Terrorism is a nuisance????

[jenfur]

''We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they're a nuisance,'' the article states as the Massachusetts senator's reply.

''As a former law enforcement person, I know we're never going to end prostitution. We're never going to end illegal gambling. But we're going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn't on the rise. It isn't threatening people's lives every day, and fundamentally, it's something that you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life.''

Kerry was a prosecutor before he got into politics, and made fighting organized crime a priority.

.....

Can anyone REALLY defend this thinking? I am pretty sure that most in this country thought of terrorism as exactly that when it was always overseas, not here on American soil. He is already going back to the pre-911 "its a law enforcement problem" mentality! I mean he actually says this is NOT a threat to the fabric of our lives! Tell that to everyone who lost a friend or family member that day! I need time to cool down.....

 

[LoraJ]

Maybe you should quote the whole article:

Bush campaign to base ad on Kerry terror quote
Democrats: GOP again taking senator's words out of context


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush's campaign announced Sunday its plans to use as the basis of a new commercial a quote from an 8,000-word New York Times Magazine article about Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.

The parsing prompted the Kerry camp to retort that the soon-to-be-released Bush ad was another example of the president's campaign taking words out of context to create a misleading impression.

The article, a largely analytical cover story in the magazine, says the interviewer asked Kerry "what it would take for Americans to feel safe again."

''We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they're a nuisance,'' the article states as the Massachusetts senator's reply.

''As a former law enforcement person, I know we're never going to end prostitution. We're never going to end illegal gambling. But we're going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn't on the rise. It isn't threatening people's lives every day, and fundamentally, it's something that you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life.''

Kerry was a prosecutor before he got into politics, and made fighting organized crime a priority.

Bush campaign Chairman Marc Racicot, in an appearance on CNN's "Late Edition," interpreted Kerry's remarks as saying "that the war on terrorism is like a nuisance. He equated it to prostitution and gambling, a nuisance activity. You know, quite frankly, I just don't think he has the right view of the world. It's a pre-9/11 view of the world."

Republican Party Chairman Ed Gillespie, on CBS' "Face the Nation," used similar language.

"Terrorism is not a law enforcement matter, as John Kerry repeatedly says. Terrorist activities are not like gambling. Terrorist activities are not like prostitution. And this demonstrates a disconcerting pre-September 11 mindset that will not make our country safer. And that is what we see relative to winning the war on terror and relative to Iraq."

The Bush-Cheney campaign also announced it was releasing an ad highlighting Kerry's comment.

Reuters reported that the new Bush commercial's script asks "How can Kerry protect us when he doesn't understand the threat?"

Kerry campaign spokesman Phil Singer called the Republican charges "absolutely ridiculous."

"This is yet another example of the Bush campaign taking John Kerry's words out of context, and then blowing it up into something that is nothing," he said.

"The whole article is about how John Kerry recognizes that the war on terror requires a multipronged approach. It's not just the military aspect, but you need diplomacy to be able to enlist your allies. The Bush people have never understood that. John Kerry has always said that terrorism is the No. 1 threat to the U.S."

Kerry consistently has rejected assertions that he underestimates the threat of terrorism or views the battle against it as solely a law enforcement matter. He argues that law enforcement and intelligence are critical elements of the battle against terrorism, and that Bush has said the same thing.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who was chairman of the Democratic National Convention, where Kerry got his party's nomination in July, said on "Late Edition," "Senator Kerry has said that the No. 1 threat to America is international terrorism, al Qaeda."

 

[peachgirl]

Can anyone REALLY defend this thinking?

The thinking I can't defend is the kind that will take what Kerry said and twist it into what they want it to say by clipping, cutting and distorting.

Excellent post LoraJ.....

 

[Rokkitsci]

I agree - in the context of the article, the statement is entirely logical.

Only in the cynical world of politics do grown people purposely ignore context and isolate specific phrases they can intentionally distort.

I am glad to see the Democrat posters agree that this is shameful politics.

I would be ecstatic if they put their words into practice.

A few random phrases that rush into mind:
- "mission accomplished"
- "we might not win it"
- "catastrophic success"
- "nation building"
- etc
- etc
- and my all time favorite - "wither on the vine"

To some extent all campaigns do this - doesn't make it right - I wish it were not necessary.

To me - it is the height of hypocrisy for the Democrats to complain about "taking statements out of context." Their entire campaign is based on out-of-context statements and outright lies. It is more than amusing to see them whimper when once in a while the GOP plays the same game they are masters at.

 

[peachgirl]

"we might not win it"

Actually, Bush didn't even leave a possibility open....he said the war on terror "can't be won", not "might".

 

[tidoublegger]

Oh brother...

 

[treesinger]

Originally posted by peachgirl
Actually, Bush didn't even leave a possibility open....he said the war on terror "can't be won", not "might".

First, a response for you, then a response to the OP.

The war on terror can't be won absolutley, which is what Bush meant. We will never be able to kill every last terrorist on the planet and keep one from growing ever again. Terrorism will always exist. Our job is to minimize it to such an extent that it is not a threat to Americans tomorrow the way it is today. I find this a reasonable, rational argument.

Kerry's statement actually reflects that very same thinking. He wants terrorism to not be a major issue for Americans and want to eradicate it to such a point that it will only be a "nuisance" (poor choice of words, but I understand what he's saying).

Funny, sounds like both candidates are saying the exact same things here!

 

[peachgirl]

The war on terror can't be won absolutley, which is what Bush meant

I know what he meant....My mistake, I didn't think I needed to add the winkie smilie...

Both sides do it because it works. The right whines when the left does it, the left whines when the right does it.

What I find amusing is that the right distorts as much as the left, but when caught wants to somehow get a pass because they claim the left taught them how or because the left does it more, or the left does it better....

Excuses, excuses, excuses.....

 

[richiebaseball]

Originally posted by peachgirl
The thinking I can't defend is the kind that will take what Kerry said and twist it into what they want it to say by clipping, cutting and distorting.

Excellent post LoraJ.....

A new Michael Moore movie?

Richard