Kerry: I Vote No

[helderheid]

The compromise supplemental will probably be presented to the Senate later today, but I wanted to drop a quick note to let all of you know my thoughts on it. I'm voting against it. I explain my feelings in a post I put up on the blog Daily Kos.

You can read it http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/5/24/114745/908">here.

Here are the first couple of paragraphs:

Let's be really clear about the Iraq vote coming down the pike in Congress this week.

I'm voting no on this bill. I'm tired of the false choices of Republicans and all the recycled spin of old battles and the political calculations that do nothing for our troops who bear the real costs of this war. Bottom line: we support the troops by getting the policy right, and this bill doesn't do that. I've said it again and again and I'm not about to stop: we need a deadline to force Iraqis to stand up for Iraq and bring our heroes home, not watered down benchmarks and blank check waivers for this President. We support the troops by funding the right mission, not with a White House that opposes a pay raise for our brave men and women in uniform. Do we need to bring out the hand puppets and make the case again?

Thanks for all of your help so far in this fight. I'm disappointed in the compromise bill, but I'm more convinced than ever that we'll win this fight.

John Kerry

[Chimichurri]

1. Thank you Senator. I wish you had this level of consciousness in your

original vote to go to war.

[texastoast]

2. There was something called the benefit of the doubt

Our "president" lied, lied, lied and should be impeached. Had he been telling the truth, a vote of yes wouldn't have been as bad as it appears today.

Today, we know that a yes vote is a vote against the will of the American people. Thank God Kerry and a few other Dems with integrity are saying no to this prick president, unlike a bunch of DLC folks who are not.

[politicasista]

3. Exactly

It's better to attack the ones that have sense instead of blaming the ones that didn't.

[whopis01]

17. you don't give the benefit of the doubt to someone who stole an election. n/t

[texastoast]

18. Point

But at least he's doing the right thing now, unlike a boatload of self-serving politicos wussed out over "possible political threats" who were elected LAST NOVEMBER with a mandate to end the war.

Kerry is on board with the plan NOW which is what we must concern ourselves with instead of finger pointing for what is water under the bridge.

[whopis01]

19. agreed. n/t

[Unbowed]

7. Enough already. Even Keith Olbermann says that's the PAST.

If you haven't watched the video of his special comment last night, you should.

The important issue right now is stopping the war. Who is out there trying to stop this war TODAY?

I'm tired of hearing nothing but whining. Pissing and moaning gets us nowhere. We have a senator ready to stand up for what's right, so stop qualifying it and jump on the bandwagon. The more backbiting there is, the easier it is going to be for the "yes" voters to get their way.

[politicasista]

10. Excellent post

The man is doing his best to end the slaughter and people are berating him for it. That does not help our cause.

[ginnyinWI]

13. I'm reading "Hubris" right now.

All about the run up to the war, and it's clear that there was a coordinated effort to spin and lie and push and spin and fabricate and intimidate and do everything they could all think of to get their war. It was far more than one or two individuals doing it too--it was a whole cabal of them, each acting for his/her own reasons. It was effective and many many people were persuaded. So I don't blame any Dems who thought it was a good thing at the time, and trusted too much in the competence of this bunch to actually do what they said they would do. If they had been competent this would all be history by now and we'd be on to the next thing.

[Mark_Pogue]

4. Off topic

helderheid...is your sig line link inactive?

[newyawker99]

15. Hi Mark_Pogue!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Coexist]

5. Say what you will about him, Senator Kerry is always on the correct side

of the issues.

Love ya, Senator!

[Unbowed]

9. Nice that someone has noticed.

Kerry is always on the side of the good guys, but too often the good guys are too busy bitching to notice.

When someone is on the right side of an issue, it is not time to kick them and throw stones. This is probably why we get nowhere. Chasing tails is not productive unless your goal is to go in circles. Liberals are not so liberal sometimes. Sometimes they are downright conservative. I thought it was the republican party that couldn't move on. Silly me.

[rox63]

6. I'm proud to call him my Senator

:patriot:

[LSK]

8. Remember, John Kerry was proposing timetables in 2005

He was one of the very 1st.

[WildEyedLiberal]

16. You are correct sir

Maybe more people should remember that.

BTW fellow Illinoisan - Durbin voted yes, that broke my heart.

[MethuenProgressive]

11. God bless you, John Kerry!

:dem:

[zulchzulu]

12. Thank you John!

You ARE my President.

[Annces]

14. Thanks John Kerry n/t