Flip flopping deja vu all over again... (1 Viewer)

[oldreliable67]

John Kerry is at it again. In trying to get in on the action surrounding the Dem criticism of the NSA surveillance program, Kerry is against, er, for, er, wait, we'll figure this out eventually...

Those who are nostalgic for the 2004 presidential campaign got a treat if they turned in to "This Week With George Stephanopoulos" yesterday. (Granted, that's a big if.) There was John Kerry*, explaining his position on the "scandal" over the Bush administration's allegedly spying on al Qaeda. Here's ABC's account:

Sen. John F. Kerry is calling President Bush's warrantless wiretaps "a clear violation of the law." . . .

Although Kerry did not go as far as to agree with former Vice President Al Gore's belief that the wiretaps may constitute an "impeachable offense," Kerry called for a special counsel and independent investigation.

So he's against spying on al Qaeda. But wait! Here's Reuters, reporting on the same appearance:

"Kerry, who endorsed former Vice President Al Gore's call for an independent investigation of the Bush program, said on ABC's "This Week" that some Republicans like Bush adviser Karl Rove are trying to equate Democratic opposition to warrantless spying as weakness.

"What he's (Rove) trying to pretend is somehow Democrats don't want to eavesdrop appropriately to protect the country. That's a lie," Kerry said. "We're prepared to eavesdrop wherever and whenever necessary in order to make America safer."

So he's for spying! Er, hang on a second! Here's the Washington Times:

"Kerry yesterday called the National Security Agency's program to eavesdrop on terror suspects illegal, but he said he will continue to support its funding."

OK, so he's on both sides of the question whether America should spy on al Qaeda, but he's definitely in favor of funding spying on al Qaeda. Or is he? Remember that after opposing the Iraq war after favoring it, he voted for the $87 billion before voting against it. So it's possible that Stephanopoulos didn't actually succeed in pinning down Kerry's position.

* The haughty, French-looking Massachusetts Democrat . . .

opinionjournal.com

 

[aps]

I watch George S's show almost every week.

I see no flip flopping here. Karl Rove (and other repubs) want people to think that just because democrats are against the president conducting warrantless wiretapping that such is indicative of democrats being against ALL wiretapping. NOT SO.

I fully support our country conducting surveillance, as long as they have followed the proper procedure. That is the exact position of John Kerry and probably all democrats on the hill who have said that they don't like what the president is doing.

Come on, oldreliable, you're better than this. We are a government of checks and balances.

 

[VoiceOfReason]

That was weak.

With Kerry, there's usually no shortage of self provided ammo to rip him wide open, but not this time.

 

[Calm2Chaos]

The Muppet has shown a distinct ability to take sides on both sides of the fence. All depends on who's listening to him that day.

 

[oldreliable67]

Ah, beauty in the eye of the beholder! Personally, I thought it was a pretty typical Kerry attempt at "nuance".

 

[VoiceOfReason]

What's nuanced about it? It's exactly what you would expect the Democrat's position to be.

" we'lll do the same except we'll getthe warrants"

 

[Binary_Digit]

Aps is 100% correct. All Kerry is saying is he thinks the warrantless spy program is illegal. Somehow people keep missing that key word, and misinterpret the whole argument to mean the critics don't want to spy at all. It's completely bogus.

"Kerry yesterday called the National Security Agency's program to eavesdrop on terror suspects illegal, but he said he will continue to support its funding."

That's the closest thing to a contradiction I can see. But even still, Kerry is not a legal expert and he knows it, so it would be presumptious and irresponsible for him to stop funding the program before an official legal ruling has been made.

Remember that after opposing the Iraq war after favoring it, he voted for the $87 billion before voting against it.

Contrary to the deceptive Republican campaign ad, Kerry did not flip-flop on either of those issues. His position on Iraq has remained consistent,and the $87 billion remark makes perfect sense when taken in context.

"But aside from the $87 billion matter, this Bush ad is a textbook example of how to mislead voters through selective editing."

http://www.factcheck.org/article269.html

 

[MSgt]

Oh....I thought this thread was about 'Billo.'

 

[aps]

What's nuanced about it? It's exactly what you would expect the Democrat's position to be.

" we'lll do the same except we'll getthe warrants"

Voice of Reason, you really are a voice of reason. Cheers! :2wave:

 

[oldreliable67]

Thats ok, y'all can defend ol' John* all you want. Y'all have your opinions; I have mine: He is still a flip-flopping loser.


* The haughty, French-looking Massachusetts Democrat who btw, served in Vietnam ...