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| Kerry Denounces/Defends Fence. Pick One |
| 2004-02-25 |
| From JP, EFL: US Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the frontrunner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, described Israelâs construction of a security barrier as a "legitimate act of self defense" after Sundayâs suicide bombing in Jerusalem, -flip- "It is ironic that this act of terror takes place on the eve of consideration by the International Court of Justice of Israelâs security fence. The court does not have and should not accept jurisdiction over this case," Kerry said in a statement released by his campaign Monday. Today heâs against the ICJ, tomorrow, who knows? "Israelâs security fence is a legitimate act of self defense," he added. "No nation can stand by while its children are blown up at pizza parlors and on buses. While President [George W.] Bush is rightly discussing with Israel the exact route of the fence to minimize the hardship it causes innocent Palestinians, Israel has a right and a duty to defend its citizens. The fence only exists in response to the wave of terror attacks against Israel." Even a broken clock is right twice a day. It has been rare for Democratic candidates to issue statements on incidents like bombings in Israel over the past few months. Canât find a way to blame Bush, I guess. Kerryâs statement, highlighting the justification for the fence, came a week before the crucial March 2 "Super Tuesday" primaries, which include New York with its high concentration of Democratic Jewish voters, some political observers noted. Yes, Iâm sure thatâs just a coincidence. In his October speech to a conference held by the Arab American Institute in Michigan, Kerry stressed the fenceâs negative aspects. "I know how disheartened Palestinians are by the Israeli governmentâs decision to build the barrier off of the Green Line â cutting deep into Palestinian areas," Kerry said. "We donât need another barrier to peace. Provocative and counterproductive measures only harm Israelisâ security over the long term, increase the hardships to the Palestinian people, and make the process of negotiating an eventual settlement that much harder." Gee, itâs like he changes his position to fit the group of voters heâs talking to. Steve Rabinowitz, a Democratic strategist in Washington, said he sees no contradiction. "Kerryâs position is no different from Bushâs," he said. "The word âbarrierâ was not even in the lexicon back in October when we only talked about fences and walls. He was obviously talking about obstacles to peace, not physical fences. I donât see anything contradictory at all between then and now." "It all depends on what your definition of "barrier" is." |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #15 Ketchup doesn't work too well on tin - kinda corrosive. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-2-26 12:25:35 AM |
| #14 Yes, the Tin Man will need a lot of oil pretty soon. Let's hope the old lady will buy it for him. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-2-25 9:35:38 PM |
| #13 Steve Rabinowitz obviously didn't read Indy Media last August. "EI, August 1- Israel's Separation Barrier, dubbed the 'Apartheid Wall' or 'Berlin Wall' by Palestinians, has increasingly attracted international media attention, largely due to the hard-to-ignore scale of the project." (God bless Google.) |
| Posted by: GK 2004-2-25 9:31:42 PM |
| #12 The latest press release from the Kerry camp, campaign speech #1025: âIt isnât so much what is said, as it is what goes around comes around. There are many ways to give the impression that there are several different methods, or methodologies, if you will, to the thinking that there isnât much there. As I have stated many times, and at least once, is that there OUGHT to be some form of review, rather than all out speculation that he-said, she-said ideology comes close to the target. There is no way anybody can contradict me, when they know full well that the record states, undeniably and unambiguously, there have not been, nor have there ever been circumstances in which certain issues come to light, regardless of the fallout to those who pretend not to have any dog in this race.â Kerry himself was not available for comment concerning his remarks. |
| Posted by: Hyper 2004-2-25 7:02:42 PM |
| #11 As a southerner from North Carolina, I'd say Edwards is nothing but a low-life ambulance chasing pretty boy. He's scum. I wouldn't piss on his head if his face was on fire. I'd rather have 33% Breck Boy than JFK II. I don't recall Breckboy loving up to the Senator from SCUBA. I'm not worried tho because chainney will do the right thing. :) |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-25 5:30:01 PM |
| #10 As a southerner from North Carolina, I'd say Edwards is nothing but a low-life ambulance chasing pretty boy. He's scum. I wouldn't piss on his head if his face was on fire. As another southerner from NC I second your opinion. Problem is he fooled us once and so could he the rest of the USA. See him as another Clinton - good talker with a pretty face but bad for the nation. |
| Posted by: AF Lady 2004-2-25 5:02:50 PM |
| #9 As a southerner from North Carolina, I'd say Edwards is nothing but a low-life ambulance chasing pretty boy. He's scum. I wouldn't piss on his head if his face was on fire. |
| Posted by: AllahHateMe 2004-2-25 4:43:45 PM |
| #8 Well, the gay marriage amendment speech did suck all of the air out of the room, a la Clinton, so Kaus' suggestion has some merit. But my first thought was that Dubya is trying to cover his southern flank against an attack by Edwards either from the first or the second slot on the Democratic ticket. Very tough for Dubya to win without a solid South. But it's now very tough for Edwards to damage Bush in the South without coming out four-square in favor of the amendment. Another explanation for the timing would be that Dubya had to do this at some point; and would rather take his lumps early in the compaign rather than late. |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-2-25 3:46:56 PM |
| #7 I think a Kerry vs. Kerry debate would make for great fun. I'm sure Karl Rove has got some funny ads along that line already. |
| Posted by: eLarson 2004-2-25 3:38:04 PM |
| #6 by the way, MickeyKaus, who highlights the above Kerry statement, says that even if the explanation of what Kerry says is correct then its still pandering to his audience (IE why not tell the arabs the fence is legitimate and tell the Jews the route is a barrier to peace?) But Kaus also points out some other things - the recent Bush - Kerry dust up over military service and national security stands is distracting the media from the Edwards campaign, just before super Tuesday. The Bush support for the anti gay marriage amendment has the same effect. Could it be that the White House is afraid of Edwards, and WANTS to run againt Kerry??? |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2004-2-25 2:41:08 PM |
| #5 Barrier has been in the language for a long time meaning both a literal obstacle and a metaphorical one. Yasser Arafat is a barrier to peace, and ive seen him as one since summer 2000. And i cant seem to recall a use of the word barrier to refer to the security fence in or before October 2003. So Rabinowitz may well be right. Of course that fails to answer WHAT Kerry war referring to as an obstacle in that speech - probably not Arafat, since it was before an arab audience. But he could have been referring to certain possible routes for the fence - whose route the Israeli govt has modified and is now looking at modifying further. Kerry has yet to "sell" me on this set of issues, but if you think youve got a smoking gun here you're fooling yourselves. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2004-2-25 2:25:55 PM |
| #4 DPA -- Nah, that guy's right. The word "barrier" was added to the English language in November of last year. All previous usages have been struck by the ALA and NEA. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-2-25 1:27:10 PM |
| #3 On the fence about a fence - did Dr. Suess write this chapter? |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-2-25 12:37:03 PM |
| #2 "Steve Rabinowitz, a Democratic strategist in Washington, said he sees no contradiction. "Kerryâs position is no different from Bushâs," he said. "The word âbarrierâ was not even in the lexicon back in October when we only talked about fences and walls. He was obviously talking about obstacles to peace, not physical fences. I donât see anything contradictory at all between then and now." " Does that guy think we're all morons or what? Only a lawyer would say something that ridiculous... this guy must have been one. |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-2-25 12:23:02 PM |
| #1 Ah and the peaceniks gather around his Lordship with wide open eyes, while his wife continues donating money to protest the U.S. invasion of Iraq, demand open U.S. borders, provide the legal defense of suspected terrorists and promote the spread of Islamist ideology in the U.S. Meanwhile in a hole in the Middle East the Imamas leap for joy for their saviour from the Infidel Devil Bush. Yes Kerry-Fonda in 2004........what this country needs |
| Posted by: dataman1 2004-2-25 12:11:36 PM |