Kerry, like Gore, was probably the most experienced nominee in both foreign and domestic policy that either party ran in my lifetime.

Kerry is amateur hour in this department compared to Romney.

He couldn't be and have 100% rating from all civil rights groups, woman's groups and a 96% life time score from the League of Conservation voters. Not to mention, Madeline Albright, in a 2006 foreign policy book, excerpted Kerry's 1966 Yale speech on foreign policy - and the interesting thing is that I would have guessed it were Kerry's if I read it without a label. His opinions have matured, but there was the same view that the cultures of other people were important and that it was important to listen to others - rather than assuming everyone has our values.

I can think of no major issue where his position has gone 180 degrees. The closest to that is gay marriage, but that really was more an evolution. Even when it was first an issue, he voted against DOMA, saying it was gay bashing and writing discrimination into the law. In 2004, he spoke of wanting to insure that legislation was written giving equal rights to all state sanctions unions - then in 2008, he said he was for marriage equality in response to a question (that was taped and posted to Blue Mass Group). A few years ago, he made a stronger statement and spoke of how he was in support of gay marriage. (He also worked hard (successfully) in 2009 to help a couple, where one spouse was from Brazil, stay in MA.) Now, this is a change, but I think calling something like this a "flip flop" or any other negative word is wrong. It shows that as a man in his 60s, he is still open to changing his mind when he sees he is wrong.

In 2004, the way the theme was pushed was due to really unfortunate shorthand speaking of his position on two alternate funding bills - he was for the one that paid for the funding by rolling back the then new Bush tax cuts for the top 1% and against the one that added it to the debt. Sounds fiscally responsible to me! The Republicans (helped by some Democrats) conflated this to say that he was for the war before he was against it. In fact, his position was very consistent - he was against a war unless it was absolutely necessary and it was a last resort. He did speak out before the war saying not to rush to war - and was criticized by David Frum in the National Review for that.

what happened to him was a shame. His presidency was stolen from him by the traitor party, the Republicans. I will never forget.

Romney is what the GOP ACCUSED Kerry of being.

When it comes to media interpretation the flip flopping, stiffness, awkwardness with the public, pandering with stunts, characterizations can all can be pinned on both.

There may be a certain poetic justice to such a meme.

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