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Edited on Mon Jan-19-04 09:15 PM by WiseMen
America is at war. It is at war around the world and it is at war within the homeland. The Republican administration has the nation in the grip of fear and seems able and willing to use this fear to its own ends. It is now clear that unless the Democratic party can make its bid for power on the basis of a enormous strength of new leadership and a compelling vision for the future, a nervous electorate will not vote for change.
Among a field of highly qualified candidates, only Senator John Kerry can be viewed as fully prepared to provide this new leadership when he assumes the Presidency.
On the campaign trail, John Kerry has shown he can stand and deliver a passionate call to arms, and thoughtful answers to the questions of our time. But, even more important, Kerry brings to the battle for the White House a personal history, and a record in matters of national security, social policy and governmental reform that allow him to speak with a clear voice without hypocrisy as he rallies the nation to a better way.
Personal Character
Graduating from Yale University, John Forbes Kerry, a wealthy, multilingual, world citizen, had many options before him. Yet he answered his nation’s call to service and enlisted to fight and lead men in a dubious war in a distant land. He did this because he believed it was wrong to let someone less fortunate, serve, fight and die in his place. For bravery, and sacrifice in a war he came to oppose, his nation gave him the Silver Star, Bronze Star and 3 Purple Hearts.
John Kerry followed his tour of military duty with a life of service, working to end the War in which he fought and leading a thank-less multi-decade effort to expose corruption in U.S. foreign policy, championing the environment, and pinch-hitting in the Senate for almost every cause that affected the lives of the poor and disenfranchised.
Kerry now asks the people he has served to let him take the fight to George W. Bush, a man who ducked service to country when he was "young and irresponsible," and now dis-serves his country in the office of the President.
Iraq War and National Security
In 1991 John Kerry opposed a war in the Persian Gulf because he saw U.S. militarization of the region as a potential long-term disaster. Kerry thought that the Gulf conflict was not just avoidable, but a war that should be avoided. In October, 2002 John Kerry voted for George Bush’s Iraq War Resolution (IWR) because he believed it was the only way to force resolution of the Iraq tragedy by restarting the U.N. inspection process. He believed the President of the United States when he said that war would be "a last resort". At the time of the vote, he gave a substantial, thoughtful speech on the Senate floor. Kerry said he would strongly opposed any unilateral movement to war and that he did not believe that Saddam’s threat was yet imminent. He kept is word and led the opposition during the U.N. debates against Bush’s "rush to war," his reckless and incompetent foreign policy.
John Kerry says is was a mistake to trust the President on the IWR. He stumbled. Yet his decorated military service, his two decades of participation in international diplomacy as a leader in the Senate and as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, allows him challenge George Bush’s conduct of war and foreign policy in a post 9/11 world and prepares him to quickly re-direct U.S. policy upon being sworn into office.
Domestic Policy
John Kerry gets the best scores from independent groups for his environmental record and for issues affecting the working poor. For thirty years Kerry has fought for labor rights, women’s rights and campaign finance reform. Kerry’s record is solid on education and social security. Despite significant political cost, Kerry has opposed capital punishment, the NRA and all the fat-cat special interest lobby groups camped out in Washington.
Few senators have maintained a record so widely regarded as above reproach – free of special-interest lobby deals or pork-barrel legislation. John Kerry’s legendary indifference to special interest initiatives has been widely slammed as arrogance, aloofness and even neglect of his "constituents."
Government Reform
Kerry’s record of pubic service as a prosecutor, in State Government and as a senator has been long been open to scrutiny. John Kerry is the one with a passion for cleaning house. He has fought to expose covert government actions from South-East Asian and Central America, for public disclosure of campaign financing and for the freedom of Information in the nation's capital.
Kerry has himself been a principal target of secret investigations carried out by the Nixon Administration in the 70's when Kerry led the anti-war effort. In the senate Kerry helped shape and push the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform, supported the ban on soft money and fought with Paul Wellstone for clean-government legislation
Much more that campaign rhetoric, it is the totality of John Kerry’s life of service and his record of making a stand on controversial issues that shows him to be ready to be a President for our time. The crises we face signal we must seek the best candidate for President not the best campaign. A fair review will tell: that person is Senator John Forbes Kerry. But, it will not happen, unless we chose to make it so.
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