Kerry does not watch words - implies abortion rights flip-flop - why?

[papau]

Is John Kerry mystifying friends and delighting enemies by displaying the kind of pandering, flip-flopping verbal gymnastics over abortion that truly have the capacity to single-handedly keep him from winning the White House - just flailing (as he trys to move to the center in a get out the base election where this 10 minute answer just does not sell to anybody on the left, the right, or in the center) ???? (today in the NY Post - and repeated in ABCNote - is this thought).

Now I do understand Kerry's position - and it is a reasonable one - but the media GORE'd the last guy with less - why allow the opening?

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/kerry/articles/2004/05/20/kerry_could_back_antiabortion_judge/

Kerry could back antiabortion judge
But not if Roe were threatened
By Ron Fournier, Associated Press | May 20, 2004

WASHINGTON -- Democrat John F. Kerry said yesterday he's open to nominating antiabortion judges as long as that doesn't lead to the Supreme Court's overturning the landmark 1973 Roe ruling that made abortion legal.

Kerry, the presumptive nominee of a party that overwhelmingly favors a woman's right to choose whether to have an abortion, struck a moderate note as he lashed out at one of the high court's most conservative justices, saying he regrets his 1986 vote to confirm Antonin Scalia.<snip>

If elected, Kerry said, he will see that virtually all US combat troops will be out of Iraq, away from what he called "the death zone," by the end of his first term.

He grudgingly gave Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress credit for creating 900,000 jobs this year, echoed the administration's views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and seconded Bush's decision to nominate Alan Greenspan for a fifth term as chairman of the Federal Reserve.<snip>

"The message is clear, folks," he said. "We're going to make America stronger at home by being fiscally responsible, investing in health care and education, becoming energy independent, and we're going to make ourselves stronger in the world by restoring America's respect and influence with a better foreign policy. It's that simple."<snip>

As to abortion, Kerry said he has voted in favor of "any number of judges who are prolife or pro-something else that I may not agree with," some of whom were nominated by Republican presidents. .<snip>

[Servo300]

1. he seems

to try to play both sides sometimes.

[theivoryqueen]

2. see all the responses to this in the other thread

started in GD ( a couple threads down)

[papau]

3. Seems well discussed already - but a reasonable position that can be flame

bait needs to be re-phrased.

Note to Kerry Staff - please re-phrase.

:-)

[kiahzero]

4. It's not confusing

It's only confusing to people who are so stuck in their false dichtomies to release that the world is not discrete.

There's nothing flip-flopish about saying that you will not have single-issue litmus tests for judges.

[agingdem]

8. Exactly...

what Kerry intends to do is look at a potential judge's credentials and judicial history. Nothing wrong with that...if a judge is personally anti-choice but upholds the constitution without injecting his or her personal bias than that nominee is acceptable. It's similar to filling out a job application without a name but loaded with the requisite qualifications for that job.

[WilliamPitt]

5. Seems very straightforward to me

I will nominate anti-abortion judges as long as Roe v. Wade is still safe from getting overturned.

Translation: My third or fourth judge could be anti-choice, and in the meantime I have gained the attention of millions of single-issue voters who would normally be against me.

[David Dunham]

6. Clinton and Carter took the exact same position as Kerry now.

[lastliberalintexas]

10. I don't remember

Clinton or Carter actually referring to themselves as a "strict constructionist." Maybe they did and I just don't remember? But that description actually troubles me more than the Roe v. Wade debate, since it implies a particular philosophy concerning a wide range of issues.

Kerry seems to have a touch of the Open Mouth, Insert Foot disease- much like Claytie Williams, if he'd just stay quiet he'd probably win.

[papau]

7. I agree-but media right wing bias was not so strong against Carter/Clinton

Our National Media had no problem ignoring Bush lies in 2000 - and then pretending that Gore statements that were never made were both made and exactly as printed in a GOP handout (the internet media lie comes to mind).

I don't think it a big deal - I'm just a little nervous.

:-)

[JI7]

9. media right wing bias was VERY ANTI CLINTON

it's how one handles these things that matter. kerry is following clinton's campaign the most of recent campaigns and i think it's a good thing since clinton won.