Kerry WAS RIGHT - says John Nichols at The Nation!!!

[whometense]

This recognition is l-o-n-g overdue.

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=128967

Bush, Kerry -- Yes, Kerry -- and Korea

Flashback to September of 2004: In the midst of the presidential race between George Bush and John Kerry, North Korea threatened to initiate nuclear weapons tests. There was no certainty that North Korea's weapons programs were advanced enough to perform signficant testing. But, as concerned international arms control officials attempted to pin down details of what was happening at a potential test site in the country, Kerry put the latest development in perspective by suggesting that the mere fact of North Korea's threaten was evidence of failed diplomacy.

The Democrat condemned the Bush administration for rejecting direct diplomacy in favor of the cowboy president's bluster and blunder. Noting that the White House had failed to effectively engage North Korea's concerned neighbors and other nuclear powers in the process, Kerry said: "The Chinese are frustrated, the South Koreans, the Japanese are frustrated" by what he described as the president's neglectful and "ideologically driven" approach...

...Kerry's comments barely earned a day of attention from the drive-by media, and they were ridiculed and attacked by conservative commentators and political operatives. White House spokesman Scott McClellan accused the Democratic presidential candidate of promoting policies that would allow North Korea "to dupe the United States," while claiming that Bush was "pursuing a plan that will lead to the dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons program..."

When voters went to the polls in November of 2004, surveys showed that Americans still thought the Republican president -- with his record of avoiding military service and blank-stare approach to foreign affairs -- was more committed to protecting national security than the decorated Democratic veteran who had spent two decades developing his expertise on arms control and international relations...

[WildEyedLiberal]

1. It took the Nation two years to admit what should have been obvious...

... from the beginning.

Better late than never, I suppose.

[blm]

2. It was ALWAYS about media protection of Bush for 6 years, John Nichols.

About time you shook some of that dust off your eyelids.

[Jack Rabbit]

3. You really ought to go The Nation's website and look in their archives

I don't think anybody can accuse John Nichols or any other writer for The Nation of coddling Bush.

[blm]

5. Not what I meant - in 2003 and 4, Nichols would sometimes buy into media

version of events, especially related to the Dem candidates, instead of checking the facts in the record - and that was a bit frustrating at times when he did that, because I always expect more out of left journalists. When they do get lazy, they can be as harmful as RW propagandists.

I would never say that he protected Bush.

Editting in - I think my op was probably vague and realize it could easily be interpreted the way you did. Mea culpa.

[whometense]

7. Not so much accusing them of coddling Bush:

they didn't. Not at all.

What I am accusing them of is of being unsupportive of Kerry in 2004, when we needed all hands on deck.

I know this - I was a subscriber at the time, though I no longer am.

[blm]

9. That's exactly it -

Now, why didn't I say it so simply? Ehhhh - - I suffer from brain freezes and become soooooo awkward.

Thanks whometense.

[Tigress DEM]

4. Fourth Estate, keep moving toward the light of day...

Your endless night of captivity and hot pokers up your arse are nearing closure.

Real people want real answers.

WE the people are about as real as it gets.

So we're real happy you got off the talking points and took a fact or two to task.

Keep it up.


(Note: I am speaking in general - MSM as having forgot their role as Fourth Estate vs The Nation or Truth Out or Indy Media who have been pretty damm good at picking up the slack.)

[_dynamicdems]

6. Finally some vindication!

Big Ed Schultz also brought this up in his interview with Senator Kerry earlier today. He played part of the Kerry-Shrub debate where Kerry spoke about North Korea.

That's two people who are capable of connecting the dots (or of long-term memory) but where are the rest?

[blm]

8. Sounds like Schultz is realizing Kerry's right on alot, including withdraw

from Iraq plan. Big difference from what Schultz was saying just 3 months ago when he sided with the centrist Dems.