Imus's News Quote of the Day (Kerry)

[fedupinBushcountry]

News Quote of the Day
Monday July 31, 2006.
Imus speaks with Senator John Kerry (D) MA about the crisis in the Middle East:

Imus: "And you said that, if you were President, this Israeli/Lebanon conflict would not have happened."

Senator John Kerry: "Ah, what I said--what I was really referring to was the whole Middle East. Look, I know it stunned some people because, you know, half the country can't imagine there'll ever be peace in the Middle East, the other half can't imagine there'll ever be a Democratic President, so, it surprised people, but, the bottom line is this, ah--I'm really referring to the chaos of America's current perception in the Middle East, and ability to get things done. Did you happen to see--I don't know if you saw, Meet the Press yesterday?"

Imus: "No, I did not."

Senator John Kerry: "Well, Tim Russert, had Tom Friedman on, and I know you respect Tom Friedman, I think he's one of the best observers and one of the smartest people around. This is--this--there's a quote that Tim read to Tom, here's what he said. This is what Tom wrote last week; 'America should be galvanizing the forces of order - Europe, Russia, China, India - into a coalition against these trends. But we can't. Why? In part, it's because our president and secretary of state, although they speak with great moral clarity, have no moral authority. That's been shattered by their performance in Iraq. The world hates George Bush more than any U.S. president in my lifetime.' This is Tom Friedman speaking. 'He is radioactive - and so caught up in his own ideological bubble that he is incapable of imagining or forging alternative strategies.' Now, Tim said to him, you know, that's pretty strong language, and Tom said, it is strong, but it was meant to be strong, and he explained what happened. And, really what I'm talking about, I think a lot of us are, is that--I mean for three and a half years we weren't even involved in trying to work with our allies, Britain, France, Germany to stop Iran from getting Nuclear weapons. Three and a half years we were absent. But for a whole period of time we're not involved in the Palestinians and the West Bank trying to help them become a legitimate partner so that Hamas doesn't rise to power in an election. If you look at Egypt or Saudi Arabia, sixty percent of the population is under the age of twenty-five, fifty percent under the age of eighteen, and forty percent under the age of fourteen, they don't have jobs, they're uneducated if they go to Madras, all they learn is how to hate people and blow people up. There is such a culture of this, and I don't think this Administration, has done anything near the things that Republican presidents, and Democrat presidents have done historically to address these kinds of issues. That's what I'm saying."

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3036713/

[wisteria]

1. Yes, that was a very good exchange of ideas and comments. n/t

[ProSense]

2. Agree!

What part of Bush is a screw up don't people understanding?

[karynnj]

3. It's interesting that he quoted Friedman's column

When I had read the column last week - the idea of the "forces of order" against terrorism sounded the same as Kerry's 2004 (and even more his Ireland speech) speech that I think called the same thing the "civilzation".

It was a good way though to explain what he was talking about - and to be able to cite others.

[TayTay]

4. I agree. Bush thinks diplomacy is some sort of disease

that should be avoided at all costs. He hasn't done anything to actually confront the problem of 'why do they hate us' and 'what can we do about this.' Bush believes that a show of force is all that will change the ways of nations that don't like us. Sigh!