Sen. Kerry facing first Democratic foe in decades

[UpInArms]

Source: Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- Sen. John Kerry is facing his first primary opponent since he first took office 23 years ago, and his challenger has one issue in mind: The senator's 2003 vote authorizing President Bush to launch military action against Iraq.

Ed O'Reilly said he was so incensed by Kerry's vote that he gave up his law practice to devote himself full-time to ousting the Democratic 2004 presidential nominee from office.

"I looked at that and said 'What kind of person would vote for a war knowing it's wrong?'" said O'Reilly, who supported Kerry's 2004 presidential bid after initially backing Howard Dean. "John Kerry knew the vote was wrong but to increase his chances to become president he voted for it anyway. It was a calculated vote based on his own political ambition."

Kerry has defended his vote, saying it was intended to give Bush a strong hand in seeking international sanctions - an option he says the White House did not pursue effectively.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/K/KERRY_CHALLENGER?SITE=MOCOD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-06-29-14-36-16

[beachmom]

1. Kerry will win easily. He authored the Kerry/Feingold amendment calling

for a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, back in June 2006. He has been a leader calling for our withdrawal from Iraq, and nudged the entire party in his direction since 2006.

[Napoleon Bonaparte]

4. I have no major disagreements with Kerry

And I doubt the people of Massachusetts have any such disagreements. He will win easily.

[Mojambo]

2. I don't think it's much of a threat, but I do enjoy seeing incumbents challenged

It's a good thing.

[ryanmuegge]

9. Sure is. That's why they pull all of the shit that they do - the incumbency rate.

That said, I think Kerry's one of the best we've got today. I thought it was ludicrous that he was challenged for being inconsistent in 2004 when he's had one of the most consistently progressive voting records of anybody in the senate (other than the huge fuck up on the IWR).

[SheilaT]

3. i believe that each and every Democrat

who voted to approve the war or to continue funding it should be challenged.

Granted, most of those challenges won't succeed, but the incumbents need to know that their votes have consequences.

[EFerrari]

6. Couldn't agree more. They get few or no consequences

for voting against our interests. Even if it's just a gesture, the challenge should be made.

[YvonneCa]

19. Kerry's not President...

...that's a consequence.

[bean fidhleir]

34. That's a statement that's either very silly and trivial, or very disgusting

It's like those statements that some wealthy white-collar criminal who has ruined the lives of thousands has "already suffered enough" by being caught and should be let go.

[BlueStater]

5. Kerry made a mistake back then but he's doing the right thing today

He's one of the few Democratic senators who hardly ever lets us down. You never see Kerry caving in to war funding and FISA crap.

[harmonicon]

7. shouldn't there be repercussions for that mistake?

So, yeah, it played a role in his losing the presidency, but apart from that, he's gotten off scott-free, while thousands of US soldiers are dead, and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis have been murdered. I think losing a senate seat would be a pretty small price to pay for having a hand in all of this death and destruction. Unfortunately, he'll win.

[Inuca]

8. Do you know anything about his challenger?

It would be unfortunate for MA to lose Kerry and get instead an empty gasbag.

[harmonicon]

12. no, I don't

I just hate that democracy in our country has turned into, in almost every instance, people arguing, "This piece of shitty isn't as stinky as that piece of shit!". Good lord, isn't there anyone who we can count on doing a good job? Is having to choose the best of a bad lot the best we can do?

[Inuca]

14. Kerry IS doing an excellent job

He is not perfect. Nobody is. He voyed the wrong way back in 2002 and he regrets it, probably more than we will ever know. But in spite of that, and maybe in a way in recent years because of that, he is an excellent senator and one of the best leaders the dems have. He is anything but a "bad lot" unless you are looking for perfection, which again does not really exist in real life, political or otherwise.

[YvonneCa]

18. I don't know who you are describing...

...but it sure isn't John Kerry.

[stillcool]

24. This is from the Herald..

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/op_ed/view.bg?articleid=1100523


O’Reilly, 55, a Gloucester lawyer, has a sense of humor, a blue-collar background and a penchant for challenging authority. One of six kids who grew up in his dad’s World War II veterans’ housing unit, he’s been a factory worker, firefighter, lobsterman, bank teller, prison guard and city councilor. He worked his way through UMass-Amherst and the New England School of Law.

I sincerely hope that Senator Kerry stays my Senator.

[polmaven]

31. I agree wholeheartedly!

Doesn't O'Reilly look like Joe Kennedy, though? I thought that when he spoke at the Convention, and everyone around me was saying the same thing.

One of the biggest reasons I am so against Kerry being the VP candidate, though, is because here, I don't think he can run for both, and that might make me try to put an X next to the name ...O'Reilly...:scared:

I really don't know if my hand would cooperate! EEEEWWWW!!!!!

[stillcool]

32. I wouldn't mind voting for someone..

other than Kerry. I was disappointed when John Bonifaz lost the Secretary of State race. I would vote for him in a heartbeat.

[polmaven]

35. Don't get me wrong -

I could vote for someone other than Kerry as well - I just don 't know if my brain wold let my hand vote for - THAT name! :crazy:

[YvonneCa]

17. I think not becoming president...

...was enough of a 'repercussion'...for John Kerry AND the country. And then there's the part about his speech on the Senate floor against the war, explaining his vote. And then there's the part about the Congress being mislead (like we all were) in 2002. And then there's the part about trusting Bush...which was a mistake, for sure. And then there's the part about all he has done since 2004 to make things right for the country.

If we lose John Kerry in the Senate...for whatever reason...the country will have lost a great patriot. :patriot:

[stillcool]

25. I am grateful that he is my Senator..

Aside from that Iraq War vote, which he has apologized for, he has not let me down.

[harmonicon]

29. yeah, but apart from that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln? (NT)

[stillcool]

30. It's a shame...

that I choose to forgive what he has said was a mistake, and a vote he regrets. It's also a shame that Teddy's seat is in question. It's also a shame that the guy that is running against him has zero experience in politics. It's a shame O'Reilly didn't choose to run for a position in the State government first. Perhaps you will vote for O'Reilly?

[girl gone mad]

10. To be fair, it was a pretty huge mistake. n/t

[bean fidhleir]

33. Understatement of the year (nt)

[Twist_U_Up]

11. I say Skull + Bones wins

just a hunch

[Inuca]

15. Very funny n/t

[Ian David]

13. I'd prefer to see Kerry retire and Barney Frank take his seat. n/t

[Inuca]

16. And why would that be? n/t

[politicasista]

22. **crickets**

Hear the chirping?

[wisteria]

20. Old news. Senator Kerry need not worry, this guy O"Reilly isn't even ready for prime time.

Anyone who would vote against Senator Kerry is either crazy or not aware of how much he has done and continues to do for Mass.

This is just the media's attempt to stir things up.

[Stevepol]

21. Kerry would have made a fine prez, but he has no common sense about voting machines.

According to Mark Crispin Miller and a number of others, he claimed to be aware of the shenanigans in OH and NM and the unreliability of the voting machines, yet just rolled over immediately instead of at least pursuing it and making people aware of it.

In talking to people about the 04 election, the first response I get from people who are not convinced is "Well if there was something wrong, why didn't Kerry object to the vote?"

I think his complete roll over about OH was by far the worst thing that has happened to the election integrity movement in the US.

He wouldn't have had to demand anything. If he had just said what he apparently knew to be true, just mentioned it for God's sake, we'd be much better off than we are today in our efforts at keeping the vote from being manipulated so as to elect McCain, a very real possibility. "I have real concerns about the reliability of the vote count in OH based on reports from very trustworthy sources, but for the good of the country, I have decided to concede." etc. etc. Any of his brigade of lawyers could have written a line like that for him. Maybe that would have been expecting too much of somebody in his position, but it's the one "what if" that really disappointed me about him.

[stillcool]

26. Pursuing what?

It continues to amaze me that people blame Kerry for their own votes not counting, because they couldn't be counted. I can't wait for this coming election when the same thing happens again. Except for those 13 states that have legislated paper ballots and standard recounts after every election. They won't be blaming Obama but I'm sure any state that does not have paper ballots, will be screaming for Obama's head. It's all quite comical.

[politicasista]

27. Exactly.

While the Dems including McAuliffe are getting free passes to play while Kerry sits in the corner with a Dunce hat. (Just a metaphor).

[Purveyor]

23. Of course Kerry has not a worry in this challenge but IMHO, it is time for 'new life' in our party.

To many of these ole 'already greased and rode hard' types need to go...

The days of 'status quo' are over, witness Barack Obama.

[stillcool]

28. We'll have to see what happens with Teddy..

but I for one, like having both of these men represent me. I don't know all that much about O'Reilly, but from what I do know, I question his motives and his ability. I would think he would run for a position in the State Government.

[onenote]

36. I'd rather see the money being spent challenging Kerry spent to support

a Democrat challenging a repub incumbent.

[yurbud]

37. Everyone who voted for it knew Iraq would be no threat to us even with a handful of nukes

We have 10,000 nukes.

Any country that launched a nuke at us or gave one to a terrorist to detonate here could expect their country to be burned off the map before the mushroom cloud cleared here, so would only use them against us as a last, last resort.


The 2002 NIE on Iraq said as much, and George Tenet was forced to say it in testimony before the Senate before the war.

Further, we controlled the airspace over Iraq, so Saddam couldn't pee in his backyard without us seeing it.