SwiftVets.com

[NortonPete]

I worked in NYC during The Mayor Ed Koch 's reign.
A staunch Democrat who was not easily defined because of his
logical way of dealing with problems. I liked him and the City was
better off for his efforts.
Here is his take on Kerry. ( can be found at www.newsmax.com )
-------------------------------------
Why I Can't Vote for John Kerry

Edward I. Koch
Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2004

.>>>>>Some Highlights from his column

I cannot support John Kerry, the Democratic candidate, because he wavers too much on issues of fundamental importance:

For example, in explaining his vote in the U.S. Senate in favor of the war against Iraq, Kerry said, “He [Bush] misled every one of us.” After the Democratic convention, President Bush challenged Senator Kerry: “My opponent hasn’t answered the question of whether, knowing what we know now, he would have supported going into Iraq.” Kerry responded, “Yes, I would have voted for the authority.”

Similarly, during his appearances with the other candidates at the first Democratic debate on May 3, 2004, Kerry strongly supported the president’s actions in Iraq, stating, “George, I said at the time, I would have preferred if we had given diplomacy a greater opportunity, but I think it was the right decision to disarm Saddam, and when the president made the decision, I supported him, and I support the fact that we did disarm him.”


>>>>>>>> More.....

But on June 18, 2003, the Associated Press reported: “Kerry said Wednesday that President Bush broke his promise to build an international coalition against Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and then waged a war based on questionable intelligence. ‘He misled every one of us,’ Kerry said.”

On September 2, 2003, Kerry claimed that he voted “to threaten” the use of force in Iraq. He said, “I voted to threaten the use of force to make Saddam Hussein comply with the resolutions of the United Nations.” Then, on January 6, 2004, when asked by MSNBC "Hardball" host Chris Matthews, “Are you one of the anti-war candidates?” Kerry replied, “I am – yes, in the sense that I don’t believe the president took us to war as he should have, yes, absolutely.”

Kerry more recently told the American public that in fact he would have voted for the war even if he had known at the time of his Senate vote that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. Kerry exhibited all the failures of a tortured soul, having to decide which was more important, winning the nomination or doing what was morally right. He chose the nomination.





Again, a tortured soul, having to choose between principle and hopefully winning in the general election to come. He chose winning.


I respect those who have different opinions, but I have little regard for those who bend with the wind, those who vacillate, those who cave to the threats of others. I supported from the beginning the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. I continue to support our armed forces being there. I cannot admire a public official who straddles that issue.


...............

Immediately following my speech at the Republican convention, I was asked by Wolf Blitzer of CNN what I thought of “the president’s statement that the war on terrorism cannot be won.” I was unfamiliar with any such statement, as I had not seen the interview with Matt Lauer of NBC-TV at which it was allegedly made. My mind raced, thinking Blitzer wants me to make some comment that he can use against Bush.

In World War II, one of the great poster statements was “Loose lips sink ships.” That applied to inadvertently giving locations of ships to German submarines. But it applies in a different context to all candidates in an election who let down their guard in responding to smiling reporters lying in wait for gaffes.

I responded to Blitzer, “I’ve neither seen nor heard his comments and won’t comment until I do.” That was fortunate because his comments in context make sense.

The New York Sun reported today, “Interviewed on NBC’s ‘Today’ show, Mr. Bush was asked, ‘Do you really think we can win this war on terror in the next four years?’ Mr. Bush replied, ‘I have never said we can win it in four years.’ NBC’s Matt Lauer rephrased the question: ‘So I’m just saying can we win it? Do you see that?’ Mr. Bush said: ‘I don’t think you can win it. But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world.’”

He is right. There will always be someone or some group willing to use terror as a weapon. As President Bush has indicated, the key is to “go after the terrorists and the countries that harbor them.”

While an individual terrorist can always hide in a cave, he or she will have little or no impact on the world if no country is willing to provide weapons or sanctuary. It is a battle that will go on for an extended period of time. President Bush has always said so.

Edward I. Koch is the former mayor of New York City.

[fortdixlover]