[Cincinatus' Wife]

[Richard Kerry] Kerry's World: Father Knows Best***These conferences reinforced Kerry's belief that the preservation of the Atlantic alliance and the creation of a new Europe should be the overriding priorities of U.S. foreign policy. But the reality of U.S. policy was far different. For most of the Eisenhower administration, America's prime objective was containing communism. And, unlike the administration he served, Kerry believed that cooperation and diplomacy, rather than militarism, should resolve these tensions. In The Star-Spangled Mirror, he condemns the United States for "lecturing" European allies about the horrors of communism and accuses it of "bad manners" and "spoiled behavior." He writes, "At times we expected the allies unquestioningly to follow our leads; sometimes we failed to consult them in advance before reversing policies; at other times we ignored their requests."

Even at the time, Kerry wasn't quiet about his disagreement with the hard-line anti-communists. Although he had initially viewed Secretary of State John Foster Dulles as a kindred spirit and cultivated a relationship with him, Kerry felt uncomfortable with his rhetoric about "godless communism." (In his book, Kerry spends several pages arguing against Dulles's "intensely moralistic outlook.") According to Brinkley, Kerry bluntly told Dulles the shortcomings of his increasingly hawkish approach, undermining their relationship in the process. This was typical behavior for Kerry, who had a growing reputation for outspokenness. John Kerry's friend and former aide Jonathan Winer says, "[Richard Kerry] was a dissident in a time of conformity." ***

[onyx]

Damn. This is rich.
Better than fiction.

[cardinal4]

''John Kerry is incredibly American,'' says Brice Lalonde, Kerry's cousin and mayor of this seaside Brittany village. ''He has absolutely nothing French about him.''

What?? Everything about Kerry screams France..

[Lancey Howard]

[Ruth A.]

This is the stuff that makes Scrappleface so much fun: the absurdity of Kerry.

[heleny]

''He introduced us to games like capture the flag. We still play something called kick the can,'' said Lalonde.

I played Capture the Flag in elementary school, but I don't think I've ever heard of Kick the Can.

[goldstategop]

They don't dare play up the connection for America's not gonna elect any time soon a French thinking (and looking) President named Jean F. Cheri.

[Tamzee]

The following is from the Green Left Weekly Home Page but I can't find a date for the article... It states Kerry's cousin Lalonde was under the Socialist Party and that he is also one of the most "popular politicians in France".



http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/1992/52/52p10b.htm

French Greens divided
In the March 22 regional elections, France's two green parties polled 14.6% between them in the context of a large protest vote against the main parties of both left and right. The green vote surpassed the 13.9% of the neo-fascist National Front led by Jean-Marie Le Pen.

While the green movement has been slow developing in France, it now appears well established, if fractured. The two green parties, which seem evenly matched, are called the Greens (Les Verts) and Generation Ecologie.

The latter, founded 18 months ago, is led by Brice Lalonde, former leader of Friends of the Earth and now environment minister in the Socialist Party government. Lalonde is one of the most popular politicians in France. Generation Ecologie describes itself as a club, and is a cross-party alliance of green-minded politicians and public servants. It captured a little less than half of the green vote.

Les Verts, led by Antoine Waechter, is a more democratic grouping mainly responsible for current surge in support for green politics. Lalonde dismisses Les Verts as a group of “archaic leftists, unrealistic ecolos and delirious ayatollahs”, while Waechter says Generation Ecologie is an opportunist operation to recapture the votes of disillusioned Socialist Party supporters.

Les Verts say Lalonde cost them representation in the European Parliament in 1984 when the fledgling party failed to win the necessary 5% of the vote, largely due to a competing ticket run by Lalonde.

[pointsal]

French connection??? I thought he was Irish.
Golly is nothing sacred?

[CathyRyan]

What is John in french?

[Rocky]

"Brice Lalonde, Kerry's cousin and mayor of this seaside Brittany village"

Well, this is undoubtedly one of those foreign leaders who told Kerry that he must win this race.