Middle East photo thread

[whometense]

Already!!!! :-)



US Democratic Senator and former presidential contender John Kerry (L) meets with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo. Kerry urged his rival in the 2004 elections, President George W. Bush , to kindle a dialogue with Iran and Syria in a bid to stabilize Iraq .(AFP/Amro Maraghi)
AFP via Yahoo! News - 39 minutes ago




U.S. senator John Kerry (L) meets with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the Al Itahedeya Palace in Cairo December 14, 2006. REUTERS/Stringer (EGYPT)

[blm]

1. GD or GDP, please. And THANKS for staying alert. ;)

.

[whometense]

3. Okay -

done.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3016112

[blm]

6. grazie, my dear.

.

[whometense]

2. And a Reuters story, too

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061214/pl_nm/egypt_kerry_dc_3

Senator Kerry urges dialogue with Iran, Syria

19 minutes ago

U.S. Senator John Kerry, the Democratic candidate for the presidency in 2004, said on Thursday the U.S. administration should talk to Syria and Iran.

Kerry also told reporters in Cairo he believed U.S. policy in the Middle East was in trouble, partly because the United States had failed to listen to people in the region.

He cited Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's advice in 2002 that a U.S. invasion of Iraq would lead to disaster. "Frankly, more people should have listened to him," he said after talks with Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.

"It's very important for countries to talk to each other, even when you disagree. We have serious differences with Syria right now, we have serious differencess with Iran, but you can't begin to resolve those differences if you're not willing to try to understand.. I think it's important to begin a discussion," said Kerry, a Massachusetts senator...

[TayTay]

4. Oh, he looks like a serious adult. Not McCain.

Here is a pic of Sen. John McCain in Iraq.




Apparently, he took some time out of a hard day of bowling and cooking barbque to wander over to the media and answer questions about the Iraq thing that's going on. (Either that or, the day nurses at the home dress me. Really, who else would wear that and then have a press conference?)

Geesh Senator McCain, you should sort of dress the part. I understand that 'dress for success' may not work in these circumstances and especially with that dopey 'throw more troops at Iraq and it'll work' thing, but still. Clothes do create an impression and you have to sometimes ask yourself, what is this open V-Neck sweater over a Hanes T-shirt saying about me? It ain't good honey, it ain't good.

[whometense]

7. heh.

Seriously, I think he did dress the part - of the old coot who doesn't quite get it.

I heard some quotes from him on the radio this morning, and - honestly - I thought he sounded as deluded as Bush does.

This one's a beauty too. And what company he keeps.

[wisteria]

8. They all look white as ghosts and aren't even outside the Green Zone. n/t

[whometense]

10. Yeah, that's pretty pasty-looking group.

And McCain looks like some guy who wandered in off the street.

[rox63]

44. Yeah, McCain looks like he's dressed to go out and mow the lawn

Not to meet with important people while representing the country.

[Island Blue]

39. Ooohh, those leather jackets make McCain & Leiberman look so hot and studly.

Not.

[beachmom]

43. Well, don't make me laugh. All I can think of now is Borat!!

Has anyone else seen that movie? I thought it was hilarious.

[_dynamicdems]

48. ICK, ICK, ICK, ICK, ICK!

"Born to Be Wild" eh?

Someone should tell these old dudes that their leather jacket days are behind them. Way behind them!

[jillan]

41. haha - look at Graham!

He looks like he is bored out of his mind.

What a bunch of losers...

[beachmom]

14. But wasn't Kerry dressed casually his last trip in Iraq, too?

Now, fashionwise, McCain looks terrible, but if you notice, everyone is dressed casually because it's a war zone. They have already taken a very not fun plane ride into the Baghdad airport and a very, very not fun ride in a helicopter to the green zone. Even Bush wasn't spared the awful spiraling evasive action flying experience in Iraq. I also know the members of the ISG went to Baghdad, and had a horrible, horrible time.

Let's wait for the pictures of Kerry in Iraq Dec. 2006, before we judge.

[TayTay]

16. Kerry was dressed casually in the field.

Maybe it's me, but that press conference is not taking place in the field.

[beachmom]

17. Oh yes -- that definitely is the Green Zone. But I thought he just

wore the same thing -- business casual with a leather jacket -- for his entire trip to Iraq, whether it was Baghdad, Mosul or Fallujah. If I recall, though, the last time he went to Iraq, there were no pictures.


Edited to add: I'm just saying you couldn't pay me enough money to go to even the Green Zone in Baghdad (which does get attacked a lot), so I just can't quite allow myself to judge them looking scared, because I would be, too. Of course, for me, John Kerry is a cut above them and although he felt fear in Vietnam, he didn't allow it to interfere with his job -- I don't imagine that being different here.

But . . . I swear he dressed casually, even in the Green Zone, but someone would have to refresh my memory.

[whometense]

18. I have to agree.

I forgot to add the caption:

U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Connecticut), 3rd right, speaks during a joint press conference with Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), far left, Senator Susan Collins (R- Maine), 2nd left, Senator Mark Kirk (R-Illinois), 3rd left, Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), 2nd right and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), far right, in Baghdad, Iraq, Dec. 14, 2006. Lieberman said the group had met with the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and urged him to break his ties with anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and disarm his Mahdi Army militia. (AP Photo/Sabah Arar, Pool) (AP/SABAH ARAR)
AP via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News - Dec 14 2:16 AM

I think they all look fine - except for McCain. And Holy Joe's leather - well, that's another topic altogether.

But McCain looks like a bum.

For contrast, here's a Kerry-in-the-Iraq-field pic from another trip:







STILL presidential!! :-)

[TayTay]

19. They met with Maliki looking like that?

Ahm, geez, McCain did look like a bum.

BTW, Kerry didn't wear the leather jacket, it was the suede one. We saw it on him in Boston last year.

Lieberman in leather. OMG, my eyes, my eyes. The horror! The Horror!

[beachmom]

20. Oh, man -- my knowledge of what he wore when is obviously pathetic.

I hope Democrafty doesn't see this blatant ignorance on my part. 'Course, if anyone can scare up those Iraq 2005 photos of Sen. Kerry that would be great. I remember reading a story where he was in an Iraqi restaurant and the owner was amazed at his famous guest and gave him a chicken and lamb dish on the house. I do remember anecdotes, just not clothes. :blush:

[whometense]

21. Found 'em!

See above: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=273&topic_id=116675&mesg_id=116697

[TayTay]

22. Ahm, I am, generally speaking, not your clothes person

Ah, not by a long shot. I do believe that the phrase, "If someone was going to be impressed with my dressing skills or lack thereof, it would have happened before Monday" escaped my lips this weekend. I generally dress the way I talk, sort of all over the place and full of messy points.

Still, I do remember that outfit, cuz it's the same one as in the photo I took at the Roxbury to Boston march last year and the jacket is the same one as we saw in Boston in Dec of '05. That much I remember. (And he still looked better in civvies than McCain. McCain dressed worse than I ususally do and that is going some, let me tell you.)

[Democrafty]

24. JK was sort of business casual.

McCain looked too sporty, or resort casual. He should have worn a button-down under that shirt to avoid appearing as if he had just stepped off the golf course.

[ginnyinWI]

29. exactly--

It's the lack of a collar that makes the difference between business casual and way-too-casual dress.

[dwahzon]

25. One correction

that's Rep. Mark Kirk, not Senator Mark Kirk, from Illinois. The senators from Illinois are both Dems: Dick Durbin and Barack Obama.

[whometense]

31. The AP's mistake,

not mine. I just copied and pasted!

[whometense]

5. More:

Former US Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry , center, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Francis J. Ricciardone, left, meets with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

And my favorite so far:



Former US Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry, left, meets with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

[wisteria]

9. Great pictures. n/t

[blm]

11. whome - here's the link to McCain thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2917966

[whometense]

12. Thanks -

commented.

[TayTay]

13. I commented as well n/t

[ProSense]

15. Terrific photos! Thanks for posting these!

Senator Kerry looks very distinguished!

[LittleClarkie]

26. Ah, the lucky pink

Hope it's doing it's job today.

[StoryTeller]

32. Are you the one that keeps track of his ties?

Wasn't there a blog or something that chronicles his ties? I was trying to find it today and had no luck. Or maybe I was just imagining it.

[Democrafty]

33. *cough cough*

*points to sig*

[StoryTeller]

35. Oh dear...have you a cold???

You really should take something for that.

Now, if only I could find that blog about his ties...

:evilgrin:

(Oh, okay, I'll be nice. Thanks for the link, Democrafty!) :)

[StoryTeller]

36. Is there a way to search your blog?

Or how do I find the posts about ties?

[Democrafty]

38. Here you go:

http://www.welovejohnkerry.com/category/tie-day/

Some of the pictures are a little off because of the platform I used to use, so bear with me...

[StoryTeller]

45. Awesome, thank you!

I had told my husband that I'd seen blog posts about JK's ties, and he was rather amazed at such detailed devotion. Now I can let him see for himself. :)

[Democrafty]

47. Hmm. Sadly, I am realizing that link is not very useful.

It only seems to be showing 3 out of 14 posts. I shall try to rectify the situation tomorrow...

[LittleClarkie]

34. No I'm not, but I've seen that blog too

Hrm. I'll see if I can find it.

[LittleClarkie]

27. They always look happy to talk to him

How do the same people look when talking to Bush?

[beachmom]

28. Considering that Bush rarely talks to them, because, you know,

diplomacy is for wimps, I'm not sure how they greet him.

[JI7]

46. he is so cute

[Blaukraut]

23. thank you for the pictures, whome n/t

[rockymountaindem]

30. It's nice to look at these pictures and pretend he's the President

Bush would be sitting there with some dumb look on his face.

[Island Blue]

37. True about President Kerry, not true about Bush*.

Bush* wouldn't be sitting there at all because he's a chickenshit, chickenhawk who's afraid to meet with foreign leaders for more than 5 minutes.

[fedupinBushcountry]

40. I had to gag

when at the press conference with him and Blair, Bush said, "yep Tony is going to go to Israel and do all the talking while I sit here and boss everyone around, cause you know I'm special, I don't do that diplomacy thingie, not my job". (my interpretation) Friggin bastid.

[jillan]

42. Interesting how Kerry is sitting down with leaders

while 'the group' is talking at a podium.

:rofl:

Now tell me, who is more Presidential?

[kerrygoddess]

49. Looks like the full court press is coming from the ME

I'll be trying to keep up with it all on the Dem Daily, like I did last year when he was there...


Kerry Urges Dialogue With Iran, Syria
December 14th, 2006 @ 10:55 pm

On Wednesday, John Kerry left the U.S. for a nine-day trip to the Middle East. Kerry’s trip includes a stop in Iraq, and a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. While in Egypt on Thursday, Kerry said that the Bush administration should talk to Syria and Iran.

Kerry also told reporters in Cairo he believed U.S. policy in the Middle East was in trouble, partly because the United States had failed to listen to people in the region.

He cited Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s advice in 2002 that a U.S. invasion of Iraq would lead to disaster. “Frankly, more people should have listened to him,” he said after talks with Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.



“It’s very important for countries to talk to each other, even when you disagree. We have serious differences with Syria right now, we have serious differencess with Iran, but you can’t begin to resolve those differences if you’re not willing to try to understand.. I think it’s important to begin a discussion,” said Kerry, a Massachusetts senator.

The Bush administration has rejected calls to hold talks with Syria and Iran and on Wednesday, Democratic senator Bill Nelson of Florida caught the ire of the Bush administration when he met with Syrian President Assad in Damascus. Nelson said he saw an opening for dialogue with Syria.

President George W. Bush issued a statement on Wednesday “calling on Syria to “immediately free all political prisoners” and “cease its efforts to undermine Lebanese sovereignty”.”

{SNIP}

Because really, “even the most powerful nation on the face of the earth needs to make some friends on this planet.”

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4955#more-4955

[whometense]

50. One more from Egypt

Senator John Kerry talks to the press after his meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif at the Smart Village in Cairo, December 14, 2006. (Tara Todras-Whitehill/Reuters)