Kerryisms

Though neither George Bush nor John Kerry can be said to silver tongued, Mr. Bush, at least, has something to say. He does not falter in the things he believes. John Kerry on the other hand does little else than falter.

(As more Kerryisms inevitably become available I will update this list and bring it to the top of my blog. If you have a favorite that you want me to post leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list.)

New Kerryism for today:

Vic Gold brings into a new category of Kerryisms - possible future Kerryisms - with this from the Washingtonian.

In September John Kerry, out to answer critics who say his speeches are long-winded and rambling, goes to Independence, Missouri, to bask in the legacy of President Harry Truman. He promises that “in my White House, let me assure you, the buck, which is to say the president’s ultimate responsibility for administrative action, will definitely end at the desk of the chief executive.”

On to the American Legion convention where, invoking the memory of John F. Kennedy, Kerry tells veterans: “Ask not what your country can do for you, either as an individual or a corporation, but what you can do for your country, which isn’t to suggest that just because my opponent hasn’t won a Silver Star in combat, as some of us have, he isn’t qualified to be president.”

And finally to Boston in October, where FDR-like he says, “This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny”—only to deny ever saying it after Rush Limbaugh attacks him for having used a French word.

---

Previous Kerryisms:

Boston Fog Machine
There is not a right or wrong here. There was a correctness in the president’s judgment about timing. But that does not mean there was an incorrectness in the judgment other people made about timing.

For you see, Kerry continued, “Again and again and again in the debate, it was made clear that the vote of the U.S. Senate and the House on the authorization of immediate use of force on Jan. 12 was not a vote as to whether or not force should be used. - John Kerry

And:

It is important to remember that this resolution does not authorize the use of American ground troops in Bosnia, nor does it specifically authorize the use of air or naval power. It simply associates the U.S. Senate with the current policies of this administration and of the Security Council. – John Kerry

The Washington Post
And you've got companies like Wal-Mart that are stripping underneath them, that hire part-time people, that have actually advertised to come and work, so they won't do their health care. - John Kerry

The Washington Post
"This president always makes decisions late after things have happened that could have been different had the president made a different decision earlier." - John Kerry

(via Powerline)
War-Torn Democrats
"(I)f you have a breach that, by everybody's standard, at least in the United States, those of us in the House and Senate, and the president, join together and make a judgment, this is indeed a material breach, and then others -- some of them can't be persuaded -- if we have evidence, sufficient to show the materiality of the breach, we should be able to do what Adlai Stevenson did on behalf of the administration, Kennedy administration, and sit in front of the Security Council and say, 'Here is the evidence. It's time for all of you to put up. We need to all do this together.' And that's what I think the resolution that was passed suggests." - John Kerry

New York Times
"I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it." - John Kerry

(via doubleplusgood infotainment)
Rush Limbaugh.com
No, wait, wait, wait, wait you asked me if I'd met with any leaders. Yes. I have had conversations with leaders, yes, recently. That's not your business, it's mine. I've met with foreign leaders for any (inaudible) purpose - I never said that. What I said was that I have heard from people who are leaders elsewhere in the world who don't appreciate the Bush administration approach and would love to see a change in the leadership of the United States. I'm talking our allies, I'm talking about people who were our friends nine months ago, I'm talking about people who ought to be at our side in Iraq and aren't because this administration has pushed them away in its arrogance, that's what I'm talking about. Are you a registered Republican? Are you a Republican? You answer the question. That's not an answer. Did you vote for George Bush? Did you vote for George Bush? Thank you. - John Kerry

The Boston Globe
"This isn't going to be some kind of, you know, we're-like-them-they're-like-us-wishy-washy-mealy-mouth-you-can't-tell-the-difference deal. This is going to be something where we're giving America a real choice." - John Kerry

TIME Magazine: Interview: John Kerry
TIME: What would you have done about Iraq had you been the President?
KERRY: If I had been the President, I might have gone to war but not the way the President did. It might have been only because we had exhausted the remedies of inspections, only because we had to—because it was the only way to enforce the disarmament. ...

TIME: So, if we don't find WMD, the war wasn't worth the costs? That's a yes?
KERRY: No, I think you can still—wait, no. You can't—that's not a fair question, and I'll tell you why. You can wind up successful in transforming Iraq and changing the dynamics, and that may make it worth it, but that doesn't mean [transforming Iraq] was the cause [that provided the] legitimacy to go. You have to have that distinction. ...

TIME: You've criticized the pre-emptive nature of the Bush doctrine.
KERRY: Let me emphasize: I'll pre-empt where necessary. We are always entitled to do that under the Charter of the U.N., which gives the right of self-defense of a nation. We've always had a doctrine of pre-emption contained in first strike throughout the cold war. So I understand that. It's the extension of it by the Bush Administration to remove a person they don't like that contravenes that.

New York Post
"I voted for what I thought was best for the country. Did I expect Howard Dean to go off to the left and say, 'I'm against everything'? Sure. Did I expect George Bush to f - - - it up as badly as he did?" - John Kerry

New York Post
"I left some blood on a battlefield that President Bush never left anywhere." - John Kerry

The Boston Globe
Those weren't precisely my words, they were the words of a press release sent out. - John Kerry

And:

If we hadn't voted the way we voted, we would not have been able to have a chance of going to the United Nations and stopping the president, in effect, who already had the votes and who was obviously asking serious questions about whether or not the Congress was going to be there to enforce the effort to create a threat. - John Kerry

Hugh Hewitt
Well, ahh, huh, it's interesting to hear that, when they shut the newspaper that belongs to a legitimate voice in Iraq, and, well, let me change the term legitimate --when they shut a newspaper that belongs to a voice, because he has clearly taken on a far more radical tone in recent days, and aligned himself with both Hamas and Hezbollah, which is a sort of terrorist alignment, so it creates its own set of needs in order to deal with the possible future spread of terrorism. But at the same time, if its unaccompanied by a broader set of moves to try and broaden our own base in Iraq, um, I just think it asks for great difficulties. - John Kerry

Yahoo! News - Civil Rights Group Seeks Kerry Apology
"President Clinton was often known as the first black president. I wouldn't be upset if I could earn the right to be the second." - John Kerry

Guardian Unlimited
"I don't own an SUV,'' said Kerry, who supports increasing existing fuel economy standards to 36 miles per gallon by 2015 in order to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil supplies.

Kerry thought for a second when asked whether his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, had a Suburban at their Ketchum, Idaho, home. Kerry said he owns and drives a Dodge 600 and recently bought a Chrysler 300M. He said his wife owns the Chevrolet SUV.

"The family has it. I don't have it,'' he said. - John Kerry