Is some press actually coming around? Another Kerry was right moment.

[blm]

PATRIOTS AND POWER
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Broward Metro, Sec. EDITORIAL, p 18A 08-21-2006
By Larry Ulste in Margate

Former U.S. Gen. and Sen. Carl Schurz is often quoted as saying, "Our country, right or wrong -- but always our country." Unfortunately, the complete quotation is too often forgotten. He went on to say, "When right, to be kept right. When wrong to be put right."

The Republican Party (and now Sen. Joe Lieberman) seem to think being patriotic is synonymous with supporting the existing administration 100 percent. That may be the definition of patriotism in fascist and dictatorial countries, but not here. Terrorism must not be politicized. John Kerry said that the war on terror should be handled more as law enforcement and covert operations than as a military operation. It looks like he was correct in the current situation so skillfully handled by Britain.

There is another little used quotation that is important to think about: "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
>>>

This is a conservative paper in Florida.

What's remarkable is ANY conservative paper printing this opinion, right after the George Will column saying the same.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/sfl-brmail827aug21,0,2373442.story

[AndyA]

1. A quote from Teddy Roosevelt:

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President - or that we are to stand by the President right or wrong - is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."

[unpossibles]

2. hmm. call me bitter, but this last-second recanting

pissed me off more than anything.

Sure, it's good to hear them admit their error, but where the hell were they 2 years ago??!?! bastards.

I lump this in with the current RW talking point of moving away from Bush and of the new RW "Liebertarians" who are saying they want all incumbents out of office. It's the same old "government = bad" schtick, and frankly I think that's why they got Bush elected in the first place: to make the government look as incompetent to the people as possible.

Now they can decry Bush and wring their hands and fool a lot of people all over again. I say we can't let this happen again; America depends on it.

[gratuitous]

5. I don't think you're bitter at all

There's a lot of revisionism going on right now as the Repressive Right desperately tries to backfill and distance itself from its Frankenstein monster.

All that said, I want to highlight the notion they attribute to John Kerry: These terrorist attacks should be treated as crimes not acts of war, and are more successfully dealt with by law enforcement agencies (like they were under Clinton) than by the military (as they are being treated by the Bush administration). Under Clinton, the miscreants who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993 were identified, the evidence against them developed, they were tried and convicted in open court, and sent to prison where they reside to this day. When the federal building in Oklahoma City was blown to smithereens, the same modus operandi was observed, and the perpetrators were tried, convicted, and sentence carried out. Timothy McVeigh was executed and his pal Terry Nichols rots away in a federal prison cell as I type.

Compare and contrast to the way Bush handled 9/11: Two elective wars, uncounted thousands dead, thousands more lives ruined, billions of dollars pissed away, and Osama bin Laden is still at large. Which method has been more effective? More cost efficient? More respectful of innocent life? And why in the world do people think the GOP is better for our nation's security? "Tougher" does not equate to "smarter."

[orwell]

7. When will...

...the monstrous global terrorist-hydra known as the US National Security State be stopped?

[Totally Committed]

3. I think they are...

Too bad it's too little, too late. We could have done with their help DURING the election...

TC

[blm]

4. Right - none of them thought the issue of HOW to fight terrorism was

important, even though Kerry made a detailed major speech on it and repeated his points in the debates.

[global1]

6. It Would Be Great If Somebody Could Assemble All The Kerry Was Right.....

moments so that we can use it in the upcoming elections.

Something like:

If you would have only voted for Kerry or if Kerry was our President now - he was right on the following: 1...2...3....4.... etc

[iilana X]

8. It's taken people nearly two years to listen.

Kerry's been concerned with terrorism before it was in vogue and his book on the subject deals with terrorism as a crime. Nobody wanted to listen to him in 2004 and the media sure didn't cover that terrorism story, except to demean Kerry's very logical position.

He's always the first. He called for Rumsfield's resignation how long ago? Did the press give that any coverage despite something like half a million (don't remember the exact amount) citizen signatures on Kerry's petition? Nope. But just recently Hillary Clinton comes to the issue years after Kerry and suddenly the talking heads can't shut up about it.

Kerry is always ahead of the curve on the solutions we need. He takes a methodical, scientific approach and comes up with appoaches that work. And he's not afraid to consult the best minds on every subject. The premise is to use your brain to come up with a solution to a problem based on the best evidence and expertise you can gather. This is a solution-based approach. Let the evidence and the facts determine your direction, not your ideals. This isn't flip-flopping: it is being true to the ideal of truth. When the situation changes, you adapt. When more facts become known, you adjust your calculations. I'm not surprised Republicans don't get this: they simply don't believe in Evolution.

[wisteria]

9. I hope so. Senator Kerry deserves to be recognized for the important

contributions he has made to our country and for speaking the truths about this current administration and on Iraq, knowing he would be attacked for speaking out. Senator Kerry is a true patriot.