Kerry Campaign Keeps Eye On Tone Of War
By Scott Brooks
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kerry, D-MA, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, will be keeping a close eye on what he says about U.S. policy on Iraq now that the United States has launched a military assault on that country.
With U.S. forces in the early stages of combat, the Bay State senator’s presidential campaign will continue on a “day-to-day” basis, campaign spokeswoman Kelley Benander said Wednesday. But, the campaign will be mindful of what activities and discussion may be seen as inappropriate during wartime.
“Like every campaign, we’ll be adjusting our campaign schedule on an as-appropriate basis,” Ms. Benander said. “We’re certainly not suspending all of our activities, but we will, of course, be sensitive to tone, to taste, to the national mood, and making scheduling decisions accordingly.”
While Sen. Kerry continued this week to lash out against the Bush administration’s diplomatic efforts in the months leading to war, the campaign is paying heed to the tone of its statements, she said. Sen. Kerry has said he has thrown his full support behind the U.S. troops now that the conflict is underway.
In a statement Thursday, Sen. Kerry rallied behind the war effort, saying that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein missed his chance to avoid war by refusing to give in to President Bush’s 48-hour ultimatum and go into exile.
“It appears that with the deadline for exile come and gone, Saddam Hussein has chosen to make military force the ultimate weapons inspections enforcement mechanism,” Sen. Kerry said. “If so, the only exit strategy is victory. This is our common mission and the world’s cause. We’re in this together.”
Sen. Kerry said he hoped there will be a minimum of U.S. and civilian casualties during the conflict and called for the administration to engage “the community of nations to rebuild Iraq.”
Sen. Kerry’s attacks on the Bush administration escalated earlier this week, particularly in a biting statement in response to President’s Bush’s national address Monday night. After the president called for Mr. Hussein to leave Iraq within 48 hours, Sen. Kerry maintained that the administration’s handling of the run-up to war “could not possibly have been more inept or self-defeating.”
“When it comes to decisions about national security and sending troops into harm’s way, you speak from your heart, your gut and your head — and in my case, from the perspective of one who has seen and experienced war,” Sen. Kerry said. “When it comes to [keeping] Americans safe, you have to focus on what’s important, not what’s popular.”
Over the last week, Sen. Kerry’s travels have taken him across the country, from last weekend’s Democratic state convention in California to Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day roast in South Boston. Reports indicated that the senator would be traveling across Florida Wednesday and Thursday, but those plans were scrapped as the Senate debated next year’s budget all day Wednesday. Plans to continue campaigning in New Hampshire this weekend currently remain as scheduled, Ms. Benander said.
Nationwide polls of Democratic voters routinely place Sen. Kerry in the top three among the nine Democrats running for president, along with Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri.
While all of the Democratic candidates may be in a tricky position rhetorically now that the war has begun, Sen. Kerry’s may be trickier than most, according to Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. Sen. Kerry has taken a highly nuanced position on the Iraqi conflict, blasting the administration while supporting the use of military force, he said.
With the nation at war, Mr. Ornstein said, Sen. Kerry’s criticisms of the administration may be over for the time being.
“That was before the bombs started. It’s different now,” he said. “You’re subjecting yourself to a potential firestorm if you criticize once our troops are actually facing hostile fire.”
Published in The New Bedford Standard Times, in Massachusetts.
