Hypothetical: Kerry comes out and apologizes for IRW

[aldian159]

The man gets down on his knees and begs for forgiveness. He's 100% sincere.

What's your response?

[LuminousX]

1. It depends on his commitment

If the next day we capture Osama in Iraq, will Kerry be saying "See, it was a good thing we went into Iraq and it was a good thing I supported Bush's decision to do that."

John Kerry is Mealy-mouthed.

[liberalnurse]

2. He needs to really mean it and give

Dean credit for his efforts to expose *bush's lies about the IWR.

That will work.

[sweetcee]

3. It also

is not gonna happen.

[liberalnurse]

14. I kinda thought it would be a cold

day in 7734.

[Qutzupalotl]

4. He could do it, and make it work.

It would be easy. "I'm sorry I ever trusted the pResident."

[ibegurpard]

5. This won't happen

It's not a big enough deal for the majority of the population so they won't do it. But I think they underestimate how big of a deal it is for enough people to possibly hurt him.

[Guaranteed]

9. He can't win.

This is why he's a bad choice. He's stuck in the middle.

This is only going to happen over and over.

[flaminbats]

10. Intelligent leaders learn from mistakes, rather than passing the buck...

besides, I thought Shrub was the waffler-in-chief. First we can expect him to backtrack and acknowledge Iraq was a disaster, then he'll try to pin the blame for our dead American troops on Congress and Rumsfeld.

[charlie]

6. I'd smack him

I was utterly dismayed with his vote, but it's too late for that. The RNC would eviscerate him -- flip-flopping on the most important issue of our time, too soft to be Commander in Chief, pandering to the patchouli peaceniks in his party, blah, blah. He can apologize after he's in office.

[Padraig18]

7. If he meant it, I'd forgive him. n/t

[Guaranteed]

8. I tell you right now...the first candidate between Kerry and Edwards

to come clean and make it very clear that they know what they did was wrong would for sure get my vote in the GE. I'm not talking about saying, "I'm sorry I trusted Bush," because that's shirking responsibility. But, admitting that they should have stood up for what was right when it mattered would be a helluva good start in regaining MY trust and their integrity.

Until they admit that what they did was WRONG, I will have a very tough time bringing myself to the polls for them.

[jmaier]

13. I'm sympathetic to your feelings

but either Kerry or Edwards making a public pronouncement like that would be a very, very stupid political move at this juncture in the election.

[Guaranteed]

16. Well, it depends on how you look at it.

Yeah, it could make it tougher to scrum in the middle, but it would shore up his left flank MASSIVELY.

I think Kerry would win a couple million votes in the GE simply for apologizing.

It would also be a back-handed slap at Bush- really, it would be pretty psychologically devastating to the Repukes to see Kerry distancing himself from the Iraq War like that. I actually think that he could pull it off if he did it correctly.

Maybe he should wait until after the nomination, though.

[tobius]

11. Who would believe he was sincere?

It would just reinforce the "waffler" stereotype.

[Guaranteed]

12. I'd believe it (delivered properly)

I actually think that if he wants to unite the party, he HAS to do this.

Dean supporters aren't going to budge much- he could very well lose without their support.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

15. Other:

The line of demarcation for attrition will be moved.

[Guaranteed]

17. The line hasn't moved up until now.

Why would it move then?

He actually moved closer to it before Saddam's capture...and people recognized it here on DU. He gained support, and the line did NOT move then.