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| Global Test? Kerry Failed the Constitutional Test |
| 2004-10-02 |
| If the deciding issue in this campaign were to be which candidate is a smoother debater, John Kerry would win. George W. Bush was painfully inarticulate at times last night. Yet, the biggest gaffe in the debate was not stylistic. It was deeply substantive. And it didn't come from President Bush. It came from Senator Kerry, who delivered it in plain English. It came when Jim Lehrer asked Kerry to state his position on preemptive war. "No president, through all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America. But if and when I do it, Jim, you have to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons." |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #8 My God! Kerry flip-flopped in the same sentence. I will not cede authority before I cede authority to a global test..... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-10-02 10:46:24 AM |
| #7 Never mind. The WaPo has a transcript, and the correct quote from Kerry is: "No president, though all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America. But if and when you do it, Jim, you have to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons." (Emphasis mine) It's clear from this that the "if and when you do it" referred to acting preemptively, not to ceding authority to other nations. Sorry, but no "gotcha" there. (Except for the entire "Global test" nonsense, that is.) |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2004-10-02 9:58:29 AM |
| #6 Wow! I didn't catch that. Got an online transcript I can check out? |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2004-10-02 9:50:25 AM |
| #5 Please correct me but reading what Kerry said I understand that from this phrase "No president, through all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America. But if and when I do it,... Means he would consider ceding the right to preempt? Does "it passes a Global test" mean When France agrees? |
| Posted by: Cynic 2004-10-02 9:43:46 AM |
| #4 "Global test" is a gaffe in the making Kerry is sure to regret before too long, and rightfully so. But the number one gaffe which will survive this election which will be used again in time as a classic, was Kerry's unintentionally hilarious remark: "I voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it." |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-10-02 8:46:58 AM |
| #3 Kerry's going to regret that stupid remark. Not only is it laughable and contemptible on its face, he said it with such total conviction that it reveals something fundamental about him: a neurotic need for peer approval. For him, being liked-- and getting warm fuzzies and attaboys-- will take priority over getting the job done. I shudder when I think of what kind of world we're going to be confronted with if we're dumb enough to put a pushover in the White House. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2004-10-02 8:30:47 AM |
| #2 Is the Global Test going to have Word Problems on it? I hate those things. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-10-02 7:37:46 AM |
#1 Kerry doesn't respect the constitutional authority of the constitutional office he holds now. Why should Americans trust him with a higher one?Why, indeed? I wouldn't vote for Kerry for dogcatcher. I have too much respect for dogs. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-10-02 2:44:19 AM |