Alvirne High School students grill Kerry

[Feanorcurufinwe]

U.S. Sen. John Kerry faced some tough questions Friday, ranging from his opinions on the war in Iraq to his recent performance at the CNN-Rock the Vote forum.

Kerry met with students at Alvirne High School. As part of an advanced placement government class, the students wrote to five Democratic presidential hopefuls, asking them to meet with them and other students.

<snip>

Students in the 1960s were able to make a huge difference on many fronts, including civil rights and women’s rights, he said.

Kerry criticized Bush for his tax cuts, which Kerry said have benefited only the wealthiest in the country, his stance on environmental issues and how he handled the war with Iraq.

“We need a president who has experience and knowledge, gut instinct on how to make America safer,” he said.

Fighting in Vietnam, Kerry said, he saw up close what happens when leaders make “lousy” decisions in a war.

One student, however, asked Kerry what the country should have done after coming under attack on Sept. 11, 2001.

Bush fooled Americans by diverting attention from the war on terrorism, Kerry said. Intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein was not linked to Sept. 11, he said, and the United States still has not found Osama bin Laden.

The country should have given United Nations weapons inspectors more time, Kerry said, and worked longer trying to persuade France and other allies to work with the United States as a coalition.

Kerry said he wanted to roll back some of Bush’s tax cuts, close tax loopholes and fully fund federal educational mandates.
http://nashuatelegraph.com/Main.asp?SectionID=25&SubSectionID=354&ArticleID=93068

[Khephra]

1. he saw up close what happens when leaders make “lousy” decisions in a war"

Amazing that he didn't learn how to keep from making "lousy" decisions on war once he got to be in the Senate.

If you're able to be fooled by Bush, then you're too much of a fool to beat Bush.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. Why did Dean believe Bush?

MR. RUSSERT: ...and I'll show it to you. You said in January, Governor, "I would be surprised if didn't have chemicals and biological weapons."

DR. DEAN: Oh, well, I tend to believe the president. I think most Americans tends to believe the president. It turns out that what the president was saying and what his administration's saying wasn't so. We don't know why that is. So...
http://www.onlisareinsradar.com/archives/001560.php

You say: "If you're able to be fooled by Bush, then you're too much of a fool to beat Bush."

So I guess Dean isn't your candidate. Who do you support?

[Khephra]

5. Ahhhh..."I tend to believe..."

is as bad as a WAR VET--who never lets you forget he's a WAR VET and that he SAW the results of a FU war--voting for a War Resolution?

hehehe sorry, but Kerry, by his own statements and touting of his war record, was in a better postion than most to know how much Bush was pulling everyone's string.

Dean "tended to believe" but Kerry ignored letters from his voters and his own past experience. In this case, Kerry's past experience points to the fact that he should have been the last person to have been fooled--but he was.

Repeat Dean's "tend" statement as much as you want. Kerry is the guy who claims to understand screwed-up wars, but once he got into a postion of power he just did the same thing as those who supported Vietnam. He simply forgot the lessons of HIS OWN past.

Thanks for the laugh. Each day I'm reminded of how out-of-touch Kerry and his supporters are about the War Resolution.

[Scott Lee]

4. So he, up close, helped a president make a shitty war decision

Makes sense.

[Voltaire99]

2. Although I find Kerry rather dull and accomodating...

...even someone unimpressed by him can see it's useful for these kids to hear criticism of Bush - in their very classroom.

That's why the nomination process is useful, even when the nominees are a lot of Tweedle Dums and Dees: you get the critical message into the media, into schools, into the calcified veins of Bush Land.