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2004 Archives:
December
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Read the Story here Even Kerry's office reports that there's demand among his Massachusetts constituents for tickets to the Bush inauguration. Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York has received more requests for tickets than she can accommodate, her press secretary, Philippe Reines, says. Reines says Clinton's office is working with other New York lawmakers to help state residents who want tickets. Rep. Chet Edwards, a Texas Democrat whose district includes the president's ranch, has given all of his tickets to people interested in celebrating their neighbor's second term, says his press secretary, Josh Taylor. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the deputy Democratic leader of the Senate, also has had many requests for inaugural tickets, says his press secretary, Joe Shoemaker. But Durbin had enough left to share with a Republican colleague from Illinois, Rep. Ray LaHood. Other Democrats plan to help out Republican colleagues. Nelson, the only Democrat representing Nebraska, says he'll give his leftover tickets to his state's GOP lawmakers. Some Democrats will make the inaugural party circuit. Durbin was co-chairing the Illinois State Society's ball, held on the eve of the inauguration. Edwards planned to attend the Texas State Society's quadrennial "Black Tie and Boots" bash the same evening. Rep. John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, will co-host an Inauguration Day breakfast on Capitol Hill with fellow Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, a Republican, for constituents who are here for the ceremony. "An inauguration is a major event in this democracy of ours," Dingell says. "Although I'm a Democrat and I did everything I could to make sure Bush wasn't re-elected, I'm an American, too. We're going to do everything we can to make folks feel welcome." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 20, 2005 Senator Kerry says he's not sure he'll vote to confirm Rice CAPITOL HILL Senator John Kerry says he still doesn't know if he'll vote to confirm Secretary of State designate Condoleezza Rice. During her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill today, Kerry told her that her approval by the Senate was almost certain -- but that his own vote is "yet to be determined." Kerry cited concerns over the administration's Iraq policies. He says his reservations are "not personal in any way whatsoever, but they do go to the story and trail of the last four years." At one point, Kerry challenged Rice's claim that the right number of troops were in Iraq. And he also criticized the administration's post-war strategy. Rice responded that there are some "big tactical challenges" ahead -- and that the U-S policy on Iraq "was always going to have ups and downs."
Read the Story here Kerry, one of just two members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to vote against George W. Bush's pick to replace outgoing Secretary of State Colin Powell, said Rice's defense of the administration's record on Iraq was a major factor in dissuading him from voting for her. "Dr. Rice is a principal architect, implementer, and defender of a series of administration policies that have not made our country as secure as we should be, and have alienated much-needed allies in our common cause of winning the war against terrorism," Kerry said in a statement Wednesday. "Regrettably, I did not see in Dr. Rices testimony any acknowledgment of the need to change course or of a new vision for Americas role in the world," he said. The Senate panel voted 16-2 to approve the choice of Rice, Bush's national security adviser, to become chief US diplomat. Kerry was joined by fellow Democrat Barbara Boxer in voting against Rice. "On Iraq, on North Korea, on Iran, to name just a few of the most critical challenges, it seems to be more of the same," Kerry said. Criticism of US Iraq policy was a chief plank of Kerry's failed White House bid last fall. The Massachusetts Democrat, who is said to be weighing another White House run in 2008, added that he hoped Rice would prove him wrong. "I am prepared to work with Dr. Rice and others in the administration to try to reach agreement on policies that will truly strengthen our security and restore Americas credibility on the world stage."
Read the Story here Democrats mingled with
Republicans on the platform, snapping photos and shaking hands, as former
President Bill Clinton and his wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, made
their way to their seats. Several Democratic leaders escorted Bush to the
Capitol. Afterward, they were heading to a congressional luncheon in the
historic Statuary Hall. While civility was the public demeanor, many
Democrats planned to skip all of the other revelry surrounding the ceremony.
Some made it clear that once the president's big day was over, the battle
will begin anew. "Regrettably, I did not see in Dr.
Rice's testimony before our committee any acknowledgment of the need to
change course or of a new vision for America's role in the world," he added.
"On Iraq, on North Korea, on Iran, to name just a few of the most critical
challenges, it seems to be more of the same. I hope I am proven wrong. I
hope the course will change. And I hope that the Administration will
recognize the strength of a foreign policy that has bipartisan support," he
wrote.
Exit poll estimates overstated the vote
for Kerry in 26 states and for President Bush in four states. The primary
reason for this discrepancy, the report concludes, was a greater
willingness of Kerry voters to answer interviewers' questions than Bush
voters. "Kerry voters were more likely to participate in the exit polls
than Bush voters," the report says. It attributes the higher response rate
of Kerry voters to a number of things including "motivational factors that
are impossible to quantify," as well as interactions between respondents
and interviewers, restrictions placed on interviewers by state and local
election officials, and weather conditions at certain polling spots.
The report suggests several ways to improve future exit polls, including better cooperation with state and local election officials, better interviewer training, and changes in how interviewers are hired and monitored. The report "is a very blunt examination of the issues involved when you do exit polls," says Kathy Frankovic, director of surveys for CBS News. The Edison/Mitofsky study also acknowledges that early exit poll estimates on the afternoon of November 2 overstated the proportion of women voters, which led to speculation – particularly on Internet blogs – that Kerry, who did better with women than men, was headed for a victory. The report attributes that problem to "a programming error" which was corrected before any news organizations broadcast or published exit poll results.
Read the Story here Rice followed Bush's example in refusing to admit any specific mistakes made in the previous four years. "I'm sure that we have made many decisions, some of which were good, some of which might not have been good, but the strategic decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein was the right one," she told Kerry. At one point, Sen. George Allen, R-Va., protested that Rice was being cross-examined, which led Boxer to interject, "I don't agree this is cross-examination, this is our job." Boxer's spokesman, David Sandretti, said Powell had had a much easier time during his confirmation hearing because he did not have to answer for administration policies. Sandretti called Rice "fair game" and said, "This is the highest diplomatic position in our country, and the hearings are in effect a job interview."
Read the Story here Kerry called Rice "one of the principal architects, implementers and defenders of a series of administration policies and choices that, in my judgment, have not made our country as secure as we ought to be in the aftermath of 9/11." His stand will have little effect as the Republican-led Senate is expected to vote by a big margin to confirm her. While saying he came to her confirmation hearing "genuinely open-minded," Kerry said he did not hear from Rice "an acknowledgment of the need for a fundamental, bipartisan change" in policies "that can make us stronger and help us win the war on terror." "On Iraq, on North Korea and on Iran, to name just a few, what I heard was really a policy that predicts more of the same," Kerry said. Kerry's first appearance on the committee since the Nov. 2 election had a bittersweet quality. "I guess it's sort of good to be back," he said to laughter on Tuesday as other senators greeted him before his opening statement. Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the Republican committee chairman, said he was "proud that a member of our committee was a candidate for president of the United States." Kerry responded somewhat ruefully, "Well, Mr. Chairman, I wish we could have translated your pride into some votes, but thank you anyway."
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Read the Story here Kerry demanded answers from Rice why Iraqi forces were not being trained with "a sense of urgency" to take over security duties and why other governments were not being enlisted with greater urgency to help train Iraqi troops to take over from Americans. He said there was an "unbelievable sense of willingness" by European and Arab leaders he had met in recent weeks to do more in Iraq. This is a theme Kerry often repeated in his campaign. It did not appear to gain much traction. Rice was skeptical about offers of international help. She said the existing coalition in Iraq that the Bush administration assembled at the outset of the war was satisfactory. But Kerry, who has just returned from the area, said Egyptians and Germans who are helping train Iraqi police in the United Arab Emirates were not being encouraged to do more. He said so far the Egyptians had trained only 146 Iraq officers. The question of how many Iraq forces were ready to "stand, fire and shoot" hung over the hearings virtually from the moment Sen. Richard Lugar gaveled it to order Tuesday. There was immediate skepticism at Rice's estimates that 120,000 Iraqi troops had been trained. Sen. Joseph Biden, R-Del., just back from a fact-finding trip to the area, said he had been told by American authorities that the number was closer to 4,000. Rice's testimony made the committee the hottest Inauguration Week ticket in town. Except for one brief appearance before the 9-11 commission, Rice hadn't been questioned in public before because of her position as national security adviser to the president. So, even although her face was familiar, she was something of a mystery lady. The hearing more or less broke the ice around her. It featured one hard-breathing fight just before the lunch hour Tuesday between Rice and Sen. Barbara Boxer of California. Boxer questioned whether Rice had been loose with the truth in a couple of instances involving nuclear weapons in Iraq, and Rice accused her of "impugning my integrity." Heretofore, Foreign Relations had been known as an oasis of calm reflection, debate and reason, with an uncanny record of forecasting some of the bad turns the Iraq war has now taken. Not only did Kerry return to the committee after almost a year's absence while he ran for president, but the Democratic superstar of the Senate, Barack Obama of Illinois, was on hand for his first day in the limelight. In Obama's softer interrogation, Rice admitted some of the security personnel were "your average beat cops," and some weren't performing well. Obama said he was concerned about Rice's notion that significant progress was being made in Iraq. The United States had assumed an "open ended commitment" there, he said. Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the Republican chairman, suggested the administration go back and get the "metrics" of her statistics straightened out. For members of the loyal opposition, inauguration week is usually a time of plastic smiles and suppressed grimaces as they watch the winners waltz through town. But the Democrats, by and large, hadn't time for that. And Kerry marched out like a prophet scorned in his own time to warn that the Sunni Muslims in Iraq would not permit the present policy to work. "They view it as sort of a quasi-American joining with the Shia to provide Ayatollah Sistani and the Shia with a power hold that they never could achieve in several hundred years otherwise," he said. Rice said they would work it out.
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Read the Story here Sen. Edward M.
Kennedy, D-Mass., also plans to vote against Rice's nomination. His
spokeswoman, Stephanie Cutter, said Rice "had a major role in developing the
irresponsible and reckless Iraq policy, and its been a catastrophic failure,
a continuing quagmire. She shouldn't be promoted to Secretary of State" Kerry questioned Rice far longer than any other senator, keeping the Foreign Relations Committee hearing going until nearly 8 p.m. He returned to themes he often hit during his losing presidential bid as he charged Bush with failures on a range of policies from Iraq to nuclear proliferation. Also yesterday, Kerry sent an e-mail to nearly 3 million supporters asking them to visit his campaign Web site and sign a petition there calling for President Bush to fire Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The hearing
marked Kerry's return to committee work and he acknowledged the occasion
with humor after fellow Democrats joked they were disappointed to see him.
"I guess it's, sort of, good to be back,'' Kerry said. Turning to Rice,
Kerry said, "Welcome to the world of oaths and testimony and congressional
accountability, which I tried so hard to distance myself from for a while.''
At the hearing, Kerry expressed doubt that he would vote for Rice, although
she is expected to easily win Senate confirmation. The Bay State senator
said soldiers in Iraq are going on missions that are "questionable,'' and
claimed Bush policy is "growing the insurgency, not diminishing it.'' Rice
said the process will "have ups and downs,'' but added, "As long as they're
on a strategic road that is getting them to a government that can actually
represent the aspirations of the Iraqi people as a whole, I think they've
got a chance". While Mr. Kerry told Ms. Rice that "you are going to be confirmed, and everybody knows that," he said his own vote was not assured. "I have reservations, and they are not personal in any way whatsoever," he told her, early in the hearing, adding that he was especially disturbed by Ms. Rice's assertion that she would not have changed the number of troops in the region. "You sat there this morning and suggested it was the right number of troops," he said, "contrary to the advice of most thoughtful people who have been analyzing this." For Senator Kerry, who told voters repeatedly that he could do a better job than President Bush of managing the war, the confrontation was both poignant and strangely triumphant. It was his first Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing since September 2003, and he was questioning a woman he surely would have replaced had he won the election. He returned to the Capitol as Republicans prepared for Thursday's ceremony to swear in the man who beat him; during a break in Tuesday's hearing, his Democratic colleagues clustered around him, as if to provide a cloak of comfort. He was asked how he felt about being back. "Would I rather be somewhere else on Thursday, Jan. 20 at noon?" Mr. Kerry replied. Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, chimed in with a reply known to parents everywhere: "Duuuuh." It was Ms. Boxer who, two weeks ago, challenged the 2004 Electoral College results, an episode Senator Kerry missed while on a two-week tour of the Middle East and Europe. Mr. Kerry met with leaders in Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Germany, Britain and France, and he wasted no time working that fact into his questioning of Ms. Rice."President Mubarak said to me, 'We're only training 146 officers,' " he said at one point. Moments earlier, he had told Ms. Rice, "Every Arab leader I asked 'Do you want Iraq to fail?' says 'No.' " If it looked as if Mr. Kerry was laying the groundwork for a 2008 presidential bid, his spokesman, David Wade, demurred. "It's wildly premature to be talking about the next presidential election before we've even had this inauguration," Mr. Wade said. Indeed, on Tuesday, the last presidential election still seemed on the Massachusetts senator's mind. When colleagues welcomed him, he replied with a halfhearted endorsement of Senate life: "I guess it's sort of good to be back." When Senator Richard G. Lugar, Republican of Indiana, who is chairman the Foreign Relations Committee, said he was "proud that a member of our committee was a candidate for president of the United States," Mr. Kerry was wistful."I wish we could have translated your pride into some votes," he said, evoking laughter, "but thank you anyway."
Read the Story here Kerry has stayed out of the spotlight since the election, vacationing in Idaho and taking a tour of Europe and the Middle East without reporters in tow. He left and returned from that trip unannounced. In his return to public speaking yesterday, Kerry exhibited a passion that many of his critics found him to be lacking on the campaign trail -- a change in tenor he and his aides promised in several brief post-election comments."My friends, this is not a time to pretend. We're here to celebrate the life of a man who, if he were here today, would make it clear to us what our agenda is. And nothing," Kerry said, his voice rising in anger, "would he make more clear on that agenda than, in a nation that is willing to spend several hundred million dollars in Iraq to bring them democracy we cannot tolerate that, here in America, too many people are denied that democracy." The crowd, many of them part of the African-American community that claimed disenfranchisement in the 2000 and 2004 elections, gave Kerry a standing ovation. Critics of the election process in Ohio say there were not enough voting machines in urban, Democrat-leaning precincts, leading to long lines that dissuaded many voters from casting ballots. In some cases, polls were held open after the announced closing time to allow everyone in line to vote, but some left without voting after standing in line for hours. Some blacks in particular have also charged that there were organized efforts to send voters to the wrong voting places, and troubling disparities in the way voting machines counted Democratic votes. Political analysts have said Bush won on the strength of turnout among white, Republican-leaning Christian conservatives in Ohio's more rural communities, such as those downstate near Cincinnati. Ohio election officials could not be reached for comment yesterday, but in the past they have denied any improprieties. When a small band of Democratic lawmakers objected to the certification of the election results, House majority leader Tom DeLay, Republican of Texas, accused Democrats of a "crime against the dignity of American democracy," and said they were devoted to conspiracy theories. Without offering details, Kerry aides said yesterday that the senator plans to file legislation to correct some of the election problems that occurred in 2000 and 2004. Aides also said that a political action committee he started after the election -- a committee that could lay the groundwork for a second presidential campaign in 2008 -- would also be dedicated to preventing disenfranchisement. After the disputed vote in Florida in 2000, Congress approved the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and authorized $4 billion so that states could create central computerized voter lists and update voting systems by 2006. But many states have not yet made improvements, and two federal agencies are planning inquiries to look into problems that plagued both old and new systems last November. In addition to discussing the November vote, Kerry offered a thinly veiled critique of the Bush administration's frequent mention of religious faith. Reading from King's "Letter From Birmingham Jail," Kerry noted that King criticized fellow clergymen who stood on the sidelines of the civil rights struggle mouthing "pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities." "When you look around this country, it is clear that there is still an incredible divorce between those who profess faith and those, like so many of you, who actually carry it out on a day-to-day basis," Kerry said. "Faith has been pushed into the politics of our country in a way not to unite, but to divide, not to elucidate but to hide and to obscure, not to open up opportunity but even to shut the doors of opportunity." After listening to Kerry's remarks, Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican, said that "there are many improvements to be made in our electoral process." Romney said no eligible voter should be denied the right to vote, but like many Republicans he is at least as concerned about allowing ineligible voters to cast ballots. "Either voter fraud or voter suppression -- either or both is wrong," he said. Before his speech, Kerry spoke to
reporters about his recent overseas trip, criticizing the Bush
administration for failing to seek extensive help from other countries in
training Iraqi security forces. Kerry said President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt
told him that Egypt could be training between 500 and 1,000 troops every
month, far more than the 146 it is training now. He said European leaders
are also eager to contribute more. "It's clear that they're prepared to do
more, but the administration has not put the structure together for people
to be able to do it," he said. Kerry also said the administration has not
done enough to repair the relationship between Iraq's Shi'ite and Sunni
Muslims. "All of the Arab world is deeply disturbed by the absence of
sufficient political diplomacy," he said. "And now it's clear to me that the
major event is not the election itself, but what happens immediately after
the election." Kerry conceded
the race to President Bush the day after the
Nov. 2 election, but in December, some members of the Massachusetts electors
in the Electoral College claimed intimidation aimed at Democratic voters
cost Kerry the election. When Congress ratified Bush's victory, several
legislators formally challenged Ohio's electoral votes, citing voting
misdeeds. Kerry who visited Iraq earlier this month, also slammed the
administration on its handling of the war. "It is clear to me the major
event is not the election itself, it's what happens immediately after the
election and the days following it,'' Kerry said. More training of troops
and increased diplomacy efforts are essential, he added, "but the
administration has not put the structure together for people to be able to
do it.''
Read the Story Here The Massachusetts Democrat, Bush's challenger in November, spoke at Boston's annual Martin Luther King Day Breakfast. He reiterated that he decided not to challenge the election results, but "thousands of people were suppressed in the effort to vote." "Voting machines were distributed in uneven ways. In Democratic districts, it took people four, five, eleven hours to vote, while Republicans (went) through in 10 minutes same voting machines, same process, our America," he said. In his comments, Kerry also compared the democracy-building efforts in Iraq with voting in the U.S., saying that Americans had their names purged from voting lists and were kept from casting ballots. "In a nation which is willing to spend several hundred million dollars in Iraq to bring them democracy, we cannot tolerate that too many people here in America were denied that democracy," Kerry said. Voting irregularities in Ohio drove primarily Democratic challenges to the Nov. 2 election, but Congress eventually affirmed President Bush the winner by a slim electoral vote count of 286-251 plus a single vote cast by a Minnesota elector for Kerry's running mate, former Sen. John Edwards.
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Blair and
Kerry discuss Middle East at meeting
Read the Story Here While Kennedy said it is too easy to blame the loss on a particular issue or tactic, Democrats do need to "do a better job of looking within ourselves and speaking out for the principles we believe in." "We were remiss in not talking more directly about them _ about the fundamental ideals that guide our progressive policies," he said. He added that Kerry's loss also showed that Democrats must communicate better with voters on issues of deep conscience, including abortion, without yielding the party's support for a woman's right to choose. In a speech punctuated with broad liberal proposals to expand federal support for education and Medicare, Kennedy outlined a progressive agenda for Congress and the party. "We cannot move our party or our nation forward under pale colors and timid voices," said Kennedy, who has served 42 years in the Senate. "We cannot become Republican clones. If we do, we will lose again, and deserve to lose." He said Medicare should be gradually expanded to cover all citizens, and the cost would be funded through payroll taxes and general revenues and offset by savings through advances in technology. He also called for greater federal support for college costs, saying that every student who is admitted to college should be guaranteed the cost of earning a degree. Kennedy's speech came as Democrats -- divided and battered by the second bitter presidential defeat in a row -- continue to wrangle over their party's direction. But Kennedy declined to say who should lead the party as the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He said the contest is wide open and all of the candidates -- including former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean -- would bring a different experience and talent to the job. Ever since Kerry's loss -- and GOP's gains in both the House and Senate -- Democrats have been chewing over their inability to connect with enough voters to wrest the Oval Office from a president weakened by a faltering economy and an increasingly unpopular war. And they have debated how to compete with Republicans for the support of social conservatives whose votes may have been swayed by hot-button values issues like abortion, religion and gay marriage. On Wednesday, Kennedy also laid down markers for the coming congressional session, vowing to defeat President Bush's efforts to revamp Social Security and to reject policies that send jobs overseas. In other comments, Kennedy deftly dodged a question about whether foreign-born citizens should be allowed to become president. "I didn't know David Ortiz was planning to run," said Kennedy, referring to the Boston Red Sox slugger who is Dominican. He then looked out at his sister Eunice Shriver, who was in the audience, and said, "Did you hear that, Eunice?" Shriver's daughter Maria is married to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has been talked about as a potential presidential contender but was born in Austria. Kennedy also mangled the name of the Democrats' new star, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, calling him "Osama bin ... Osama ... Obama."
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Read The Story Here "I'm convinced there's an opportunity here to bring that relationship
closer," he said. He and Chirac discussed Iraq, Iran and the Middle East
peace process, Kerry told reporters. "Succeeding in Iraq and winning the war
on terror will take a global effort, and I have conveyed that in my meetings
with heads of state in the Middle East and Europe," Kerry said in a
statement. "We all have a stake in the outcome of Iraq, and I believe they
have a responsibility to do more." Kerry, a member of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, forecast a meeting between Chirac and President Bush.
"I hope President Bush will have an opportunity to meet the president," he
told reporters. "I'm confident that will happen, not just the meeting but
the movement in the right direction." Kerry rates high in France, which
opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Polls ahead of the U.S. election
showed that he would have won by a landslide if the French could vote. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 14, 2005 Kerry Meets With French President PARIS. Sen. John Kerry’s French connection was treated as a liability during his bid for the U.S. presidency. On Friday, he used his popularity here to try to help rebuild strained ties between Paris and Washington, and expressed confidence that would happen. The Massachusetts Democrat was in Paris at the close of a tour of Europe and the Middle East that included trips to Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Israel and the West Bank. In a more than 45-minute meeting with President Jacques Chirac, the former presidential candidate discussed frayed relations between France and the United States. “I’m convinced there’s an opportunity here to bring that relationship closer,” he said. He and Chirac discussed Iraq, Iran and the Middle East peace process, Kerry told reporters. “Succeeding in Iraq and winning the war on terror will take a global effort, and I have conveyed that in my meetings with heads of state in the Middle East and Europe,” Kerry said in a statement. “We all have a stake in the outcome of Iraq, and I believe they have a responsibility to do more.” “This has been a good trip. It was very important for me personally to thank our brave men and women in uniform for their service and assess the situation in Iraq,” said Kerry who visited U.S. forces in the volatile northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Kerry, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, forecast a meeting between Chirac and Bush. “I hope President Bush will have an opportunity to meet the president,” he told reporters. “I’m confident that will happen, not just the meeting but the movement in the right direction.” Kerry spoke English during the meeting and Chirac spoke French, presidential spokesman Jerome Bonnafont said. Kerry, accompanied by his daughter Vanessa, declined to speak in French to reporters, saying it was rusty. Kerry has a Gallic clan in Saint-Briac-Sur-Mer, in western France, including cousin Brice Lalonde, a former environmental minister. As a boy, Kerry spent summers there. However, the relatives kept a low profile during the campaign so as not to spoil his chances. France’s adamant opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq left ties between Paris and Washington in tatters, and put France-bashing in vogue in the United States. Kerry has a high sympathy rating in France where polls ahead of the U.S. election showed that he would have won by a landslide if the French could vote. Kerry’s meeting with Chirac came hours after talks in London with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the prospect of peace in the Middle East. He met Thursday with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. With the Jan. 30 Iraq elections on the horizon and the election of a new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, still fresh, Kerry’s Middle East tour came at a critical time. Kerry said he and Chirac “talked about efforts we can make, all of us together, to try to guarantee the success of all our interests in the Middle East, which are very, very significant.” In London, he told reporters the elections in Iraq were “one marker” on the road to democracy, but are not the ultimate goal. In a remark that the French would appreciate, Kerry added: “I believe there needs to be a larger political reconciliation, as well as a broader involvement of other countries in decision-making in order to build a greater stability in Iraq.” Paris is trying to raise its profile on Iraq and make room for a French role. Severely strained ties between Paris and Washington over France’s hard-line stance against the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq have limited the French voice. Chirac met here Thursday with Iraq’s interim president, Ghazi al-Yawer. Read the Story here ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 14, 2005 Kerry meets with Abbas after win Massachusetts Senator John Kerry met with Palestinian President elect Mahmoud Abbas today, a day after an historic Palestinian election. Kerry met with Abbas at the battered Palestinian headquarters in Ramallah, West Bank. Abbas won in a landslide victory, picking up more than 62 percent of the vote. He replaces former leader Yasser Arafat who died last year in a Paris hospital. Abbas will be sworn in as the new leader on Wednesday. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 14, 2005 Ex-US presidential candidate Kerry wants broader coalition in Iraq LONDON (AFP) - John Kerry, the defeated US presidential candidate, said that more countries should be involved in stabilizing Iraq after the elections and in preventing it from becoming a "magnet for terrorism." Kerry told reporters after talks in London with British Prime Minister Tony Blair that the Iraq elections at the end of January were "one marker" of stability, but were not the goal themselves. "What is critical is for all of us to focus on what happens immediately after the elections," Kerry said "I believe there needs to be a larger political reconciliation, as well as a broader involvement of other countries in decision-making in order to build a greater stability in Iraq," Kerry said. He said that, following the January 30 elections, more simultaneous moves were needed to broaden the US-led coalition and greatly accelerate security while lowering the profile of the US military presence there. The revelation that the US-led coalition had given up the search for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) was one of many things, he said, that confirms what he had been saying throughout the campaign against US President George W. Bush. But he did not want to "re-hash" that, he said. "I still believe there are steps we can take, WMD notwithstanding, we cannot leave Iraq as a magnet for terrorism, in a state of disarray, as a failed state. It would be chaotic for all of us. "Everybody has a stake now in trying to create a path to stability and reconciliation," he said. He congratulated Blair on his role in hosting a conference in London in March on the Palestinian reform, as part of efforts to revive the Arab-Israeli peace process. Kerry was meeting European leaders after visiting the Middle East.
Read the Story here Kerry said he and
Chirac "talked about efforts we can make, all of us together, to try to
guarantee the success of all our interests in the Middle East, which are
very, very significant.'' In London, he told reporters the elections in Iraq
were "one marker'' on the road to democracy, but are not the ultimate goal.
In a remark that the French would appreciate, Kerry added: "I believe there
needs to be a larger political reconciliation, as well as a broader
involvement of other countries in decision-making in order to build a
greater stability in Iraq.'' Paris is trying to raise its profile on Iraq
and make room for a French role. Severely strained ties between Paris and
Washington over France's hard-line stance against the U.S.-led invasion of
Iraq have limited the French voice. Chirac met here Thursday with Iraq's
interim president, Ghazi al-Yawer. "The elections were obviously extremely important to the Palestinian people, to the potential for peace for the region and for Israel, and for the world that is waiting to see a change here," Kerry said following a meeting with Abbas shortly after the official results were made public."The president just expressed to me some very, very bold and very important plans for moving forward in an effort to end the violence and to move very strongly to change the dynamics of the region," he said. But it was crucial that such words translated into action, he added. "Words are easy, actions are harder, and actions are what we are going to have to see over the course of the coming weeks and months." Kerry, who acted as an international observer during polling on Sunday,
said it was important that the international community ensured a framework
was put in place which would make such changes possible. He also expressed
hope that the United States would seize the opportunity of the regime change
and "move quickly and clearly to show our good faith and determination to
try to move the (peace) process forward".
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Read the Story Here Kerry also accused the Bush administration of negligence in planning the post-Saddam Hussein phase, which allowed the rise of terrorism in Iraq.He urged Washington to multiply efforts to build strong Iraqi security forces capable of confronting the terrorist attacks being waged by remnants of the ousted Baath regime and Islamic fundamentalists. Kerry visited Egypt as part of a Middle East tour that took him to Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories
Read the Story Here Shrum played key roles in eight losing Democrat presidential campaigns and two-dozen winning Senate races. In his last job, as a top adviser to Sen. John F. Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, he was criticized for failing to help Kerry develop a clear, consistent message. He made his reputation in 1980 by drafting the widely-praised speech Sen. Ted Kennedy gave to the Democratic National Convention after he failed to wrest the presidential nomination from Jimmy Carter. Shrum said he still intended to dispense political advice, but it would now be on his own time.
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Read the Story Here Kerry, who also met officials in Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq and Israel, said Washington should do more to build up Iraqi security forces, which are often attacked by rebels fighting U.S.-led forces and the interim Iraqi government. "We could be and we should be doing a very significant amount more military training," he said. U.S. and Iraqi officials should take
full advantage of an Egyptian offer to help train Iraqi security forces, he
added. Egypt was currently training 146 Iraqi officers, but had offered to
train 500 or more, he said. "They offered to do so. It isn't happening and
in the insecurity of Iraq I think it's critical to use every possible avenue
of creation of stability forces as fast as possible," Kerry said. "I
think it's an excellent offer by Egypt. I think it's a welcome offer and I
think it should be taken up, fast," he said. Egypt has said it would not
send troops to Iraq, but would help train Iraqi security forces in Egypt.
Read the Story Here
Read the Story Here Sen. Kerry said: "It's a great honor.
it's a great privilege for me to be back in Israel. I have had the pleasure
of visiting here many times now, and visiting with the Prime Minister, who
has always received me graciously. This is a trip I'm making through the
region in order to make judgments Prime Minister Sharon thanked Sen. Kerry for the clear positions on Israel that he held to during the recent US presidential race and told him about his meeting with his brother Cameron. Senator Kerry replied that while he and President George Bush had differing views regarding Iraq and other issues, in the issue of Israel there was no argument. On the Palestinian issue, Prime Minister Sharon said: "At the current stage, after yesterday's elections, the main thing is to focus on what the Palestinians are doing vis-a-vis terrorism. We were in constant contact with the Palestinians and provided them with all necessary assistance in order to hold a successful election process. The Palestinians are still not fighting terrorism and Abu Mazen's statements during the election campaign were not encouraging, but he will be tested by his actions after the elections. He will be tested by the manner in which he fights terrorism and works to dismantle its infrastructures. A ceasefire is an internal Palestinian issue that Israel has no part in but if there is quiet, as a first step, Israel's response would be quiet." Prime Minister Sharon added that Israel would be prepared to revive security cooperation between the security organizations and would be ready to coordinate various issues in the framework of the Disengagement plan. The Prime Minister said that if terrorism continues until the implementation of the Disengagement Plan, Israel's response would be sharper than ever before. Prime Minister Sharon updated Sen. Kerry on progress in the Disengagement Plan and said that Israel would fully implement the Disengagement Plan according to the timetable that has been determined. "Implementing the Disengagement Plan has the potential of returning to the diplomatic negotiations according to the Roadmap if the Palestinians do what they have committed to doing vis-a-vis fighting and eliminating terrorism and enacting comprehensive government reforms." Sen. Kerry said that everyone hopes that Abu Mazen will be a different leader than his predecessor and asked what the US could do to help the Disengagement Plan, especially regarding the development of the Negev and the Galilee. Prime Minister Sharon briefed Sen. Kerry on political developments in Israel and on the government that would be established this evening. Regarding Syria, Prime Minister Sharon said that it was important to continue pressuring Damascus and not to let up in response to Assad's peace statements. How President Assad deals with the terrorist organizations will be a true indicator of his intentions. Syria is playing a negative role in the region and continues to be a transit country for various terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah. Syria must stop providing sanctuary for the terrorist organizations (including Hezbollah and the Revolutionary Guards), close the terrorist organizations' offices, dismantle the missile infrastructure in Lebanon and end the Syrian occupation there in fulfillment of UN Security Council Resolution Prime Minister Sharon added that Israel would be happy to hold talks with all Arab countries but said that we do not see any indication of goodwill by the Syrians apart from their desire to ease the international pressure on them. The two men also discussed Egypt's role in the process, the unauthorized outposts and the Iranian issue.
Read the Story Here "Words are easy. Actions are harder," he told reporters after meting with new Palestinian President-elect Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Kerry is in the region as an observer to the Palestinian presidential election, which was held Sunday. Abbas beat six other candidates, securing more than 62 percent of the vote, according to results released Monday. Kerry said it is now important for the international community to support the Palestinian Authority in its bid to improve the condition of its people and attempt peace with Israel. Kerry, who in November lost the U.S. presidential election to President Bush, is in the region as part of a tour that also took him to Iraq and Syria.
Read the Story Here The former Democratic presidential candidate, who arrived in Damascus Friday, met for two hours with Assad before meeting separately with Foreign Minister Farouk a-Sharaa. The talks centered on the situation in Iraq and how to prevent militants from entering Iraq through Syria. "I think we found a great deal of areas of mutual interest, some common concerns and some possibilities for initiatives that could be taken in the future to strengthening relationship between the US and Syria," Kerry told reporters after meeting with a-Sharaa. "I can assure you that I leave here with a sense that we can improve our relationship. There are significant possibilities, particularly with the elections in Iraq and the elections in the West Bank," Kerry said. "This is the moment of opportunity for the Middle East, for the US and for the world. I hope that we would seize that opportunity." Kerry said there were "still concerns" that need to be addressed. "But I came away confident that the president and foreign minister are interested in moving in the right direction, and I am hopeful they will," he said. Assad stressed "the importance of dialogue between the two sides over all issues under discussion, especially those of common interest," Syria's official news agency reported without elaborating. Kerry's visit comes amid strained US-Syrian relations, particularly over accusations by American and Iraqi interim government officials that Damascus is doing too little to stop border infiltration. Washington also accuses Syria of backing Palestinian militant groups opposed to Israel. Syria denies both claims but says it can't fully control its long, porous border with Iraq and regards Palestinian militants as fighters opposed to Israel's illegal occupation of Arab territories. Kerry said he and Assad also discussed issues of importance to the region and to both countries, including Iraq, security, Lebanon and weapons of mass destruction. "We discussed the war on terror and a number of issues between our countries with respect to economics and economic reform and the future of our relationship," he said. Later, as Kerry was about to get into his car outside the Foreign Ministry building, 13-year-old Mustafa al-Nabulsi approached him with a drawing of the senator as a soldier in his Vietnam days. "You have made me much more important than I was, though. You made me a general," Kerry told the teen. "I wish you were the president," al-Nabulsi responded in English. "Thank you very much. So do I. Thank you for this," Kerry said. He asked for the boy's address, and al-Nabulsi gave him his mobile number. A few months ago, Washington imposed sanctions on Syria under an act accusing Damascus of seeking weapons of mass destruction, a charge Syria denies, and hosting Palestinian groups Washington deems terrorist. In September, the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling on Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon and dismantle the Syrian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla group. More recently, US President George W. Bush has warned Syria and Iran against "meddling" in the internal affairs of Iraq. Kerry arrived from Iraq, where he met US troops in the volatile northern city of Mosul, the scene of a suicide bombing last month on a military base that killed 22 people, including 14 US soldiers and three American contractors.
For more info go here John Kerry Meets With Syrian President Sen. John Kerry arrived Friday for talks in Syria, which has been accused of doing too little to curb the infiltration of anti-American insurgents into Iraq. The former Democratic presidential candidate earlier met U.S. troops in the volatile northern Iraqi city of Mosul, scene of a suicide bombing last month on a military base that killed 22 people, including 14 U.S. soldiers and three American contractors. Kerry, who is on a two-week tour of the Mideast, will hold separate meetings with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa on Saturday to discuss Iraq, a U.S. Embassy official said on condition of anonymity. Other topics will include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a U.N. Security Council demand for Syria to withdraw its military forces from Lebanon. Kerry's visit comes amid strained U.S.-Syrian relations, particularly over accusations by American and Iraqi interim government officials that Damascus is doing too little to stop militants from crossing into Iraq to attack coalition forces. A few months ago, Washington imposed sanctions on Syria, accusing Damascus of seeking weapons of mass destruction and hosting Palestinian groups Washington deems terrorist. Syria denies all the accusations but says it can't fully control its long, porous border with Iraq. Syria regards Palestinian militants as fighters opposed to Israel's illegal occupation of Arab territories. Kerry, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will be in the West Bank for the Palestinian election on Sunday and is expected to visit a polling place. For more info go here ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 8, 2005 Syria reasserts importance of dialogue with US DAMASCUS, Jan. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday reasserted the importance of dialogue with the United States on all issues of common concern, the official SANA news agency reported. During a meeting with visiting former US presidential candidate Senator John Kerry, Assad discussed with the guest the latest developments in the region. On the Iraqi issue, Assad stressed the importance of holding democratic elections in Iraq which would secure the country's unity, sovereignty and independence with the participation of all the Iraqi people. But SANA did not mention whether the two sides touched upon the issue of border infiltrations, which Washington has repeatedly put forward before the Syrians. The United States accuses Syria of doing too little in stopping militants from crossing into Iraq. On the Middle East peace process, the two sides underscored the importance of achieving a just and comprehensive peace to realize stability and security in the region. They also exchanged views on the issue of fighting terrorism and the necessity to render the Middle East a region free from weapons of mass destruction (WMD). US-Syrian relations reached bottom when Washington slapped economic sanctions on Damascus last May for its allegation that Syria supports terrorism and seeks WMD. Last September, Washington exerts pressure on Syria and secured a UN Security Council resolution, demanding respect for Lebanon's sovereignty and a withdrawal of all foreign forces. The resolution did not state Syria by name, but was apparently aimed at it, as Damascus still deploys about 14,000 troops in Lebanon and serves as a main power-broker there. Kerry arrived here Friday from neighboring Iraq for a two-day visit to Syria. Enditem
For more info go here Kerry hopeful that strained U-S-Syrian ties can be improved DAMASCUS, Syria Senator John Kerry is in Syria today, where he and that country's leaders talked about how to prevent militants from moving into neighboring Iraq. The former Democratic presidential candidate met for two hours with Syria's president in Damascus. Kerry says they found "a great deal of areas of mutual interest." And he hopes today's talks can lead to common initiatives that can help improve relations between the two countries. The U-S has accused Syria of doing too little to stop insurgents from infiltrating into Iraq to attack coalition forces. Syria denies the accusations, but says it can't fully control its long, porous border. Kerry is on a two-week tour of the region. He'll be in the West Bank for tomorrow's Palestinian elections
For more info go here Former presidential candidate Kerry
arrives in Syria, meets U.S. troops in Iraq The former Democratic presidential candidate earlier met U.S. troops in the volatile northern Iraqi city of Mosul, scene of a suicide bombing last month on a military base that killed 22 people, including 14 U.S. soldiers and three American contractors. Kerry, who is on a two-week tour of the Mideast, will hold separate meetings with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa on Saturday to discuss Iraq, a U.S. Embassy official said on condition of anonymity. Other topics will include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a U.N. Security Council demand for Syria to withdraw its military forces from Lebanon. Kerry's visit comes amid strained U.S.-Syrian relations, particularly over accusations by American and Iraqi interim government officials that Damascus is doing too little to stop militants from crossing into Iraq to attack coalition forces. A few months ago, Washington imposed sanctions on Syria, accusing Damascus of seeking weapons of mass destruction and hosting Palestinian groups Washington deems terrorist. Syria denies all the accusations but says it can't fully control its long, porous border with Iraq. Syria regards Palestinian militants as fighters opposed to Israel's illegal occupation of Arab territories. Kerry, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will be in the West Bank for the Palestinian election on Sunday and is expected to visit a polling place.
For more info go here The Massachusetts senator visited U.S. soldiers from his home state, American intelligence officials and Iraqi officials as part of a fact-finding mission through the Middle East. Kerry, who waged an unsuccessful presidential bid based in part on the premise that President Bush had botched the war effort in Iraq, said he came to see for himself whether the country was moving toward stability or deeper into chaos. "I've been visiting a lot places like Des Moines and Green Bay, and it has been great," Kerry said during an informal lunch meeting with a small group of reporters and officials of nongovernmental organizations. "But we are at war, and I think you can't really make all the judgments that you need to make without digging in." He declined to compare the insurgency in Iraq with the challenges he faced in South Vietnam as a Navy gunboat lieutenant three decades ago. But he insisted that superior firepower alone wouldn't quell the uprising disrupting Iraq. "No insurgency is defeated by conventional military power alone," he said, pointing to the Irish Republican Army, which fought a decades-long guerrilla war against the British in Northern Ireland. "It was defeated by a combination of time and political negotiation." The senator was also scheduled to meet with officials of the U.S. Embassy as well as members of the interim Iraqi government, including Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, and a deputy to Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the Shi'a leader at the top of an electoral list thought to be the front-runner in Iraq's Jan. 30 elections. Soldiers approached Kerry inside the restaurant of the Rashid Hotel, where he met with the journalists, asking him to pose for photographs and sign T-shirts. The restaurant manager insisted on serving Kerry the house specialty, a plate of grilled chicken and lamb. Last night Kerry met with about 20 soldiers based in Massachusetts and now stationed at Camp Victory, where troops often lounge in luxury villas once inhabited by Saddam Hussein and his loyalists. "They all joked about how living conditions had changed since Sen. Kerry was in Vietnam," said David Wade, the senator's communications director. Kerry asked the soldiers how
frequently they call home and reminisced about writing letters to family
when he was stationed in Vietnam. The senator spent Tuesday and last night
in Amman, Jordan, as the guest of King Abdullah II. He was scheduled to fly
back to Iraq on a C-130 military transport plane today to visit troops in
Fallujah and Mosul. He said he was more interested in asking questions of
soldiers, U.S. and Iraqi officials, and even journalists than in rehashing
the political battles of the campaign season. "What is sad about what's happening here now is that so much of it is a process of catching up from the enormous miscalculations and wrong judgments made in the beginning," he said. "And the job has been made enormously harder." But he added that it was time to move forward. "Mistakes have been made," he said. "Now it's a different time and different set of judgments that have to be made. I'm here to make judgments about what moves are available to us." Kerry, whose trip will also include stops in Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories, said success in Iraq is very important within the broader context of a struggle for change Middle East. "The stakes are very important, very
high, and not just for Iraq," he said. "You have another election in the
West Bank, and a set of challenges to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the region
that are quite daunting." Kerry, who is on a two-week tour of the Mideast, will hold separate meetings with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa on Saturday to discuss Iraq, a U.S. Embassy official said on condition of anonymity. Other topics will include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a U.N. Security Council demand for Syria to withdraw its military forces from Lebanon. Kerry's visit comes amid strained U.S.-Syrian relations, particularly over accusations by American and Iraqi interim government officials that Damascus is doing too little to stop militants from crossing into Iraq to attack coalition forces. A few months ago, Washington imposed sanctions on Syria, accusing Damascus of seeking weapons of mass destruction and hosting Palestinian groups Washington deems terrorist. Syria denies all the accusations but says it can't fully control its
long, porous border with Iraq. Syria regards Palestinian militants as
fighters opposed to Israel's illegal occupation of Arab territories. Kerry,
a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will be in the West Bank
for the Palestinian election on Sunday and is expected to visit a polling
place.
WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Kerry will be in the West Bank for the Palestinian election on Sunday and plans to visit a polling place. The Massachusetts Democrat and failed presidential candidate is on a two-week trip to the Middle East and has already visited Baghdad and met with military leaders in Mosul, Iraq. He arrived in Syria Friday to meet with government leaders in that country. Palestinians will be electing a president to replace Yasser Arafat, who died on Nov. 11. The latest polls show interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas with a wide lead over democracy activist Mustafa Barghouti. Because of his travels, Kerry was not in Washington Thursday as Congress affirmed President Bush's election victory, certifying the 286-251 electoral college vote. A total of 270 votes are needed to win. Kerry, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also will meet with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during his visit to Israel, as well as veteran Labor Party leader Shimon Peres and Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Nasser, the Central Elections Commission's president. In addition to stops in Israel and Iraq, Kerry's trip includes visits to Kuwait, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. He last visited the Middle East in January 2002.
For more info go here Kerry ate dinner on Thursday with soldiers at Camp Freedom, a former Saddam Hussein palace, and met with Brigadier General Carter Ham, commander of troops in northern Iraq, and local provincial governor Duraid Kashmula, it said in a statement. "Thanks for what you're doing," the senator from Massachusetts told soldiers. "The folks back home really appreciate your courage and sacrifice." He arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday and is expected to make to more stops besides Mosul to meet soldiers and officials. During the presidential campaign, Kerry was a strong critic of how the administration of US President George W. Bush, was managing its involvement in Iraq and said the invasion of the country in 2003 diverted resources and focus from the global war on terror.
For more info go here Former US presidential candidate
Kerry visits Damascus The Massachusetts senator is due to meet President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shara on Saturday. Relations between Syria and the United States have been increasingly tense since the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, with Washington imposing sanctions early last year for, among other things, Damascus's alleged failure to stop insurgents crossing into Iraq. A US newspaper on Wednesday said that a ban on US dealings with the Commercial Bank of Syria, the country's single government-owned financial institution specializing in foreign exchange, was being considered. During a visit to Damascus earlier this month, US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage aid Syria had made "some real improvements" in recent months on border security but needed to do more. Kerry is currently on a tour of the region, having already visited Jordan and Iraq. As a presidential candidate, Kerry harshly criticized Bush's handling of the conflict in Iraq and said that poor security there made organizing elections on January 30 very difficult.
For more info go here King Abdullah and Kerry discussed "efforts being exerted to move the peace process forward and achieve peace and security in Iraq," the official Petra news agency reported. The Democratic Party senator from the state of Massachusetts who lost to US President George W. Bush in last year's election is expected to visit Iraq to thank US troops for their service. "He's going because he wants to thank the troops from Massachusetts for their service, as well as other troops, his spokeswoman April Boyd said in December.Kerry was also expected to meet with commanders, US embassy officials and Iraqi government officials in Baghdad as a member of the Senate's foreign relations committee. As a presidential candidate, Kerry harshly criticized Bush's handling of the conflict. Iraqi elections are set for January 30 and Kerry has said poor security in Iraq made organizing the vote very difficult.
For more info go here
A spokeswoman said he also
plans stops in Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Egypt, Israel and the West Bank. While
in Iraq, the senator plans to visit with troops from Massachusetts and thank
them for their service. "He intends to play a
prominent role in foreign and domestic policy, and this is clear evidence of
this," said Philip W. Johnston, chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic
Party. "The fact that his first major public outing following the election
relates to Iraq and foreign policy tells us that he intends to be a strong
spokesperson on those issues." Kerry arrived in Amman,
Jordan, yesterday and has planned a hectic itinerary, with stops scheduled
in Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Egypt, Israel, and the West Bank. He has meetings
set up with a wide range of specialists, local leaders, and military
commanders, as well as troops from Massachusetts, said April Boyd, a Kerry
spokeswoman. "He'll be seeing things
up close," Boyd said. "He wants to personally thank our troops for their
service, focus on the steps that must be taken to achieve success in Iraq,
and hear from experts in the region about the war in Iraq, the war on
terror, and the Middle East peace process." Kerry is the only
elected official on his trip, and he is making an unusual number of stops in
the Middle East, suggesting that he wants to go beyond the sometimes-scripted
events planned by the Bush administration. Foreign trips are fairly typical
for members of Congress -- a large number of House and Senate members are
making trips to Iraq in the run-up to the Jan. 30 elections there -- but
Kerry insisted on charting his own course for his trip. He is making stops
in Israel and its occupied territories, as well as other Middle Eastern
nations. Kerry has maintained a
relatively low profile since the Nov. 2 election. He has spent some time in
Washington attending to Senate business. He has also appeared at ceremonial
events such as the opening of the Clinton Presidential Library, but has
spent most of the past two months shifting out of his grueling campaign mode
and planning his return to the Senate. Kerry's term expires at
the end of 2008, and the fourth-term senator has not yet said whether he
will seek reelection or make another run for the presidency that year. In
the meantime, his associates say Kerry will try to fill the current power
vacuum within the Democratic Party, while Republicans control the White
House and both houses of Congress. Kerry has made foreign
policy a cornerstone of his 20-year Senate career, and he has been a member
of the Foreign Relations Committee since he entered the Senate. He has
traveled extensively as a senator and completed a solo trip to Israel, Egypt,
Jordan, and Saudi Arabia in January 2002, shortly before embarking on his
presidential campaign. Kerry
sought to use his foreign policy experience in the campaign against
President Bush, arguing that his knowledge of the subject would better
position him for the presidency than his rival. But Kerry's sometimes
tortured explanations of his positions left him struggling to connect with
voters, and Bush accused Kerry of being too indecisive on world affairs to
be president. Kerry's current trip
includes meetings with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel, , King
Abdullah of Jordan, President Bashar Assad of Syria, and interim prime
minister Iyad Allawi of Iraq. Boyd said Kerry does not have any plans to
make public statements while traveling, but said he may speak with the media
during the trip. Failed presidential
candidates have had mixed success in maintaining relevance after a campaign.
Richard M. Nixon, for example, overcame his 1960 loss to win two subsequent
presidential elections, but Michael S. Dukakis disappeared from the national
stage after losing his race in 1988. Bob Dole spent more time in television
advertisements than he did making political speeches after his 1996 loss. Kerry still has his
Senate seat to operate from, and he will benefit from the fact that
recriminations about the conduct of his campaign haven't been particularly
personal, said Jeffrey Berry, a political science professor at Tufts
University. But Kerry will compete for time on the national stage with a
growing number of ambitious Democrats, and he still has to contend with the
fact that his views on military operations in Iraq have been confusing and
seemingly contradictory to many voters, Berry said. "This is an effort to
say: 'I'm not going to slip into oblivion. I'm going to be a voice in
national politics,' " Berry said. "But he will not carry the mantle of
leadership of the Democratic Party forward by himself. It's unclear who's
going to do that, but he'll be one of the voices who'll be trying." Johnston, state
Democratic Party chairman, said Kerry has indicated he hopes to focus more
on domestic policy, particularly as healthcare and Social Security become
increasingly important issues. Late last year, Kerry issued a call for
supporters to join him in pushing for an expansive health care bill for
children. "John's career in the
Senate has focused on foreign policy issues," Johnston said. "But as a
result of the campaign, he became very knowledgeable about domestic policy
issues, and he became quite passionate on the health issue in particular.
People are hoping that he will be very vocal in taking on Bush's policies."
The war vote beat me,
admits Kerry Senator John Kerry, the defeated Democratic candidate, has blamed his failure to unseat President George W Bush on the traditional advantage held by a president in wartime and his own failure to "connect" with voters. "I'm not going to lick my wounds or hide under a rock or disappear. I'm going to learn," Mr Kerry told Newsweek magazine in his first interview since the Nov 2 election. "I've had disappointments and I've learned to cope. I've lost friends, a marriage: I've lost things in life." He then pointed out that no sitting president had ever been defeated during a war. He disputed descriptions of his oratory as "soporific" but appeared close to acknowledging that he had not connected with voters. Mr Kerry was careful to avoid making any commitments about his future plans, but one former Kerry adviser told the magazine that he thinks he is the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in 2008. In the past month of the campaign Mr Kerry closed the gap with Mr Bush but he lost by two percentage points.
For more
info go here Boston, MA, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, of Massachusetts, appears primed for a second run in 2008, but not everyone on his team seems supportive. The senator "sounded very much like a man who was running for president again," Newsweek reported. Washington insiders predict this would put Kerry head to head with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., another possible nominee. But despite a massive mailing list, lined-up donors and a nationwide organization, Newsweek reported not everyone thought a rerun was a good idea. "He thinks he's the front runner for '08 without recognizing that he needs to do some soul-searching," said on adviser. "If he wants to come back, he'll have to come back as a different candidate, not the stiff who plays it safe and takes four sides of every issue."
For more
info go here Kerry has not given any formal interviews since his defeat. But on Nov. 11, he summoned a Newsweek reporter to his house on Boston's fashionable Louisberg Square. He wanted to complain about Newsweek's election issue, which he says was unduly harsh and gossipy about him, his staff and his wife. (The 45,000-word article, the product of a yearlong reporting project, is being published next week as a book, "Election 2004," by PublicAffairs.) Details from that interview appear in the January 10 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, January 3). Kerry talks with Newsweek about the campaign, why he lost and what's ahead for him. He did not wish to be directly quoted touting himself, however; he did not wish to appear defensive or boastful. When asked why he lost the election, Kerry points to history and, in a somewhat inferential, roundabout way, to his own failure to connect to voters -- a failure that kept him from erasing the Bush campaign's portrait of him as a flip-flopper, reports Newsweek Assistant Managing Editor Evan Thomas. Kerry said that he was proud of his campaign, that he had nearly defeated a popular incumbent who had enjoyed a three-year head start on organizing and fund-raising. Sitting presidents are never defeated in wartime, he insisted (true, though two, LBJ and Harry Truman, chose not to run for another term during Vietnam and Korea). While he quarreled with descriptions of his speaking style as "soporific," Kerry tacitly acknowledged that he failed to connect with enough voters on a personal level. Jose Ferreira, Kerry's nephew, told his uncle, "Some people are saying that your candidacy was driven by ABB [Anything But Bush]." Kerry replied: "Do you think so?" Ferreira said that once people got to know Kerry, they were intensely loyal. "Those are the people I let down," Kerry said, falling silent. In conversation with Newsweek, Kerry seemed particularly interested in trying to find a way to speak to ordinary voters that didn't sound too grandiose or "political." Though Kerry did not directly criticize his friend Bob Shrum, it's clear he did not feel well served by his message makers and speechwriters. The deeper problem may be Kerry's personality, which may be too distant or reserved to win mass affection. As Thomas left Kerry's house in November, Kerry called out and followed him down the street. Kerry wanted to show a letter from a schoolgirl that had been left on his stoop. The letter read, in part, "John Kerry, you're the greatest!" Kerry looked into the reporter's eye. "The pundits have never liked me," he said. "Is it the way I look? The way I sound?" He seemed vulnerable for a moment, then caught himself, smiled and walked home to his empty house. In the heady days before the
election, Kerry's top aides sat around picking a cabinet. Nowadays the
foreign-policy team still meets on the assumption that it could be
reconstituted for '08. But the reality is, "it's mostly sitting around some
lawyer's office and asking each other if we've heard about jobs," says a
member of the team. As for Kerry, says this adviser, "he thinks he's the
frontrunner for '08 without recognizing that he needs to do some soul-searching.
If he wants to come back, he'll have to come back as a different candidate,
not the stiff who plays it safe and takes four sides of every issue."
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