Sen. Kerry has been forceful taking on the lies of the Republicans. I supported him in both the Primaries and general in 04. I even sent him money. Like many, I was disappointed in his campaign and in his subdued reaction to the election aftermath. He seems a changed man, but it is much easier to attack Bush these days. Has he really changed?
He says he has learned some lessons:
Kerry believes he was defeated in 2004 in large part because of what he calls two lies from his opponents: one about the way America went to war in 2003, the other far more personal -- the Swift Boat veterans' attacks that challenged his Vietnam War record
But are those the right lessons? Senator Kerry now admits that his vote for the Iraq War Resolution was a mistake. He blames the mistake on the fact that he was lied to by the administration. That the intelligence was fabricated, that the resolution was not technically for war, but was simply a message to Iraq about our seriousness. And he was lied to, there's no doubt, as were we all, but all that is a fig leaf.
The thing is, he knew he was being lied to. I'm a private citizen and I knew Iraq was no threat. Even I knew Colin Powell was lying at the UN. It is simply not credible that a sitting US Senator did not know the war was being marketed, sold on false pretenses and half truths. The underlying premise; that Iraq was a threat, was a lie, and we all knew it.
All lies are a mutual conspiracy between the liar and lied to, and this was no exception. They were the 'cover' Bush offered to his opponents.
The real reason Kerry voted for the war was the conventional wisdom at the time that anyone who opposed it would utterly destroy any Presidential aspirations, probably for all time.
Years ago, John Kerry showed both great physical, and great moral courage - by volunteering to fight in Viet Nam, and even more courageously, returning to speak truth to power. He asked the single most memorable question of the entire Viet Nam war, a quote that will be remembered as long as there is war itself:
How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?
One answer might be; "You vote yes on a resolution you know to be based on lies."
Has he learned the right lesson from that vote? That is the question he MUST answer before any of us should support him. It is a tough one, but it must be asked:
Senator Kerry, are you willing to admit, even to yourself, that you voted to send men and women off to die and to kill in order to preserve your viability as a Presidential candidate, and that when you sacrifice your principles to your ambition, you destroy them both?
If he can not answer this question, he does not deserve our support and will most assuredly lead us once again into defeat. John Kerry has many fine qualities. I can forgive the vote and all that led to it.
This conflict will arise again, in a multitude of forms. A candidate who has faced it and learned from it is far preferable to me, than even one who was right from the beginning.
PS, I know this shouldn't be a big issue right now before the midterms. It's just some idle thoughts and not meant to be a big controversy. thank you for your attention
