure to see all of you. I'm sorry that we couldn't be joined by Senators Harry Reid, John Kerry, or Jay Rockefeller. They were unable to attend due to a prior lack of commitment.
Now Kerry, in rebuttal:
My commitment to our country has been steadfast from the day I signed up to serve in the Navy through my service as a United States Senator fighting for our troops and our national security. Too often when it's been time to tell the truth to the American people, Vice President Cheney has had other priorities.
Ahahahaha! Take THAT, Deferment Boy!
-----------------------------------------------
Here's Kerry's entire statement, in case you wanted to read it:
"It is hard to name a government official with less credibility on Iraq than Vice President Cheney. The Vice President continues to mislead America about how we got into Iraq and what must be done to complete the still unaccomplished mission.
"My commitment to our country has been steadfast from the day I signed up to serve in the Navy through my service as a United States Senator fighting for our troops and our national security. Too often when it's been time to tell the truth to the American people, Vice President Cheney has had other priorities.
"While the Vice President engages in the politics of fear and smear, Americans want their government to honor the memory of the more than 2,000 brave Americans lost in Iraq, and they have not forgotten that Osama bin Laden remains on the loose. If the Bush White House cared as much about our troops as they do about their plummeting political fortunes, they would at last offer a clear strategy for success in Iraq and work to bring home 20,000 troops after the successful Iraqi elections. Then, and only then, would they be even beginning to offer leadership equal to our soldiers' sacrifice."
-----------------------------------------------
And in other news...
http://releases.usnewswire.com/...
Senate Passes Kerry Legislation to Assist Small Businesses Hurt by Drought
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 U.S. Newswire -- Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), lead Democrat on the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today announced the Senate approved his Small Business Drought Relief Act, which will ensure all small businesses damaged by drought have access to low-interest loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA).
Kerry's bill was included as an amendment to the Department of Defense (DOD) authorization bill, which passed the Senate yesterday by a vote of 98-0. The legislation would provide emergency aid to non-farm-related small businesses suffering from severe drought conditions.
"Small businesses devastated by droughts shouldn't have to struggle against an unresponsive SBA bureaucracy," Kerry said. "The SBA has ignored the damage droughts do to fishing guides, marinas, bait and tackle shops, and all kinds of small businesses. My amendment cuts through the red tape to get these businesses the loans they should already have had access to long ago."
This legislation will assist the small businesses in states with drought declarations that have been denied access to disaster loans through the SBA because the SBA only helps those small businesses whose income is tied to farming and agriculture. The Small Business Drought Relief Act will close this loophole. The loans will be for business-related purposes, including for paying bills and making payroll until business returns to normal.
---------------------------------------------
Kerry's flood aid bill for small business victims of Katrina also passed through the Senate I'm told, but I don't have a link for that. It was a while ago, and had to be put under Snowe's name so that it would pass, but I thought it was symetrical in a way.
The wet people got attention. And now the dry people got attention. At least the ones with small businesses, anyway.
I don't know what's happening on the House side of things in either case.
That's all for now...