"Global Test"... That comment was a mistake.

[zaj]

What did he mean, because the Repugs are spinning it in the obvious direction.

[liberal N proud]

1. What I think he meant that you can't just go out and attack countries

unprovoked with out support from other nations.
We invaded Iraq just as Hitler invaded Poland, France and other nations.
If we don't at least test the waters with the rest of the world before going into battle, then we soon will have the world on our doorstep and we will be post WWII Germany.

[dmkinsey]

2. Bush, on the global test,

"I never passed a test in mah life"
(Instant reaction from a guy at our debate party)

[wtmusic]

3. Bad choice of words

could have been more specific, but he didn't want to bring up the UN.

I never thought I'd see the day when the UN was seen in a negative light.

[The Doctor.]

4. Unfortunately the 'morans' won't understand..

It is so very sad that Americans still don't understand that they are part of a Global community.
When enough countries get pissed at us, they will call in their debts against the U.S. The bottom will drop out of the dollar and we'll be in the worst economic crisis since the depression.
Then all the countries that relied on Foreign Aid will suffer, followed by mass uprisings and genocide.
Yes, the U.S. is 'banking' on no one calling in our debt, but that won't last if we keep deficit spending and pissing people off.

[eleny]

5. He said that the global test ...

...was something you could pass *after* taking unilateral action. The spin is based on another GOP lie tactic. Kerry never said we would have to pass a global test before taking action.

[BurtWorm]

6. The Repugs assume that the world is necessarily going to say no to the US.

Democrats don't assume that. Democrats assume that the US, if it acts honorably and as we expect other nations to behave, will say yes. So of course Republicans hate the idea of a global test. They know that their policies *can't* pass it. This is the same reason they're afraid of the ICC. They believe Americans are at risk for prosecution because THEY put Americans at risk for prosecution. THEY commit war crimes and order soldiers to commit war crimes.

[MrMonk]

7. "global test"?

I've looked throughout the transcript for those words. Bush says them in response to Kerry's statement about honoring global *treaties*. If you can find a statement by Kerry in which he referred to a "global test", please point me to it.

On edit: Never mind.
Someone e-mailed the following to me:
From NYT:

Mr. Kerry The president always has the right and always has had the right for pre-emptive strike. That was a great doctrine throughout the cold war. And it was always one of the things we argued about with respect to arms control. No president through all of American history has ever ceded and nor would I the right to pre-empt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America.

But if and when you do it, Jim, you've got to do it in a way that passes the test. That passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing. And you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons.

Here we have our own secretary of state who's had to apologize to the world for the presentation he made to the United Nations. I mean we can remember when President Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis sent his secretary of state to Paris to meet with de Gaulle. And in the middle of the discussion to tell them about the missiles in Cuba he said, here, let me show you the photos. And de Gaulle waved him off and said, no, no, no. The word of the president of the United States is good enough for me. How many leaders in the world today would respond to us as a result of what we've done in that way?

So what is at test here is the credibility of the United States of America and how we lead the world. And Iran and North Korea are now more dangerous. Now whether pre-emption is ultimately what has to happen or not I don't know yet. But I'll tell you this as president I'll never take my eye of that ball.

[Awsi Dooger]

12. A question directed to Kerry regarding the standard for preemptive force

He used the term global test early in his answer. Bush immediately pounced on the phrase during his reply, something like, "I don't know what my opponent means by global test."

[gasperc]

8. he's used that statement many times

the Global test meaning does the accusation carry weight internationally

if we have the evidence, we can go in unilaterally, but we obviously never "had the goods on Saddam" as woodward stated many a times about Bush

[Awsi Dooger]

9. I cringed when Kerry said that

You could tell it was impromptu and not prepared. He raised his right hand up to near shoulder level to indicate a standard that needed to be met before a preemptive attack, then blurted out "global test." Ouch.

Kerry understands any war, especially premptive, has longterm and worldwide consequence, both in actual and reputation, and therefore needs to be evaluated beforehand as such. The simpleton Bush clan with its nuke-those-bastards mentality can only see the here and now and our supposed best interests.

We will be bombarded with that phrase the remainder of the campaign.

[belle]

10. It just sounds sort of meaningless to me. shrug.

[DeepModem Mom]

11. My Gen Y kid says it acknowledges that we live in a global world...

in just about every way possible. The statement could have been an unscripted glimpse of Kerry's superior understanding of the situation our country finds itself in in an increasingly global reality, and an understanding, shared with some of our youngest Americans (according to some early studies), of the future. The world does not dictate to us, but we ignore, or antagonize, it at our peril.

[cheshire]

13. I took it like it was the same test of a man, can you stand up and handle

life. Or in this case a president.

[alarcojon]

14. I think he wanted to say "smell test" but decided against it.

I agree that that choice of words leaves him open for the freepers, but so what? They were going to lie, spin, and distort Kerry's message no matter what he said.

[flpoljunkie]

15. Read the transcript. He explains he means "legitimacy" at home & abroad

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/01/politics/campaign/01dtext.html?oref=login&pagewanted=all&position=

Mr. Lehrer New question, two minutes, Senator Kerry. What is your position on the whole concept of pre-emptive war?

Mr. Kerry The president always has the right and always has had the right for pre-emptive strike. That was a great doctrine throughout the cold war. And it was always one of the things we argued about with respect to arms control. No president through all of American history has ever ceded and nor would I the right to pre-empt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America.

But if and when you do it, Jim, you've got to do it in a way that passes the test. That passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing. And you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons.

Here we have our own secretary of state who's had to apologize to the world for the presentation he made to the United Nations. I mean we can remember when President Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis sent his secretary of state to Paris to meet with de Gaulle. And in the middle of the discussion to tell them about the missiles in Cuba he said, here, let me show you the photos. And de Gaulle waved him off and said, no, no, no. The word of the president of the United States is good enough for me. How many leaders in the world today would respond to us as a result of what we've done in that way?

So what is at test here is the credibility of the United States of America and how we lead the world. And Iran and North Korea are now more dangerous. Now whether pre-emption is ultimately what has to happen or not I don't know yet. But I'll tell you this as president I'll never take my eye of that ball.

[Sparkly]

16. There IS a standard for preemptive strike.

There IS such a thing as international law.
There IS such a thing as global responsibility.
There IS a high bar for bombing countries that haven't bombed us.

I can't believe they're trying to pretend there isn't!!

But if and when you do it, Jim, you have to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you‘re doing what you‘re doing and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons.

[HFishbine]

17. As Kerry said, QUITE FRIGGIN' CLEARLY

A global test means that if you take preemptive action, "you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons." (That's the "global test" and even pigboy knows it.)

The complete answer:
-----------

LEHRER: New question. Two minutes, Senator Kerry.

What is your position on the whole concept of preemptive war?

KERRY: The president always has the right, and always has had the right, for preemptive strike. That was a great doctrine throughout the Cold War. And it was always one of the things we argued about with respect to arms control.

No president, though all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America.

But if and when you do it, Jim, you have to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons.

Here we have our own secretary of state who has had to apologize to the world for the presentation he made to the United Nations.

KERRY: I mean, we can remember when President Kennedy in the Cuban missile crisis sent his secretary of state to Paris to meet with DeGaulle. And in the middle of the discussion, to tell them about the missiles in Cuba, he said, "Here, let me show you the photos." And DeGaulle waved them off and said, "No, no, no, no. The word of the president of the United States is good enough for me."

How many leaders in the world today would respond to us, as a result of what we've done, in that way? So what is at test here is the credibility of the United States of America and how we lead the world. And Iran and Iraq are now more dangerous -- Iran and North Korea are now more dangerous.

[Demit]

18. from the transcript:

I had thought Kerry was talking about the prerequisites for a just war, the conditions that have to exist for a war to be just. It's a "test" that the world has agreed on--that even the Pope alluded to. Here's the transcript portion:


"LEHRER: What is your position on the whole concept of preemptive war?

KERRY:  The president always has the right, and always has had the right, for preemptive strike.  That was a great doctrine throughout the Cold War.  And it was always one of the things we argued about with respect to arms control.

No president, though all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America. 

But if and when you do it, Jim, you have to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you‘re doing what you‘re doing and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons."

[zaj]

19. Ahh! Past Tense. It's the "can't get it wrong, ever" test.