RogerRabbit
Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined: 05 Sep 2004
Posts: 748
Location: Oregon
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 Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 9:44 pm Post subject: Dangerous ground |
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http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0926sun2-26.html
| Quote: | Dangerous ground
Kerry strategy on Iraq risks making foes bolder
Sept. 26, 2004 12:00 AM
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry seems to have arrived, at last, on a campaign theme that is both direct and pertinent: a deconstruction of the Bush administration's record in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
Unfortunately, it is a dangerous strategy for someone who seeks to inherit in just four months the "mess" he decries.
Kerry on Friday proposed a seven-step plan to combat terrorism. While there wasn't much new among his ideas - we've known since 1989 that securing chemical and nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union is good for our well-being - Kerry needed to establish foreign-policy objectives beyond asserting he would do a better job of engaging America's allies. To an extent, he did that.
And regarding Iraq, Kerry no longer seems inclined to blow hot and cold depending on the audience. His rhetoric consistently adjudges the Iraq invasion a mistake now, "a profound diversion from the battle against our greatest enemy, al-Qaida."
He added: "Every week, too many American families grieve for loved ones killed in Iraq by terrorist forces that weren't even there before the invasion."
It is good to know where Kerry stands on the war. It has been a long time coming. Nevertheless, it is one thing to be a committed opponent, another matter to be an obstructionist to progress toward resolving the conflict. In his remarks, Kerry has slipped dangerously toward becoming the latter.
In his worst step out of bounds, Kerry effectively mocked the interim prime minister of Iraq, Ayad Allawi, who in an address to Congress last week thanked the United States for the nation's sacrifices.
Kerry said Allawi's positive portrayal of Iraq's condition contradicted the prime minister's earlier, more dismal assessment of the situation. Kerry recalled that just a week ago Allawi had admitted that foreign terrorists are flooding into Iraq.
But Kerry's analysis distorted Allawi's Sept. 19 comments on ABC-TV's This Week program. Yes, he said on the program, terrorists are swarming into his country. But, he argued, "this is their last stand."
"So they are putting a very severe fight on Iraq. We are winning. We will continue to win. We are going to prevail."
We'll see who is proved right eventually. Meanwhile, it strikes us that Kerry, whose campaign puts a premium on personal valor in the face of mortal danger, might also have considered demonstrating a similar appreciation for Allawi's courage. It is not that many years ago that Allawi was on the run, hunted down by Saddam's would-be assassins.
Kerry also treads dangerous ground by expressing doubts about the efficacy of the planned Jan. 31 elections in Iraq. There is nothing that emboldens the bloody-minded murderers in Iraq more than believing their brutality may pay off.
Even in the middle of a hotly contested presidential race, it would not seem untoward of the Democratic candidate to take some joy from Allawi's dignified presentation on Capitol Hill last week.
Allawi may be overly optimistic about the coming elections. But his very presence before Congress gives him a right to keep hope alive. |
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"Si vis pacem, para bellum" |
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