In outreach to Jewish community, Kerry stresses his ties with Israel

Personal note: This should read Kerry abandons Clinton and Carter's peace process. He also offically backed off sending Clinton and Carter to moderate. The next bombshell will be that he is going to send Wolfowitz and Perle to moderate. This is so depressing. I hope the Europeans and the UN stick it to President Kerry over this. He is just asskissing the neocons. Let's face it if you can't be multilateral on Israel you can't be multilateral on Iraq since we invaded Iraq for Israel.

“For the entire 20 years that I have been in the United States Senate, I’m proud that my commitment to a secure Jewish state has been unwavering; not even by one vote or one letter or one resolution has it wavered,” Kerry said to the applause of the ADL audience. “As president, I can guarantee you that that support and that effort for our ally, a vibrant democracy, will continue.

“I’m very sensitive to the pushback that came from overly aggressive presidents who tried to just advance the title” of a peace process, “without the substance,There’s always been a feeling of concessions driven without a return on it. I will never voice a concession that somehow puts Israel’s judgment of its security at risk.” He praised Clinton for his efforts as an “honest broker” between Israelis and Palestinians, but acknowledged, “Some people, obviously there are a few people, who felt he pushed too hard.”

Clinton pressed Israel into offering unexpectedly large concessions at the Camp David summit in 2000.

Kerry also said his belief in a multilateral approach to foreign affairs did not apply to Israel.

http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?intarticleid=14047&intcategoryi..

n/t

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?

If you don't like it, tough.

If you don't like my saying so tough!

:wtf:

judging from what he says. Those of us who aren't neocons have no options in this election. None.

Until then I'll vote for Kerry. Do I agree w everything he says? No. Do I feel like he may listen to my disagreement? Yes.

Will George Bush listen to me? No.

:eyes:

.

I think the concept of a presidential envoy is an excellent one, (though his original names of Clinton, Carter and Baker were flawed. Carter, I can deal with, and Clinton I think would have been a sensational choice, but James Baker? Oh my god. For those of you who forgot, after getting H.W. elected, he became Secretary of state for him, where he infamously said "Fuck they Jews- they don't vote for us anyway." That Kerry thought of chosing a Republican who made quite possibly the most politically incorrect, diplomatically stupid, and overall idiotic comment in the last thirty years was tremendously dumb on the part of KErry. At least that name is off the list.

I still think though that the concept of sending somebody who can test whatever theory he wants to try to fix the conflict would have been very strong, had he chosen the right person/people. Bill Clinton would have been a very good choice, loved by the left on this issue, respected by the right. Other than that, there aren't alot of great choices, but I think Kerry is just continuing on a wimpy foreign policy in conjuction with a wimpy social and economic one.

He didn't say "fuck the jews" I think the story has been exagerrated by the neocon pundits. I am sure he told them to piss off, and who could blame him.

I believe he never commented on the story, but it was wildly reported that that was what he said. I should also point out that his service as Secretary of State concluded in 1992, at which point neoconservatives were not exactly very powerful, and most progressives were pro-Israel (the trend is, I think at least, a fairly recent phenomonon). You can see this by him making a fairly, if anything, pro- Palistinean comment while being a Republican Secretary of State.

The engineered IRan Contra in the 1980s. Most progressives at that time believed in 2 states and were much less pro-likud then they are now.

Baker might be a welcome envoy from the Arab Palestinian point of view, and well suited to talk turkey with Sharon over the need for Israel to make real concessions....

as the envoy, but somebody who cursed out either side, especially one who did so for political reasons while serving as Secretary of State. is not exactly admirable. Bill Clinton, for example, is certainyl respected by the Palistineans and the Israelis, and while he most likely did consider politics, he at least did not allow them to dominate him to the point of cursing out one side.

I guess its more important to "back" Israel than be true to the
US. :eyes:

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and it may or may not have any practical results.