A Graceful Exit
John Kerry spoke with Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s Late Edition this morning. Here’s a taste of what they discussed.
BLITZER: Well, what do you think of what the president just said, that we’re going to stay in Iraq to get the job done? There’s not going to be, in his words, “a graceful exit” out of Iraq.
KERRY: Well, I think every American hopes that indeed there will be a graceful exit. And that’s what this last election was about. It really was a resounding vote for change in our policy in Iraq.
KERRY : And I think everything that you’re seeing
- the Hadley memo that was leaked, now the Rumsfeld memo that was leaked -they all indicate that in fact, there was very different thinking inside the administration than the administration has been sharing with the American public.BLITZER: And you welcome that.
KERRY : Well, I welcome
- I mean, these are things -look, everything in the Rumsfeld memo is a summary of things that I and others laid out three years ago. I mean, Wolf, this is rather extraordinary. We’ve had young Americans on the front lines losing lives and limbs for the last three years while many of us have been offering alternatives for a way to be successful, and the administration has consistently shut that down.Now we see they’re embracing the very things that we talked about. I’m glad. What’s important now is not the leaks. What’s important is the policy. We have to get this right, as a country. I think King Abdullah’s warning…
BLITZER: King Abdullah of Jordan.
KERRY : ... that you could have three
- King Abdullah of Jordan -and, you know, no one’s covered the Middle East more than you. You understand this. The threat of three civil wars at the same time ought to bring all of us together with urgency.[...] The bottom line is, there is no military solution. General Casey has accepted that. All of the military has accepted that. And in fact, the administration has.
If that’s true, then you have to come back and say, all right, what are the dynamics of getting a solution? Well, the fundamental problem here is a problem between the stakeholders. The Sunni don’t have oil revenues, don’t have security with respect to Baghdad and the Sunni triangle, and don’t have security with respect to the future and the kind of state that the Shia want to create.
The Shia, on the other hand, have won at the ballot box everything they’ve been denied for over 200 years, and they’re not about to give it up easily, and they have oil.
[...] And certainly, anything that we do cannot be American-imposed. That is one of the lessons of the last several years. So any talk of saying, we’re going to divide up the country or we’re going to do this or that is a mistake.
...we can’t impose it. I’ve said since the first day that Peter Galbraith, Les Gelb, Joe Biden and others talked about this.
That represents something you may be able to achieve, but the question is, how do you get from here to there? The only way to get from here to there is by having the political stakeholders come to the table and resolve the differences. That requires a Dayton Accords- like summit. I’ve been calling for that for three years.
BLITZER: An international conference, if you will.
KERRY : Yes, sir. Absolutely.
BLITZER: And it looks like they’re moving on that. It’s probably going to be one of the recommendations of the Baker-Hamilton bipartisan Iraq study group.
KERRY : It will take a lot of groundwork. You’ll have to lay the groundwork. You can’t just suddenly call a summit. You have to put the pieces together. But the bottom line is, the surrounding countries, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Gulf states, Egypt, et cetera, are Sunni.
They have an interest in not having an Iraq that comes apart. They have an interest in not having a regional civil war. They have an interest in not having Sunnis brothers and sisters murdered, killed in a genocide. So, those stakeholders have to be brought to the table.
There’s nothing like seeing and hearing it for yourself though. Check out the video and the complete transcript.
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Bravo! This (matters of international diplomacy) is where I want my President to be a broad, complicated, nuanced and complex thinker/speaker. :-) Peoria wants this too. (In a five second soundbite.)
Finally! A news interview that deals with the problems this country faces.
Senator Kerry was on his game, and anybody that thinks he is wishy washy or doesn’t say what he means needs to see that interview.
“HOME RUN, Senator Kerry! You hit it out of the park!”
When I turned on the television to watch this interview early this morning, I was expecting a re-play of Senator Kerry’s ‘Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer’ interview from earlier in the week. It was a pleasant surprise to see that the Senator was ‘live’, especially considering the leak of the Rumsfeld memo.
Because of the news about this memo, Senator Kerry was finally proven right BY RUMSFELD HIMSELF…and given the opportunity to say to the WHOLE COUNTRY what those of us here have been hearing him say for a long time: We need a political solution to the war in Iraq. He laid out his plan clearly before the American people. I just hope they are watching.
Now, those of us who know how important it is to elect a President in 2008, based on intelligence and experience, rather than on polls and superficial political traits, such as ‘likeability’, need to push the media (CNN and others) to show clips from Georgetown, October 26, 2005 and Dissent, April 22, 2006…where Senator Kerry passionately called for EXACTLY what he spelled out today. Then, we will have ‘our’ President. :)
Excellent! Senator Kerry knowledgeably lays out a thoughtful plan, which takes into consideration the region, players, dynamics, stakes and realities, and defines the best approach—-one that brings our troops home and respects the Iraqis’ right to determine their own future! This is leadership!
YvonneCa, yes. Already the headlines on Reuters is: “Bush considering Rumsfeld options on Iraq” instead of “.... Kerry’s Options on Iraq”
http://today.reuters.com/news/home.aspx
Oh, for a fully functioning and established opposition government in this country! Newspapers, media and all the trimmings!
This was an incredible interview (and I’ll even compliment Wolf Blitzer with sticking to policy, not silliness). Anyway, Kerry’s statement about McCain struck me as very interesting. I wrote a diary about it:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/12/3/141751/951#c1
Posted by kj | December 3, 2006 3:29 PM
KJ,
I have sent a link of that interview to my e-mail list, posted a link on several blogs and will be sending out and posting some more. As per Charle’s post in the last thread, we have to take responsibility here and get the word out to as many people as we can. Then maybe the MSM will report what we already know.
I think we can also go to some quasi conservative (read independent as well) web sites and remind them, with that video link, that what they are being told is a conservative/neocon recommendation has been John Kerry’s plan all along.
Posted by beachmom | December 3, 2006 3:48 PM
Excellent diary, beachmom. Great summary and analysis, and a fascinating history lesson.
Highly recommended.
Posted by beachmom | December 3, 2006 3:48 PM
Excellent diary Beachmom. Am glad that you delved into the history of “stabbed in the back”, I can see how that is exactly how they want it to be played out. This is a must read.
Posted by kj | December 3, 2006 3:29 PM
This is another set up to get them out of trouble. I’m very suspicious of this so called “memo"many questions loom in my mind. How come I smell a rat ?
How much will other Dems be resistant to give Kerry credit on this, as well.
With you, fedup, the memo is real? Absolutely?
Posted by Charles | December 3, 2006 11:34 AM
Charles and Oncall,
I agree. The issues people care about in their daily lives aren’t being heard.
Senator Kerry,
That was a fantastic interview you had this morning on CNN. I there any way you can have the same interview with Tim Russert on Meet The Press? CNN is Okay, but MTP is prime-time.
It is interviews like that, that remind me why you should be POTUS.
Beachmom,
My compliments to you. I see your post at DKos - regarding the interview - is on the recommended page.
oncall,
great idea. if you don’t mind, i’ll write a letter to the editor and spread JK’s plan here on the ground.
fedup and marjorie,
rats, the entire lot of them.
kj:
Eh? How’s that? fedup and marjorie are rats, the entire lot of them?? Why, I never!
Interesting account on Kos here of McCain smackdown - Iraq is not Vietnam.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/12/3/141751/951
Senator Kerry, so very proud of your powerful interview with Wolf Blitzer today on “Late Edition.”
I, too, would like to see you as a guest on “Meet the Press” without delay, and have emailed my humble request to Tim Russert a few moments ago.
Also, emails were sent to Wolf Blitzer, Alan Colmes, Rita Cosby, and Keith Olbermann with a request to air clips of your October 26, 2005 passionate “Iraq” speech delivered at Georgetown University. You were in front of the pack on Iraq and deserve to be acknowledged, Sir.
For sure, we need to keep the momentum going.
Here is a letter I wrote to Dr. Thomas Sowell of the Hoover Institute. I think it speaks for itself:
Thomas Sowell in an op-ed piece for the National Journal online dated November 2, 2006 states:
....Tim Russert is the only major media commentator who has ever asked him why he will not open his military records, as President Bush has done.
Kerry has said that he would, that he has, and yet to this day he has never signed the simple form that Bush signed to make the facts available to all.¹
It is a good thing that Dr. Sowell doesn’t list historical accuracy as one of his areas of expertise at the Hoover Institution.
For the record, Senator Kerry did release his military records and did sign the form (Form 180) over a year ago.
After the election, on May 20, 2005, he did sign a Standard Form 180, allowing full release of all his military service and medical records to the Associated Press, the Boston Globe, and the Los Angeles Times.²
Dr. Sowell may be interested to learn that the consensus is that the released records were basically the same as what Senator Kerry had posted on his site, and there was no attempt to mislead the public.
Thomas Sowell is guilty of perpetuating a lie. As a Hoover Institute Senior Fellow, I would think he would be more careful about signing an editorial that distorts the truth. He should publish an apology for misleading the readers about his error. Or maybe Dr. Sowell prefers to have the same type of “expert reputation” as Rush Limbaugh? If Dr. Sowell doubts the veracity of my complaint, I have provided three references for him. I also suggest that Dr. Sowell reserve his commentary for one of his areas of “expertise”: Economics, social decision making, ethnicity.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1) http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjU4MzBkYjEzNWM3MmNiNzkyZTZmMTlmNGQzODQ0MTc=
2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry_military_service_controversy
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/28/washington/28kerry.html?ex=1306468800&en=7158a80120f0ee5a&ei=5089
http://mediamatters.org/items/200506100008
No wrong inference taken on the ratty emphasis, but thanks for the defense, Otter.
Paw shake to you.
While the good Senator claims he is for the troops, lauds his service as a combat veteran, it is very noteable that while anyone stationed at an APO or FPO address can not e-mail comments, requests, or address problems.
In other words, if you are a deployed Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine, Senator Kerry does not really want to hear from you and does not allow you to address him.
But it is noteable that his donations webpage allows donations from APO and FPO addresses.
I think John Kerry ‘s appearances on the TV shows this week were great He is very focused on the business on our Country especially getting things right on Iraq, He was very statesman like and showed his working knowledge of foreign affairs.
Political people for all their own self serving reasons have really tried to knock JK out of action because of his vulnerability these past couple of weeks but JK showed he is going to have none of it. That’s leadership. It is reassuring that JK will not retreat and will continue to speak about the important issues.
Mike D:
I’m not quite sure what you’re referring to when you claim that no one at an APO or FPO address can email the Senator.
Here’s the contact information here at johnkerry.com which includes the email address support@johnkerry.com.
It can be found by clicking on the link “Contact Us” which appears at the bottom of every page on this website.
Terrific piece by Mark Barrett at the Premise this morning on John Kerry and the Iraq war
http://www.thepremise.com/
(see piece dated Dec 4, 2006, 3:04 am)
“For the past four years now, the best voice on Iraq has been John Kerry. Starting with his floor statement on the Iraq War Resolution vote, through his opposition to the launch of the war before Bush pulled the trigger, right up to today, nobody has been more consistently accurate and engaged about what to do about Iraq than John Kerry.
But we can’t say that. We can’t notice that one person, again and again, gets it right.
Why?”
See url above for rest of this insightful piece.
BOLTON RESIGNS !!!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16036708
Mike D,
Have you tried again? I would really like to know if you are able to get your message(s) to Senator Kerry. I think if he were aware that there was a problem, he would be sure it was corrected.
John Bolton, the Bush administration’s interim ambassador to the U.N., has officially resigned his recess appointment. Here’s what Senator Kerry had to say about Mr. Bolton’s resignation, as noted elsewhere on this site:
and another one bites the dust,
Otter
Buh-bye John Bolton.
The idea that Bolton should in any way be associated with the NOTION of diplomacy, much less the actual PRACTICE of diplomacy was always ludicrous.
At least in this case, even the Congress agreed. That alone says something.
Kerry attacker exposed as fraud:
http://liberalvaluesblog.com/?p=718
While the Swift Boat Liars falsely claim Kerry lied about his war record, one of Kerry’s recent attackers on the botched joke has been exposed for lying about serving in Vietnam.
Yes.
And besides, if I hadda listen to him sing “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” one more time, I swear I was gonna plotz.
johnny be gone,
Otter
A yiddish otter, who knew?
Just sharing this great news:
Cogratulations!
I realize the subject has changed a bit, but I wanted to add my opinion on Senator Kerry’s cable news appearances. I enjoy Senator Kerry’s appearances on these political news talk shows, he seems to get better and better. I think he might want to consider doing an entertainment talk program such as “The Tonight Show” or “David Letterman”. This may allow him to reach new people with his ideas and show them what a concerned and caring person he is.
As for, President Bush’s comments regarding no graceful exit out of Iraq,I am not surrprised- our President seems to be acting and lashing out like a spoiled child that hasn’t gotten his own way. With mature leadership, I am certain, like Senator Kerry, there can be a graceful exit from Iraq.
From the Otteworld Quoted Without Comment Department:
“To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.”
—Donald A. Adams
By the way, I want to point out something you might not have noticed about this blog—just because they’ve switched to a new thread up top, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some good discussions happening back on the previous thread too.
For example, if you look at the previous “JK on the Blogs” topic at http://blog.johnkerry.com/2006/12/jk_on_the_blogs_5.html you will see there’s some interesting comments still being made on that thread as well as this one.
So don’t forget to check on the previous thread or two when you drop by to see what’s new on this blog, or you might miss out on other parts of the ongoing conversations here.