Kerry sharpens his message as Democratic race tightens

[Pale Blue Dot]

BARTLETT, New Hampshire Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts had just finished a walking tour through Littleton, New Hampshire, a small town near here in the White Mountains, when he paused to take questions from local reporters outside a candy store. There was one subject this day: Howard Dean.
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Again and again, Kerry was asked his views of Dean, a rival for the Democratic presidential nomination. Again and again, Kerry, who had passed a half-dozen Dean placards on his walk, demurred. When a television reporter taunted Kerry to at least utter Dean's name, Kerry, who is rarely at a loss for words, grinned and pinched his mouth shut. Such is Kerry's world these days. Three months after many Democrats and Kerry himself thought he was rolling to the party's presidential nomination, he is often stuck in the shadow of an opponent who has moved from small-bore annoyance to potential threat.
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By all appearances, the changed atmosphere in the early battlegrounds of Iowa and New Hampshire has forced Kerry to recalibrate his approach to the crowded race for the nomination.


http://www.iht.com/articles/105858.html

[indictrichardperle]

1. why send today's kids to another "Vietnam" ?

Kerry needs to take a stand against the neo-cons, if he doesnt he doesnt deserve a vote. The OSP is a huge, stinking scandal, Feith has the old Iran-Contra gang up and runnin ....How about some investigations Senator ?


I also dont see how he could have opposed the first gulf war and supported this one ? The dems were just totally paralyzed with fear, and derelict in their duty.

[jamesinca]

2. That is what Gen. Clark has said

They gave Bush carte blanche, and that was wrong..To give the power to wage war is one thing, to put no checks on his power is wrong. For Bush to ask for that was wrong. For Bush to lack the professional intergrity to come back to congress and report on the war was wrong. They can justify voting for or against the war, but they can not justify allowing it to happen carte balnche.

[schultzee]

3. So did Gephardt and it has hurt him.

Kerry need to wake up and smell what the core democrats want.

[tsipple]

4. Gephardt and the Rose Garden

Unfortunately Gephardt has a special problem, which is the Bush Rose Garden appearance to declare his support for the Iraq War Resolution. That stunt really undercut House and Senate Democrats.

The whole vote was utterly botched, though, and now lots of Democrats (save Dean, Kucinich, Graham, Moseley-Braun, and Sharpton) are tainted.

[neuvocat]

5. Why not tell New Hampshire to get over it?

I'm sure that it would go over well with all those independent voters.

[Sweetpea]

6. I remember Kerry speaking out against the war

prior to the war. It didnt get much press coverage. I remember some of the pundits saying that it would be difficult to accuse a vet of being unpatriotic and he was considered a threat. Remember that was a time of assassination by the press and neocons.

[CWebster]

7. Kerry is an ineffective politician without spark

More senatorial in style than presidential, his attempts to engage the average citizen come across as forced, unnatural and flat. If the Establishment imposes such a compromised candidate, it will herald the death-knell of the party's future. Might as well nominate Grey Davis.

[Frederic Bastiat]

8. Yawn

Cut and paste much?

[CWebster]

10. bears repeating

that he has the personality of a sheet of cardboard.

[malachi]

13. Kerry's Personality

Did you actually see him on C-Span in NH? I saw him, he was much better than I anticipated. Relaxed, at times humorous and completely knowledgable about every subject he was asked to speak on by the audience. I'd have no problem voting for him. This personality shit sounds like the same kind of assassination that was performed on Gore when he ran in 2k. What sort of wonderful personality does chimpy possess?

[GalleryGod]

12. You Beat Me To It

:boring:
I've watched Kerry since "Operation Dewey Canyon II" he meets my criteria.

And I marched with Caesar:think:

[imhotep]

9. He REALLY did sharpen his message.....

"Kerry, who is rarely at a loss for words, grinned and pinched his mouth shut."

[styersc]

11. I've met Kerry twice and have found him to be engaging...

...and knowledgable.

He has solid liberal credentials with a sense of pragmatism thathas resulted in his legislative history to be one of change through slow and steady work rather then from revolution.

He will be a solid candidate with the will and ammunition to fire back at Bush who has already begun to snipe.

In regards to the war vote- Kerry voted to give Bush tools to do a job and Bush botched the job. had Kerry and the Senate voted to restrict the president, it would have set a tone and precedent that kerry (or any other president) would have had to battle once occupying the Whitehouse.

[blm]

14. Good luck, styersc...

Most have no idea about process or precedent and how it benefits the nation to preserve process.

They always invoke the phrase "blank check" when it was lawmakers like Gephardt. Kerry and Clinton who negotiated to PREVENT Bush from getting the blank check he wanted, by forcing UN involvement, more weapons inspections, and no pass into Iran and Syria.