Kerry Remark on Foreign Leaders Faulted

NY Times ^ | 3/15/04 | Jodi Wilgoren

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

A Republican business owner here in this November battleground state and Secretary of State Colin L. Powell had the same questions Sunday for Senator John Kerry: Which foreign leaders told you they support your campaign, and when did you meet with them?

The questions, in a volatile exchange at a forum here and in an interview on Fox News Sunday, stemmed from a comment that Mr. Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, made last Monday at a Florida fund-raiser. It was the second time in recent days that stray comments by Mr. Kerry diverted attention from his themes of creating jobs and providing health insurance.

"I just want an honest answer," Cedric Brown, 52, who owns a small sign company, told Mr. Kerry.

"Were they people like Blair or were they people like the president of North Korea?" he asked, referring to the British prime minister, Tony Blair. "Why not tell us who it was? Senator, you're making yourself sound like a liar."

Mr. Brown's repeated questions came hours after Mr. Powell said on television that Mr. Kerry's vague claim to have the backing of unnamed foreign leaders was "an easy charge."

"If he feels it is that important an assertion to make, he ought to list some names," Mr. Powell said. "If he can't list names, then perhaps he should find something else to talk about."

Mr. Powell also challenged Mr. Kerry's recent assertions that Mr. Powell had been undermined in foreign policy debates in the Bush administration.

"Name a specific issue where it looks like I have been marginalized," Mr. Powell said.

As his aides have all week, Mr. Kerry refused Sunday to cite any names of foreign officials or describe their rank, telling reporters, "I can't violate any conversation because no one would share something with me again."

Instead, Mr. Kerry disputed the wording of his comment, and tried to change the subject from individual leaders' specific support of his efforts to oust President Bush to a broader deterioration of the United States' international reputation.

"I think the quote, the quote in the comment I made publicly, I believe, was that I `heard from,' that's the direct quote," Mr. Kerry said. "I've likewise had meetings. I've also had conversations. I said I've heard from, that was what I believe I said."

The remark came at a breakfast with about 50 fund-raisers in Florida, after one observed that Europeans were "counting on us" to "get rid of Mr. Bush."

"I've met foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly, but boy, they look at you and say, `You gotta win this, you gotta beat this guy, we need a new policy,' things like that," Mr. Kerry said, according to a transcript from a reporter who attended the session.

On Sunday, Mr. Kerry said that he had not been abroad since he announced his presidential ambitions in December 2002. In Bethlehem, he told voters he had "had conversations with a number of leaders in the course of the last two years, up until the present moment," and that he had "also had friends of mine who have met with leaders, as recently as the past week I've heard from a couple."

Speaking afterward with reporters, he said the who, when and where was not the point.

"The point is that all across the world Americans and America is meeting with a new level of hostility," Mr. Kerry said, "and that there are relationships that have been broken, and everybody who follows the foreign policy of the United States understands that."

Mr. Brown said he came to the forum to confront Mr. Kerry, in part because of lingering bitterness from the Vietnam era, when as a West Point cadet he was spat on, he said, by antiwar protesters.

As many in the crowd shouted at Mr. Brown to "shut up," Mr. Kerry, a veteran of both the Vietnam War and the protests against it, calmly promised to answer all queries, no matter the tone. Then he turned the tables.

"Are you a Democrat or a Republican — what are you?" he asked. "You answer the question."

After Mr. Brown said he voted for Mr. Bush in 2000, Mr. Kerry added: "See? Democracy works both ways."

[Travis McGee]

Mr. Brown, I salute you!

[Texasforever]

"Are you a Democrat or a Republican — what are you?" he asked. "You answer the question."

What about American Mr. Kerry?

[snow scorpion]

Now we have private citizens doing the job that journalists are supposed to be doing. I wonder if the people at the Times have enough sense to be embarassed about that.

[sinkspur]

Kerry's "off the cuff" remarks are frequently lies, as we are discovering.

This guy will self-destruct, if we just give him room.

[baseballmom]

"Are you a Democrat or a Republican — what are you?" he asked

Kerry is an SOB. What the heck difference does it make what party he is? He wants answers. An American voter wants answers, period.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" Then he turned the tables."

"Are you a Democrat or a Republican — what are you?" he asked. "You answer the question."

"After Mr. Brown said he voted for Mr. Bush in 2000, Mr. Kerry added: "See? Democracy works both ways."

The NYT is so far up Kerry's Kolon that they think when Mr Brown gives an honest, forthright answer, Kerry is somehow turning the tables.

Senator Refusenik refuses to :

Release his military records
Release his medical files ( prostate cancer Feb 03, history by Kerry's own words and deeds of depression and PSTD, R/O Marfan's Syndrome )
Release the names of the " foreign " leaders he met with ( maybe Kerry is so confused that he thinks stopping at a 7/11 is the same as meeting with a head of state )

[SpinyNorman]

Speaking of undermining, when a Senator, or anyone with suffient stature for that matter, secretly negotiates and deals with foriegn powers to the detriment of our Commander in Chief, does it not rise to the standard of treason? Or at least sedition?

[Salvey]

This guy will self-destruct, if we just give him room.

It sure as hell better be before election day!

[Brandon]

"Are you saying you will only answer questions from registered Democrats? Do you not want my vote if I'm not a registered Democrat?"

[gov_bean_ counter]

My thoughts exactly. I wish Mr Brown had told Kerry it makes no difference, please answer the question.

[Travis McGee]

Exactly!

[rllngrk33]

This guy will self-destruct, if we just give him room.

I just hope he doesn't self-destruct too soon. The RATs might replace him with Hillary.

[Jorge]

How perfect. Kerry who accuses President Bush of misleading the American people is the one caught in a lie.
I love it.

[Betaille]

I'm shocked that the NY times actually printed an article that makes Kerry look so bad. His comment to the man at the end of the article is unbeleivably snotty. Foxnews should play the clip of that conversation over and over again tommorow.

[rocklobster11]

excellent article. Nothing positive about Kerry in it.

[hobson]

"See? Democracy works both ways."

What is that suppose to mean?

[Boundless]

> Now we have private citizens doing the job that
> journalists are supposed to be doing. I wonder if the
> people at the Times have enough sense to be embarassed
> about that.

Consider another possibility...

The NYT ran the story. Normally, they'd just spike a story
like this - "not newsworthy". If they ran it, they had a
reason to run it, and probably also had the blessing of
their DNC masters.

If the Clintons decide that they need Kerry out of the way,
the LLiberal Press will turn on Kerry. The NYT will be a
leading indicator.

In the initial stages of a Clintonian purge of Kerry, it
would be precisely what I'd expect from the NYT to run a
story that has "NYT house deniability". The NYT expressed
no biad, and said nothing negative here about Kerry. They
just printed the truth (which itself is out of character).

The NYT doesn't report news. They send messages. For
those not in the DNC Talking Points FAX Circle, the NYT
messages can be a bit obscure.

[hobson]

"See? Democracy works both ways."

What is that suppose to mean?

[Betaille]

I'm a registered Democrat and I would also like to know Who these world leaders are Senator Kerry. I'm pleasantly surprised that they actually included the comment about North Korean Dictator in the article.