That line was the one of the worst pieces of irresponsible asinine rhetoric I can imagine. Why saddle the many troops in the field with that kind or morale buster? (Sign of a poor leader.) Why hand the enemy that kind of propaganda victory? (Sign of a poor strategist.) Why show a weak hand to the negotiators in Paris? (Sign of a poor statesman.)
That line alone is good evidence that Kerry should never have gone beyond state politics.
Now listen to his sister Diana:
Asked if she believed the terrorist threat to Australians was now greater because of the support for President Bush, she replied: "I would have to say that," noting that "[t]he most recent attack was on the Australian embassy in Jakarta."John Kerry is singing the same defeatist tune he sang for Vietnam, Nicaragua, the Cold War and Gulf War I. Has this man ever met a war he wanted to win? If so, has he ever given any evidence he knows how to win one?
She said this of her country (and of the war that Australia is helping us with in Iraq): "[W]e are endangering the Australians now by this wanton disregard for international law and multilateral channels."
Compare and contrast these quotes:
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933).
"We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old." (Winston Churchill, 1940, just after Dunkirk).
"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." (John F. Kennedy, 1961).
"Yet this much we know with certainty: The desire for freedom resides in every human heart. And that desire cannot be contained forever by prison walls or martial laws or secret police; over time and across the Earth, freedom will find a way. Freedom is finding a way in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we must continue show our commitment to democracies in those nations. The liberty that many have won at a cost must be secured." (George W. Bush, 2004).
"As generous as you have been, we will stand with you, too. As stalwart as you have been, we will stand with you, too. Neither tyranny nor terrorism has a place in our region or our world. And that is why we Iraqis will stand by you, America, in a war larger than either of our nations, the global battle to live in freedom. God bless you and thank you." (Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, 2004).
"How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" (John F. Kerry, 1971).
"The last thing you want to be seen as is a puppet of the United States, and you can almost see the hand underneath the shirt today moving the lips." (Joe Lockhart, 2004)
John Kerry has shown no ability to inspire us to win this war. He needs to hire me as his speechwriter. I'll toughen him up. Here's a sample:
"In the mountains of Afghanistan, a soldier examines a dusty footprint, on the trail of a terrorist, a killer of both Afghans and Americans. We will fight. In the deserts of Iraq, a Marine scans the horizon, looking for the roaside bomb trigger man. We will fight. In an embassy in Jakarta, an intelligence officer meets with his Indonesian counterpart, exchanging information vital to the capture of a bomb maker. We will fight. In a customs office in Los Angeles, an officer handcuffs a terror suspect. We will fight. On the streets of New York a citizen notices a man taking pictures and making notes of schedules, of guard rotations, and of security precautions. He makes a phone call. We will fight. We will fight on the streets of New York, of Los Angeles, of Kandahar, of Najaf, of Jakarta. We will fight if all our allies desert us. We will fight with our blood, our sweat, our sight, our words, our thoughts. We will fight and we will win." (Wince, right here, 2004).
I ask again: Where's My Cult of Personality?
Maybe this is a clue. Diane Kerry also said, "He responds well to challenges and has the reputation of fighting well from behind." So this is a strategy. If we are losing the war in Iraq when Kerry is President, he'll fight better!
