Posted on 12/21/2006 7:22:00 AM PST by meg88
Senator John F. Kerry said Wednesday that President Bashar Assad of Syria expressed a willingness to work with the United States to bring stability to Iraq, and said Assad personally offered assistance that Kerry plans to convey to the Bush administration.
Kerry -- who visited Syria along with Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, despite the administration's opposition to the trip -- said the meeting with Assad reinforced the need to follow the Iraq Study Group's recommendation that the US government directly engage Syria and Iran to find a way forward in Iraq.
"He offered some very direct and concrete ways in which they could be helpful in Iraq," Kerry said in an interview conducted by telephone from Damascus. "I came away with a distinct feeling that there are opportunities here. There are fronts in which we can work together if people are inclined to."
The Massachusetts Democrat said he would not publicly discuss the substance of his talks with Assad until he has fully briefed State Department officials about his visit.
But Kerry reiterated his position that President Bush is wrong to rule out direct talks with Syria and Iran. He added that he is interested in visiting Iran as well at an "appropriate time" that's well-removed from the country's recent conference for Holocaust deniers, which Kerry labeled "absurd and insulting."
State Department officials sought to dissuade Kerry, Dodd, and Nelson from going to Syria, though they helped set up logistics of the visits when the lawmakers insisted on making their trips.
Last week, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow blasted the visits as "not appropriate," saying that such meetings hand the Syrian government "a PR victory" by allowing officials to showcase what they portray as improved relations with the West.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
I want to assist the Democratic Party. I think Dean should hire me to run their operations for them.
Senator John F. Kerry said Wednesday that President Bashar Assad of Syria expressed a willingness to work with the United States
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Jeez, we should have elected Kerry. In one short visit he has solved the middle east crisis and especially our chilly relationship with Syria. Neville, (oops), I mean John, you sly old devil. How did you save the free world with such ease and such little effort. I hope you brought your super 8 films back so that we can learn how to conduct foreign policy. /sarc off
The President would rather let them have extraordinary opportunities to humiliate him and his entire administration and the US in general (not to mention opportunities to foul up foreign relations), than refrain from facilitating him, or denounce him, or read him the Logan Act.
Well, he's the President. Lucky for Kerry.
This picture is why he made the trip....
He can assist. Let him visit Ahmadinajad while wearing a bomb vest.
Kerry also said from Syria that if The President sends in more troops to Iraq they would just become more targets. I find this treasonous and thinks he should be immediately arrested as soon as his plane lands on US soil.
The defacto position for leftists is that America is at fault, no matter what the problem is in the world. Therefore no one should be surprised that Kerry is convinced that the Syrians are aching to help. Kerry assumes they are, because he assumes that our enemies are a product of America's bad policies, not evil behavior on the part of rogue regimes.
So of course our enemies are willing to help. All it took, after all, was for an open-minded leftist willing "to put our differences aside" and speak from the heart to resolve them. Or whatever.
That kind of assistance is where the problem lies.
Is this buffoon a disgrace, or what?
"Is this where I get me one of them there terrorist licenses?"
The meeting with Asshat is syred, syred in Kerry's memory.
Oh yea? So what are you planning to give away now Mr. skerry? Not part of someone's sovereign nation I hope.
Looks like all the in-coming Democrat Congress people at the table to me....
Oh, I think Kerry and the other fifth columnists know what they are doing, and it's not about protecting our national security. It's about getting Bush, and claiming power, no matter the cost. They would throw each and every one of us under the bus if it would further their interests.
Well Syria was so helpful with Lebanon....
Kerry: Old Gray Fox wants to help guard the hen house.
Very true...and you can add jon carry's visit with the North Vietnamese while we were still at war in Vietnam to his list of treasonous acts...
This makes 3 times for him (that we know of)...and that should make him OUT of the Senate and government!
Good one
LOL
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