So, did you hear the rumor that Kerry is going to visit Iraq

[TayTay]

Can anyone confirm this. I saw it on a separate post to DU (in GD - P.) The poster said it might be a 're-assessement' tour.

Can anyone with contacts with Kerry confirm the trip?

[Mass]

1. No, but I hope this is true.

He has not been there since January and it will probably be good for him to see things directly.

[Pirate Smile]

2. Did they give any clue as to where they had heard it from?

I vaguely remember reading that but don't remember any specifics.

[TayTay]

3. I hope he goes back to Iraq too!

I think the situation on the ground has gotten much worse since January. And I do think the situation should be re-assessed every six months or so. I have no idea if Sen. Kerry is going or not (rumors are un reliable) but if so, I hope he goes next week and can report back when Congress starts back into seesion on 9/6.

Apparently the rumor originated from a friend of a friend, who knows someone, who works near someone who's cousin works in Kerry's office. You know, the usually reliable sourcing thing.

[karynnj]

6. By some forums' standards, that's an excellent source.

It would be good for the country if Kerry and Hagel went, although we'll be concerned for his safety - even though I assume they protect the Senators well. Their backgrounds would let them understand far more than some of their peers would. I wonder if the soldiers they talk to are more open with them as compared to Biden or Clinton. If things are falling apart, having both of them on the same page would be useful and each would gain something from the other. (Also, neither would play games with the war judging from what they've said of their own experiences.)

Kerry has talked about last chances at least twice, but at some point if Bush continues as he is, Kerry will have to risk saying getting out is the only thing to do, the last chance is gone. ("on ships", as you quoted him saying years ago.) For the next couple weeks, it would be wrong to do so -the Iraq constitution appears a disaster, but they seem to still be saying it might be fixed. It really does seem to be doomed - for exactly the reason Kerry talked about with Rice at her hearings and on MTP. The internal politics weren't really worked on.

[BlueIris]

4. Am I the only one who...

...doesn't like this idea? Doesn't think it's good for Kerry to be heading (by plane, I presume) to the Mid-East at a time when Bush is more threatened than ever, knows of Kerry's continued concerns about the Administration's ineptitude and hostility on both sides of this conflict is high? I realize Kerry cares as deeply about the troops, their grave situation, and the people of Iraq as anyone, but--I still worry for his safety, sometimes. Okay, a lot. Everyone here knows how I feel about our chances for survival without Kerry as President. This world would be really entirely screwed without his leadership.

[whometense]

5. No, you're not the only one.

Last time he went I held my breath the whole time he was gone. But even aside from his senatorial duties, John has a wild streak. He's not reckless, but he's a bit of a daredevil. To love him you've just got to accept the risks he takes. I'd guess Teresa isn't wild about the idea either (just as she dislikes his motorcycle), but she won't say a word about him going.

[karynnj]

7. You're right

If he didn't do things he thought were worth rising his life for, he wouldn't have done those things that are his greatest achievements - All the time he was involved with convicting the Mafia guy, going after Contra drug runners or being a key person breaking up the corrupt money laundering / terrorist bank, there were likely people who would have killed him. It's just hard to reconcile those things with the image of the idealistic, eloquent, distinguished looking Senator or Presidential candidate who seems to have an incredible knack for finding intuitive solutions to problems that other miss.

Like you, I would imagine Teresa held her breath the entire time he was gone too. I just wish he were President and his actions would have reduced the risk for everyone.

[BlueIris]

8. I know of the wild streak. :-) It's part of his charm,

and his effectuality. It's part of why he'll make a great C-in-C. You have to have a special kind of chutzpa to succeed in that job. Like Truman said, it's comparable to riding a tiger.

But--!! Now? It just seems like we're at a delicate point. The risks are higher for him now than the last time he went.

[TayTay]

9. I'm not sure what I think

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure I want Sen. Kerry anywhere military transport planes right now. I get this weird butterflies in the stomach feeling. (That's odd. It is part of his job and part of being on the SFRC to actually go to places where the US has troops and inspect and fact-find and stuff.)

I did see in The Lowell Sun (In an article that is in print but not online, sigh!) that there is a Congressional junket with ten people leaving for Iraq on 8/26 for a ten day trip. My Congressman, MArty Meehan is going, but only two other people who were going were mentioned by name and my esteemed Jr Senator was not named.

Sen. Kerry will either be at the BRAC committee hearing or back in MA, down the Cape, waiting for word on the closure of Otis Air Force base tomorrow. I guess he could always catch up with the junket after, but, geez, it seems like a quickly put together trip if he does go. (But, then again, there is that wild streak. It is possible that it could happen.)

If Kerry doesn't go by next week, then I don't think he would go until the next Congressional recess. The Roberts hearings start up on 9/6. And there is a very disturbing diary post on DKos http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/8/25/145610/620 about that slimey bastard Rove trying to do in Social Security by dong an end run around the Senate Finance Committee and getting private accounts through a conference committee. Kerry is on theFinance Committee and saving Social Security is all important. So I can't see him leaving while that kind of thing is on the table.

We shall see, I guess.

[beachmom]

10. Not that dangerous for VIPs, it's the grunts who have it rough

I felt funny when he went in January to Iraq, but I read somewhere that VIPs NEVER stay overnight there, and they have to take a helicoptor from the airport to the Green Zone, for example. It is true that a congressional delegation including Sen. Diane Feinstein had a scare when their helicoptor was fired on, and it had to do evasive action, but this is the only incident I ever heard of. Rumsfeld is constantly making "surprise" visits, and has come out alright. When people get killed is when they have to DRIVE around everywhere. Then it is really dangerous. But Kerry would be traveling by air -- he would not be allowed on the road, so I don't know if it's as bad as we are thinking. But if you are in the Army or a private security guard or driving a truck or the worst of all, a normal Iraqi citizen, the place is the most dangerous place in the world. Not sure if this reassures anyone, but keep the law of averages in mind. And, of course, we're speculating based on a half baked rumor.

[BlueIris]

11. Not to sound like one of the posters Kos banned, but in my eyes

it's dangerous for him to go there and be there for reasons distinctly other than the threat he would face as a VIP in a warzone. I'm not worried about insurgents or accidents taking him out. It's all those other threats someone like Kerry faces, frankly, everytime he travels, but especially if he's leaving the U.S...for the Gulf, as TayTay mentions, on a military transport plane.

[karynnj]

12. If I'm interpreting it correctly - I worried about it last time

But an even bigger worry was that Rove had just spent 6 months creating a climate of hate. The hatred Nixon whipped up led to Kerry and his wife being harassed and threatened. Last year was just as intense when you add in all the RW nuts. The military was probably subjected to a lot of the SBVT stuff and RW nonsense. Having seen some of the excerpts of Free Republic essentially calling for Kerry to be tried for treason - my concern was that an American soldier, warped by this garbage could think he was helping his country by attacking Kerry. (Rabin was killed by a RW Jew angered by his peace initiatives.)

So I was happy when I saw soldiers smiling or listening intently when they were with him. I would assume they simply respected that he was there.

As to the Bush administrations, if that were what they wanted a US "accident" would be easier to hide and would have no chance to appear heroic - bringing back memories of a hero and a non-hero.

[BlueIris]

14. Interesting.

I didn't know that Kerry had faced threats during the Nixon era--I'd always kind of wondered about that.

"As to the Bush administrations, if that were what they wanted a US 'accident' would be easier to hide and would have no chance to appear heroic - bringing back memories of a hero and a non-hero."

That's an interesting observation. I'm not saying it's not completely valid reasoning, it kind of makes me feel better. Kind of. My fears linger because I think that Kerry's enemies, ahem, whoever they might be, simply don't care about whether any kind of "accident" which might befall him looks suspicious. They've never cared about how guilty they look, they don't have to care. I also don't think they care about whether Kerry's death might somehow help the Democrats if he were killed on a visit to our beleagured soldiers--frankly, as terrible as this makes me feel, I can't say I feel Kerry's death would make him a martyr among liberals. I also don't feel that a US "accident" would be easier to cover up--an accident in the Middle East, considering how little legitimate press coverage, (or public scrutiny) there is of anything "over there" as so many around these parts are fond of saying, would be. Finally, they might see this as their last opportunity to disable a Kerry re-election effort before the Administration loses more of its credibility and power, and before we get any closer to the beginning of the next election cycle (already here, some insist) so as to deflect as much suspicion as possible (not that, as I posted above, that's really a factor for folks like this). I fear that they know, as I do, that Kerry IS the G.O.P.'s strongest opponent for '08.

I don't, if anyone cares, have any "bad feelings" about this; I'm just saying, I hope "something comes up" and he decides to cancel whatever putative trip.

[beachmom]

18. From "Tour of Duty", terror on the Kerrys

Just after John started law school at Boston College, Julia Kery had given birth to the couple's first child, Alexandra, on Sept. 5, 1973, and only a few days after they brought the baby home from Emerson Hospital in Concord, their house was terrorized. "One night somebody threw rocks through our windows," Julia recalled. "One of them came crashing through and landed in my child's bassinet. It missed her head by three inches. We had so much vandalism on our property that we had to put Plexiglas up on the windows, and that is a horrible way to live. It taught me to be frightened. I'm not saying the Nixon administration orchestrated these attacks. They probably didn't. But they had created a climate whereby it was okay to haze us -- to intimidate us. We had been battered. It's one thing if you lose an election because the populace doesn't like you and it's honest and open. It's another thing if you lose because you've been vilified and publicly abused. It's a whole different way to lose a campaign".

I fear that the climate she is talking about is being created by the Bush Administration. Again. Like the American Legion declaration of war on antiwar protesters. I am afraid that things are going to get ugly here at home.

Back to Kerry in Iraq, I maintain my faith that he will be safe. And I think most military personnel won't have a beef with him. They're too busy trying to survive themselves and just doing their jobs to worry about ancient history. And Kerry has NOT called for immediate troop withdrawals. He's still in the other camp in the Democratic party.

[TayTay]

19. It's just amazing that he's still in there

He was under surveillance by the FBI for a long time. (This was, I think, illegal. The FBI is not supposed to spy on US Citizens.)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16134-2004Mar22.html

FBI Tracked Kerry in Vietnam Vets Group

By Laura Blumenfeld and Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, March 23, 2004; Page A07

Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) was subjected to extensive surveillance by the FBI for more than a year as he led protests by an anti-Vietnam War organization for veterans against the Nixon administration's war policies, according to FBI documents.

The FBI closely tracked the activities of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) and Kerry's participation in the organization from 1971 until mid-1972, when officials recommended terminating the surveillance because Kerry was running for the House and agents concluded "there is nothing to associate him with any violence or any violent-prone group or organization."

The Los Angeles Times first reported on the documents yesterday. The documents were in the custody of California author Gerald Nicosia, who had received them five years ago as part of a Freedom of Information Act request. Copies of some were subsequently made available to The Washington Post.

FBI surveillance of antiwar activities in the late 1960s and early 1970s was common, but until now Kerry, a decorated combat veteran in Vietnam, said he had no idea how much he had been tracked as he moved around the country.

After all of that, the harassment, the cost to his marriage and his wife's health and the strain on his family, he still ran for office. This is why some of us were not surprized when Kerry decided so soon after the last election to (maybe) try again in '08. He is very tough. I'm not sure I could go through that in '71 and come back, never mind go through it nationally and decide to try again. He really is a tough minded guy.

[karynnj]

20. After seeing Douglas Brinkley talk about that period

and hearing him emphasize the word "destroy" (that young demagogue), I realized the seriousness of that Nixon administration quote - which I had read and heard before and came away mainly noting the irony of the Nader comparison. He was already traumatized by Vietnam. They literally were willing to destroy a young American hero just to silence a legal political voice which ironically was telling young disaffected people to end the war using the means within our political system rather than talking about revolution. It was Kerry espousing true American values, not the Nixon administrating.

If he would have wanted to, he and Julia could simply have packed up and moved to Italy or France where they had family or friends. They were very young, well-educated, and talented. Even the action of starting law school at that point was an act of faith in this country - as I would assume an American law degree is probably useful only in the US.

[TayTay]

21. He certainly could have packed up and left

It was not easy to get back into the game in Massachusetts. Contrary to this weird meme that floats around DU that Kerry was too much of a 'nice guy' to mix it up with the Rethugs, he is actually quite tenacious and likes a fight. He didn't get that Lt. Gov. job or the subsequent Senate seat because he had a pretty face and a golden resume. He fought like hell for it and he played political games. (There is no other way to do this. You have to understand raw politics and how to manipulate the press and the power bases in your own party. That is how it is done. It doesn't make you a bad person, but it can be indicative that you are a tough and smart person.)

Kerry was well-connected and had several friends who wound up founding major American businesses. He could have said, "Screw this," on the whole running for public office thing, but he didn't. He went to law school, then went in as a poorly paid, but compensationally over-worked DA in Middlesex County and did great work there in modernizing the office and getting some nice convictions. He paid his dues. (And collected both some prestige points and some future chits.) He then had to fight the Mass 'good ole boy' network of favored pols and best them in order to assume statewide office. This was no mean trick, it took a lot of determination and hard work and left bad feelings in a lot of people. (See Boston Globe: Why do they disdain Kerry.)

[BlueIris]

23. Holy shit.

That is INSANE. Poor Kerry family. Good Lord.

[ray of light]

13. I'm very worried.

[kerrygoddess]

15. It's not confirmed...

But I heard it from a well connected source. I'm hoping... we need him to go and come back with some answers.

[TayTay]

17. I would be worried

Hell, we all would be worried. (I worry about the folks we have over their now. It's so dangerous for them. And I worry about the regular Iraqi people who just want to live their lives in peace and some sort of safety and stability. My Kerry worries are in line with that. And with all the mysterious accidents that only seem to befall Democrats.)

I would understand if he went. The war might just be at a turning point and it's essential that leading Dems see this. But still, it's so dangerous.

[globalvillage]

22. I agree.

My question is what is his reason for going? I't got to be more than a meet and greet with the troops. Is he trying to decide in his own mind if we should stay? Was he asked to go for some reason?
If anyone can help sort out this friggin disaster, it's JK.
I hope he goes. Godspeed, John. You'll be in my prayers.
:patriot:

[LittleClarkie]

16. In a way, I hope not

I think it's starting to get really dangerous over there. I hope he'll be okay.