Posted on 09/01/2013 12:10:11 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
Kerry: I wasn't undercut by move to consult Congress on Syria By Ben Geman - 09/01/13 01:17 PM ET
Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday rejected suggestions his strong advocacy for punishing Syria’s regime for using chemical weapons was undercut by President Obama's surprise decision to first seek congressional approval.
Kerry’s Sunday appearances on five news shows found the secretary of state repeatedly challenging the very premise of questions from hosts who say his advocacy for quick action was laid aside by the White House.
“Wrong,” Kerry bluntly told CBS’s Major Garrett when asked whether Kerry was “disappointed” that his call for swift action was “overridden.”
“I did not advocate that the response had to be swift. In fact, I often said that we needed to take time to do certain things,” said Kerry.
After "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace said Kerry had made a "powerful call" on Friday for "quick action," Kerry retorted: "Chris, I made a powerful call for action. I never mentioned the word quick. I made the case for why we needed to take action."
On Sunday, Kerry repeatedly praised Obama's decision to seek congressional approval.
He said on the shows that it would provide a stronger, more unified national response and enable more time to coordinate with allies, among other benefits.
ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked if Kerry had any idea, during his Friday presentation, that Obama was going to “hit the pause button.”
“Well, the president hadn't made any decision on the military strike, George," Kerry responded. "I was asked to make the case for why we needed to take action, but the president always maintained the prerogative as to when or what he decided to do."
Over at NBC, Kerry pushed back when "Meet The Press" host David Gregory asked if he felt “undermined” personally and whether U.S. credibility had taken a hit when Obama delayed what had appeared to be an imminent strike.
Gregory also said that NBC’s reporting showed that Kerry and other members of Obama’s security team were opposed to going to Congress.
"David, I completely disagree with the fundamental premise that you set out," Kerry said.
"No, I did not oppose going, nor did anybody else that I know of originally. The issue originally was, ‘Should the President of the United States take action in order to enforce the credibility and the interest of our country and to deter Assad from using these weapons and to degrade his capacity to do so?,’ ” Kerry said, according to an NBC transcript.
“That was the issue. And that's the issue that we debated. There was no decision not to do that."
Some critics of Obama's handling of the Syria situation expressed empathy for Kerry.
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), who accused Obama of abdicating responsibility by requesting congressional approval of a strike against Syria, told Fox's Wallace: "First I felt bad for Sen. Kerry having to defend the indefensible"
FAIL.
..they don’t know what’s going on from one room to another in the WH Horseface...your nothing special
skerry serves her majesty the queen obama despite the tire tracks on his back from being thrown under the bus. How does it feel skerry being thrown under a bus by a queen?
He’s the ageless brahmin blowhard..
We know where his sympathies lie..
Kerry is the Susan Rice of the Syrian conflict.
Code Name: “Wag-The-Dog”
Tomorrow Kerry will announce that Assad’s troops used poison gas on their own population because a Bitter Clinging Tea Party member in Idaho made a You Tube video that insulted Allah.
Remember who is pulling the strings in the White Hut - and it ain’t the Current Occupant. He is just a puppet dancing across the stage to a tune called by Valerie Jarrett.
Find out who Valerie Jarrett is working for, and you have solved much of the mystery of why the actions of the Current Regime seem to move in such oblique directions.
“Foreign policy” has a secondary meaning.
I advocated for a swift response before I didn’t
Kerry has less self respect than a street walker on crack.
He desperately wants to be the Democratic nominee in 2016. Where was his outrage when the communists murdered 500,000 Vietnamese in their “reeducation camps” after the war?
You can't believe a single statement as they just reiterate what Obama wants.
We’re obviously too dense to pick up on all the “nuances” that the former Viet-Nam vet (surprise anyone?) so prides himself on. I guess in nuance terms, he and Zero are co-equals playing mind games with Assad (Neat how Obama, Kerry, and Assad’s name all bring to mind the word “@$$hat”).
Clueless .
Kerry was told to build the excuse for Obama going to war then Obama chickened out and ;left Kerry holding the bag.
Then Kerry denies it while still holding the bag in his hand. LMAO
Even a dick like Kerry cannot trust the Kenyan.
One day Kerry might smarten up but I doubt it.
Kerry’s response reminds of the Monty Python “Piranha Brothers” sketch:
Rogers: I’ve been told Dinsdale Piranha nailed your head to the floor.
Stig: No. Never. He was a smashing bloke. He used to buy his mother flowers and that. He was like a brother to me.
Rogers: But the police have film of Dinsdale actually nailing your head to the floor.
Stig: (pause) Oh yeah, he did that.
Rogers: Why?
Stig: Well he had to, didn’t he? I mean there was nothing else he could do, be fair. I had transgressed the unwritten law.
Rogers: What had you done?
Stig: Er... well he didn’t tell me that, but he gave me his word that it was the case, and that’s good enough for me with old Dinsy. I mean, he didn’t *want* to nail my head to the floor. I had to insist. He wanted to let me off. He’d do anything for you, Dinsdale would.
Don’t forget Hilary in march 2011. Assad was a reformer. This makes her very presidential.
I watched Kerry on FNS this AM and can’t believe his face. It looked like it was trowelled with bondo.
Hey! That’s jing-jus.
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