re: GLOBAL TEST (Anti-smear tool kit)

[troublemaker]

There will be a Republican "global test" ad on TV by tomorrow and everyone should know the following:

The question was about pre-emptive military action. Kerry said he was for it. That is NOT controversial. (The Iraq war was "preventive") A pre-emptive war is when you strike forces poised to actually attack you. Pre-emption is settled US policy and settled policy in every nation now and throughout history. Pre-emption in self defense is a unilateral right of all nations.

Kerry said he would not hesitate to use pre-emptive force and went on to say he would use it with caution and wisdom. In his comments he fumbled around for a synonym for "all-encompassing and multi-disciplinary... taking in all factors" and came up with a perfectly good word for that concept, which is "global." Unfortunately that word is wide open to Republican cut-and-paste advertising and they WILL use it out of context. Their selective interpretation of Kerry's comments must be quashed before it gains traction.

Global means comprehensive Just set that aside in a mental corner for later use. It will be useful.

Please do not get drawn into mud-wrestling in Karl Roves personal mud puddle. Kerry's comment was not about getting allies for Iraq. It was a response to a future hypothetical about America's right to self-defense. Please don't try to spin it as being about multi-lateralism or the UN because that's RW spin, not what Kerry meant. Kerry knows the difference between pre-emptive and preventive. He was not saying that pre-emption requires any sort of international accord.

glob·al (adj.)
-Having the shape of a globe; spherical.
-Of, relating to, or involving the entire earth; worldwide: global war; global monetary policies.
-Comprehensive; total: “a... global, generalized sense of loss” (Maggie Scarf).
-Computer Science. Of or relating to an entire program, document, or file.