John Kerry Interview: On Barack Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton and Bill's "abuse of the truth."

[flpoljunkie]

National Journal's Linda Douglass sat down with John Kerry for "National Journal On Air." This is a transcript of their conversation.

Q: I'd like to introduce Sen. John Kerry, former Democratic presidential candidate in 2004, United States senator now. Welcome, Sen. Kerry.

Kerry: Good morning, glad to be with you. Thank you.

Q: So, senator, you have endorsed Barack Obama, and this week, of course, the campaign was absolutely consumed with these charges and counter-charges, and it seemed to many of us that Obama's message about hope and change was pretty much drowned out. What happened, here?

Kerry: Well, I think you had an abuse of the truth, is what happened. I mean, being an ex-president does not give you license to abuse the truth, and I think that over the last days it's been over the top. Things have been said about Barack Obama's positions that are just plain untrue. It was said in Nevada, it's been said about Social Security, it's been said about Yucca Mountain, and it's been said in South Carolina. I think it's very unfortunate, but I think the voters can see through that. When somebody's coming on strong and they are growing, people get a little frantic, and I think people have seen this sort of franticness in the air, if you will.

My sense is, Barack Obama offers a better opportunity to pull America together than any other candidate in the race. If you look at the fact that the governor of Arizona, a red state, Gov. Janet Napolitano, has endorsed Barack Obama, former governor and now senator, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, red state, has endorsed Barack Obama. The two senators from North Dakota and South Dakota, the Democratic senators, have endorsed Barack Obama. Claire McCaskill, the senator from Missouri, Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia, was asked the question, "Can a Democrat carry Virginia?" And his answer was, "the right Democrat," and then he endorsed Barack Obama.

So, I think Barack Obama has the ability to pull the nation together, to offer the kind of inspired leadership that we need to tackle some very serious problems, and to make America stronger in the world. And that's why I'm for him.

Q: Let's just go back to what you said right at the beginning. So you are saying, then, that former President Clinton is the one who has been abusing the truth?

Kerry: I think there has been an overreach with respect to what Barack Obama has said and when he said it, and I think it's been unfortunate, but I don't think we ought to spend our time there. I think people want to focus on what are you doing to do to get my health care, what are you going to do to get my job?

I think that Barack Obama, for instance, has a stimulus plan that is important to the workers of South Carolina and to the rest of the country. Because, first of all, it's smart. It's not going to be a long-term budget increase, it's going to be a temporary one; it's targeted to the middle class; it's targeted to poor families who need the relief. But it also provides money to business investment -- business incentive in order to help create the jobs we need to move the Economy and he focuses also on the sub-prime housing crisis, which I personally believe is one of the single most important components of restoring confidence in the Economy.

more...

http://nationaljournal.com/onair/transcripts/080125_kerry_john.htm

[BenDavid]

1. clintons are happy to have kerry out there talking for the obama

camp and if there is anything about john kerry speaking is the odds are great he will say something stupid and fuck it up.....hell if i were running the clinton campaign I would have given kerry a million dollars to go and support the other guy......and if I were obama I would tell kerry not to give interviews....

[Bitwit1234]

2. Got his name wrong....he is being called Jelly balls all over the net

I saw someone post it three different times at HuffPost and CrooksandLiars. Good name..for someone who let bush and rove walk all over him. If he had stood up under pressure maybe bush would not have won in 2004.

[LittleClarkie]

10. I assure you there's nothing wrong with the man's courage

Esp. if he gets pissed off. You wouldn't like him when he's angry.

[Inuca]

3. The Clintons must be either

self-destructive or really want to save their money then. What other reason can there be for wanting his endorsement as was mentioned here and everywhere else repeatedly not too long ago?

[BeyondGeography]

4. Yeah...who needs Democrats like Kerry on your side to win in November

when all those independents and Republicans love you so much?

:thumbsup:

[Clintonista2]

8. The only man who has ever lost a presidential election to Bush.... yea I REALY care what he thinks

NOT

[mondo joe]

5. Oh yeah - getting Kerry out there won't taint you as a hapless victim or

anything.

[ProSense]

6. NYT endorses Hillary:

As strongly as we back her candidacy, we urge Mrs. Clinton to take the lead in changing the tone of the campaign. It is not good for the country, the Democratic Party or for Mrs. Clinton, who is often tagged as divisive, in part because of bitter feeling about her husband’s administration and the so-called permanent campaign. (Indeed, Bill Clinton’s overheated comments are feeding those resentments, and could do long-term damage to her candidacy if he continues this way.)

link

[femrap]

7. Kerry is an

old Skull and Bones guy. And all of those that he mentioned endorsing him are nothing but repugnant lite. I don't want a repug-lite for prez.

[cali]

9. so is Pay Leahy repug lite?

I fully expect you to mendaciously say yes about one of the most progressive Senators.

[magatte]

12. Kerry is a liberal Hero from Massachussetts.. get is right.

:kick:

[femrap]

13. Yes, I worked very hard for him in

'04....but I have come to realize he has another agenda. And I will never understand his giving up so early on the Ohio vote. We ended up working on the Recount and going to DC to the Senate when Boxer stood against Ohio's Electoral Votes being approved.

Unless that was the role he was to play. We'll never know. I have no idea what your 'get is right' is all about. Maybe it is from someone I'm ignoring who need to 'get a brain.'

If our votes aren't counted, WTF is the use of calling ourselves a democracy? So go ahead and bow down to your hero...just so you know what you're bowing to.

[YvonneCa]

11. After reading this thread...

...I wonder if there are really Democrats on DU. We won't need to worry about Republicans defeating us if we defeat ourselves.

I just wish there was less 'attacking our own' and more 'research ways Kerry continues to fight' around here. Kerry's endorsement and support for Obama is a continuation of his life-long fight on our Democratic issues.

John Kerry is not the enemy. I wish he had had the information and court support to complete a REAL recount in Ohio in 2004, too...but he didn't. We really needed him as President. I'm grateful every day that he didn't just fade away into the woodwork. He never stopped fighting...just changed his tactics (something Bush never learned how to do, by the way ).


Thanks, Senator!