Kerry's still campaigning for President

[SuperJerk 0]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/02/15/...y.ap/index.html

 

Kerry: Military proposals would have made country safer

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said Tuesday the country would be "far better off" with his proposals for Iraq and the military.

 

"I think my security proposals for the country were smack on, dead on," Kerry said.

 

"I think that had they started to do the things I proposed on Iraq when I proposed them, we would be far better off today," he said. "And they are in fact now trying to do some of the things that I proposed.

 

The Massachusetts senator, meeting with defense reporters, discussed legislation he plans to introduce to permanently increase the size of the military and boost benefits for military families. It's largely the same proposal that Kerry put forth during the campaign.

 

Several similar proposals also are being floated in Congress.

 

Reflecting on the presidential campaign, Kerry said he had proposed "a far more effective way to make America safer."

 

And, he said, he was "way ahead of the curve" on several areas -- like the position of an intelligence chief, the creation of the commission to investigate the September 11, 2001 attacks and an increase in the military death gratuity -- while "the president dragged his feet."

 

"Americans accepted that I could be the commander in chief," he said. "What they were unwilling to do was shift commanders in midstream."

 

 

If at first you don't succeed...

[Guest MikeSC]

He had proposals?

-=Mike

[2GOLD 0]

Does Kerry really think the Democrats are going to give him another chance? Him and his team just blew a slam dunk victory. You can't blow an easy victory like he did and get another shot.

 

Least Al Gore was wise enough to vanish and come back with a personality.

[2GOLD 0]

He had proposals?

-=Mike

 

KERRY HAS A PLAN!

AND IT'S A DAMN GOOD PLAN!

God Mike, how many times must you be told Kerry has a plan till you understand he had a plan?

[SuperJerk 0]

He had proposals?

-=Mike

Don't you remember those ideas you guys misquoted and misrepresented all year last year?

[Guest MikeSC]

He had proposals?

      -=Mike

Don't you remember those ideas you guys misquoted and misrepresented all year last year?

You mean the plan he never revealed?

-=Mike

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

His www.ihaveaplan.com Web site kept shutting down for me...

[Dr. Tom 0]

I don't remember Kerry proposing increasing the size of the military (heck, I don't ever remember a Democrat proposing that). Of course, he spent so much time saying, "I HAVE A PLAN~!" and sucking up to European countries that hate us that I may have missed it.

[Vyce 0]

He had proposals?

      -=Mike

Don't you remember those ideas you guys misquoted and misrepresented all year last year?

You mean the plan he never revealed?

-=Mike

Well, he apparently DID have a plan, which you could read all about, provided you go to a special website, rather than him......you know......actually talk about it out loud for one moment during the thousands of hours he spent on TV in the months leading up to the election.....

[Boon 0]

He was too busy "reporting for duty" to actually say anything.

 

I stopped listening when he tried to be a Red Sox fan and made reference to "Manny Ortez."

[SuperJerk 0]

He had proposals?

      -=Mike

Don't you remember those ideas you guys misquoted and misrepresented all year last year?

You mean the plan he never revealed?

-=Mike

Oh, so you HAVE heard of it.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

He was too busy "reporting for duty" to actually say anything.

 

I stopped listening when he tried to be a Red Sox fan and made reference to "Manny Ortez."

You're really gonna call a guy out on MISSPEAKING? When the other option is this guy?

[2GOLD 0]

He was too busy "reporting for duty" to actually say anything.

 

I stopped listening when he tried to be a Red Sox fan and made reference to "Manny Ortez."

You're really gonna call a guy out on MISSPEAKING? When the other option is this guy?

 

Rule #1:

If you are going to pretend to be the fan of a team, you damn sure better know the name of the player you are talking about.

 

Manny Ortez....christ, I'm not a Red Sox fan and even I know that isn't close.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Lambert Field

 

 

Tim Brody?

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

He was too busy "reporting for duty" to actually say anything.

 

I stopped listening when he tried to be a Red Sox fan and made reference to "Manny Ortez."

You're really gonna call a guy out on MISSPEAKING? When the other option is this guy?

 

Rule #1:

If you are going to pretend to be the fan of a team, you damn sure better know the name of the player you are talking about.

 

Manny Ortez....christ, I'm not a Red Sox fan and even I know that isn't close.

Rule #2:

 

If you are going to attempt to make sweeping, conservative changes to the most successful government entitlement program in the nation's history, at least have some semblance of a clue of what you're talking about:

 

Because the -- all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those -- changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be -- or closer delivered to what has been promised.

Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the -- like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate -- the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those -- if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.

 

Okay, better? I'll keep working on it.

[2GOLD 0]

Please, the government is completely worthless. You can mess up talking about that worthless piece of horse hockey all you want.

 

Sport is life.

 

Sports>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Government

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Please, the government is completely worthless. You can mess up talking about that worthless piece of horse hockey all you want.

 

Sport is life.

 

Sports>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Government

Touche.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Yeah but we have no expectations for Bush as an orator. Kerry is lauded as Mr. Debate Team, New England Class And Eloquence Personified, and all that other bullshit they hyped us with, then he goes and says "Lambert Field" and upsets a bunch of Wisconsinites.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Yeah but we have no expectations for Bush as an orator. Kerry is lauded as Mr. Debate Team, New England Class And Eloquence Personified, and all that other bullshit they hyped us with, then he goes and says "Lambert Field" and upsets a bunch of Wisconsinites.

You don't expect him to be at least somewhat knowledgeable about one of the top policy goals of his second term?

[The Czech Republic 0]

Quite frankly, no.

[SuperJerk 0]

Quite frankly, no.

I never cease to be amazed by the amazingly low expectations we've set for our leaders.

[CBright7831 0]

Instead of "I have a plan..." it's now "I had a plan...".

[Dr. Tom 0]

Yeah but we have no expectations for Bush as an orator. Kerry is lauded as Mr. Debate Team, New England Class And Eloquence Personified, and all that other bullshit they hyped us with, then he goes and says "Lambert Field" and upsets a bunch of Wisconsinites.

You don't expect him to be at least somewhat knowledgeable about one of the top policy goals of his second term?

Somewhat knowledgeable, yes. He should be able to talk about the general goals of the plan, what it's expected to do, and maybe go into a few specifics. But Bush is not an economist. He pays people to fill that role, draft and analyze plans like this, and then brief him on them. It's not the President's job to be an expert on every goal of his administration, but it IS his job to make sure he surrounds himself with the experts he needs.

[SuperJerk 0]

But Bush is not an economist.

 

A man with an MBA should be an expert in economics, even if he's not an economist. Just like a medical doctor should be an expert in biology, even though he's not a biologist.

[Dr. Tom 0]

And a Rhodes Scholar should be wise in the matters of defense and intelligence. Should we go down that road, too?

[SuperJerk 0]

And a Rhodes Scholar should be wise in the matters of defense and intelligence. 

Not necessarily.

 

Someone who is a Rhodes Scholar might or might not be an expert in defense and intelligence. The Rhodes Scholarship is not a specialized degree, but a scholarship to study at Oxford. What they study when they get there is up to them. Therefore, a Rhodes Scholar may or may not be an expert in those fields. In some cases, Rhodes Scholars might become experts in defense and intelligence (James Woolsey and Wesley Clark were both Rhodes Scholars, for example), or in other cases earn MBAs.

 

Some with an MBA *must* be somewhat of an expert in economics in order to earn that particular specialized degree. Therefore, Bush should be an expert in economics, because he has a specialized degree in an area directly related to the field.

[Boon 0]

Yikes!

 

It was a joke, fellas. No need to get all flustered.

 

In actuality, I stopped listening once I met the guy in a private setting. Before he won the nomination, he was campaiging in my home town. My mom was a local gov't official and I was able to meet/chat with him.

 

Frankly, he was not impressive.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Did he tell you about his time in Vietnam?...

[SuperJerk 0]

^I once heard he won some medals or something.^

 

Before he won the nomination, he was campaiging in my home town.  My mom was a local gov't official and I was able to meet/chat with him.  Frankly, he was not impressive.

Everyone knows the ability to make small talk with local officials in order to impress their children is a prerequisite for leading the free world.

 

 

Yeah, I voted for Kerry. I based that vote on my belief that how good a campaign you run has nothing to do with how good a president you might be. Some of the best campaigns turned out to belong to some of the worst presidents.

 

 

That, and he totally OMFG PWN3D~!!!!!!111 Bush during the debates.

 

He made not have had a coherent plan on Iraq, he may have gave up on every southern state, he might have picked the most unhelpful running mate of all time, and he might be married to a woman with an unlimited ability to say stupid things in publci...but by God did he ever destroy Bush in those debates. You can't take that way from him.

[Guest MikeSC]

Kerry beat Bush, barely, in the 1st debate.

 

That was the extent of it.

-=Mike