New Pentagon Report Uses Language Kerry Used in 2004 that Bush-Cheney Called "Dangerous" and "Naive"

"From a European point of view, the USA is fighting a losing battle in "defeating" terrorism."

Which the Europeans have been losing for far longer so I guess they know what losing is. They tolerate the elements that train the young and then are shocked when the lumpen terrorists rise up among them and strike.

Where have the most Western terrorists attacks occurred and suceeded? Europe.

I don't think your insights carry a lot of weight when it comes to reducing the threats or the reality.

It is a law enforcement problem. It is a military problem. It is a financial problem. It is a social problem with support from the narco-states that fund it. But it is a war nonetheless and unless we fight it, the strikes continue. Whatever you think of Bush and I'm not a fan either, he did take it straight to the terrorists on their home ground in Afghanistan. Iraq was a blunder but in the long run, it may work out because it seems that a democratic Arab nation is rising and given that the majority of the 9/11 terrorists were Saudis and Pakistani intelligence supports binLaden, perhaps having one of those might not be such a bad thing after all.

Your presumption of superiority matches Obama's arrogance. Your methods didn't work. We do need cooperation but we need allies with guts, smarts and loyalty. So far the Europeans aren't long on any of these.

I think the truth is that in 2004 the Democrats picked a bad candidate to sell a good message. In the end I wonder if it wasn't a bit like asking a hobo to sell a ferrari, you might wanna buy the ferrari but you can't get past the hobo. (not that Kerry is anything like a hobo but you get the point!)

If this was the other way around you would have linked it to Obama. WHAT WAS MCCAIN SAYING AT THE TIME?

Kerry's remarks seem flaccid and impotent in light of trying to win a war. Even Israel knows that all terrorists cannot be eradicated and Bush/Cheney are realistic enough to realize that. But no coach ever inspired a team to win by asking them to be sensitive. You go for broke to win and sort it out later.

And for you folks that have sleepy or handicapped 70 year olds to tend to and think all are that way, it's not true. My wife and I are both 74. I run a business and work every day. My wife is employed in our school system and named teacher of the year last year. We are both active, healthy and productive. Lots of folks around like that. McCain appears that way too, so strike age off your list. A lot of "being old" is attitude.

Most comments are now supporting Kerry, but back then and now what you wanted to hear was bomb this bomb that, presto your votes are won.
same thing happening now
People should think with their brains and know that peace is never ever achieved through war or bullying

damn straight jen...the masses are a@@ss as well.
let it be their lesson to learn.... only we are the people trying to help teach them otherwise....go dems...

It is amazing how the voters were duped twice by this administration and then you still have around 44% of the population willing to vote for another republican for President in 2008. As the old saying goes "the masses are as$%s".

republicans are not stupid not to know what the democrats mean when they try to articulate policy. But they know their voters are. Therefore, they play dumb. Actually they are very good. Democrats never learn, however. No political figure has so much moral shortcomings than McCain. yet we have to hear a thing about the horrible things he has done in his personal life. Obama must be kidding. If he thinks he can win by being nice, good luck to him.

Just because they used the same word doesn't mean they meant the same thing. The context is completely different - but, of course, little things like that aren't important to journalists.

I just don't get you people who voted for Bush not once but twice and are now actually voting for McCain. Are you too stupid to realize the harm you have done to our country? Or are you just to stubborn to admit you were so wrong? Or are you just masochists? I'm not saying Obama has all the answers. But I do know that McCain has the wrong answers just like Bush.

From a European point of view, the USA is fighting a losing battle in "defeating" terrorism. It is imposible to defeat, since new generations are trained and brainwashed from very young age. Since under Bush the USA just lost a lot of credibility, and are nowhere near to ending the war on terror - it is not a war, but a constant longstanding battle. Not to mention the lives that the USA lost in some desert or a road bomb, to no avail. The USA should have a leadership which promotes cooperation over power/oil politics. Was very refreshing to read such a good retrospective political analisys - Bush and his team are now coming to what Kerry was talking about 4 years ago. That does not speak very clever words about them, by the way.

Think for yourself......listen to what Obama is saying....not just the high sounding rhetoric.

"America (thats YOU and me) is broken"

YOU are "bitter, clinging to guns and religion"

His wife said "America is a mean country" America, thats YOU AND ME my friend. (or maybe the mean ones are just those who don't agree with Barack)

She also said she had never in her adult life been proud of this country.
Do you think "presidential material" when you hear these sort of valus expressed? Would you put someone in the whitehouse who had such feelings or whose inner circle had such feelings?

last week Obama said HE IS THE HOPE the people have been waiting for. (can anyone be in touch with reality who would see themselves in such grandious ways?)

He told the Germans he is a citizen of the world, put the USA down accusing YOU and ME of mistreating others in the world, then essentailly called for a new world order. (Hitler had a similar message of creating unity and buidling a better world order)

Obama said those not for him would try to make you afraid of him, because he doesn't look like the presidents on the currency. He later admitted this was a racial comment. AKA "playing the race card" What a sick, sad immature thing to say, like so many other comments he makes.

We need a president who respects America as the greatest nation on earth. Who respects its citizens (YOU AND ME). Who sees the greatness of our country, who is proud of it. Who does not see it as mean or its people as bitter, and clinging to guns and religion.

We need a president who doesn't have such an unrealistic, exalted view of themselves as to think they embody the Hope of the nation. We are choosing a president not a savior.

bottom line.........MCCain is the only candidate in this race, who qualifies to be president.

IF YOU ARE AN OBAMA SUPPORTER, JUST THINK ABOUT IT WITH AN OPEN MIND. INDEED, HE SAYS MANY THINGS THAT SOUND REALLY GOOD WHEN SPOKEN, BUT LISTEN CAREFULLY......ARE YOU HEARING, WHAT HE IS REALLY SAYING?

Wade opines: "I think what stood out about Kerry's comment at the time, at the height of the world conflict was that he made a sort of comparison between terrorism "prostitution" and "illegal gambling." At the time, and still, it is much more deadly. Of course, reducing terror to the level it exists in say, Ireland, would be good, I don't think anyone can deny that. However, Kerry's cavalier comparison indicated that he didn't understand the danger..."

Kerry understood what the danger was——and wasn't——and he wasn't being "cavalier" in his comment. What he was being, was prescient——and hey, he wasn't alone. A lot of us could see, already in the immediate days after 9/11, the direction this was sure to head, as Bush began to trot out expressions like "crusade," with announcements of establishing facilities for extra-judicial internment without even a fig leaf of habeas corpus or Geneva Conventions.

The fear we all felt in the face of terrorists' indiscriminate acts was being used to justify structural dangers to the republic; we allowed the Bush administration to gin up the fear level for purposes of gaining greater political control and reducing our American liberties. There never was a "world conflict" against terror. Terrorists have been performing their despicable acts around the globe for a long time, but it seems that only when our ox is gored do we claim we're in the midst of some kind of cosmic battle. Terror isn't a nation or even a group ("them") you can fight, nor is it new; it's merely the tactic of "asymmetric warfare" used by the powerless against the powerful. But it's a sure sign there are much deeper issues involved than "they hate us for our freedoms" (Chalmers Johnson's *Blowback* comes to mind).

And terror is "far more deadly" than prostitution or gambling you say? Whoda thunk it? You honestly think Kerry didn't understand that? What he understood back then was that the "tactic" can never be entirely eliminated from our world, but that doesn't mean we should allow fear to rule our lives. Kerry wasn't alone in understanding that the fear of terror itself could be more fundamentally damaging to us as a nation than the actual incidents involving terrorist warfare, precisely because, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, it could lead us to sign over "essential liberties" to government in exchange for "temporary security." What was cavalier was not Kerry's cautious defense of American freedoms, but the Bush administration's abuse of the trust of the American people in his advance toward aggrandizing the powers of an imperial presidency.

Repubsout and others, you have a right to your opinion. However I, personally, thank God that President Bush was "The One" these past 7 1/2 years. He liberated nearly 60,000,000 people from tyranny in Afghanistan and Iraq. And there have been no new attacks on our homeland. President Bush has shown great courage and determination in the War on Terror. In spite of the change in public opinion, President Bush never wavered in his vision for the spread of democracy in the Middle East. He understands that our national security and our national interests are at stake. And only through perseverance in pushing for the two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and ending the Muslim schools' indoctrination of their youth with their curricula of hatred towards Israel and Western Civilization can we defeat these Islamic extremists.

I just pray that the next administration will understand this as well. Otherwise IEDs, suicide bombings and car bombings may become a real "nuisance" here at home.

I don't think anyone who actually really KNOWS anyone in their 70s would consider electing one president. It's one thing to think about in theory, it's anotherto have this person in their 70s who you KNOW and you take them to their doctor's appointment and see other 70's folksand you actually have a feeling for what that means. I've seen tapes ofMcCain being confused about many many things. Not at all surprising. and he's not even under a fraction of as much stress as he would be as president. No, no way. I w ould never ever consider voting for someone my gramps age. no matter the party.

My fathers is in his low 70s. He falls asleep everywhere. He forgets things too. He needs to stop driving. We are not looking foward to having to enforce that. Gets in too many little fender benders.

now there's an oxymoron:

republican political thought

We 'won' in Iraq. LOL. what didwe 'win'? An Islamic theocracy. gee, great. that sooooo much better. I especially like the part where women's rights are worse than in Saddam days.

Iraq never was a terrorist threat. So what did bush accomplish, really???? He took a country that was of no terrorist threat, turned it into one and is in the process of trying to turn it back. How stupid is that? And you think this is some great accomplishment?

beat your head against the wall till you bleed, then get stiches in your head, a nd tell yourself that getting those stitches really was a super smart thing to do!!!!

fact is , Obama is far more intelligent than McCain. He has a much more successful track record. McCain graduated 4th from LAST in his class and really didn't accomplish much of anything all his yearsr in the senate. McCain is dumb. Another dumb bunny. no thanks. The intelligent guy needs to win this time. We tried dumb slogans, oh pick me I'm so tough....yeah, doesn't help the economy, nor our world diplomatic problems or any problem. I don't want some egomaniac warrior-wanna be who wasn't even that good at being this warrior in his own mind that he thinks he was. If he was so great, he would have been in a prison camp all those years, he would have gotton his damn plane home and been fighting. not impressed with mr. old man, and, my gramps is 72. He's old. Hedoesn't drive so good, he forgets alot, he gets lost alot, he need us to bring him his meals. No way in hell Im' voting for someone grampa's age. Ridiculously stupid choice.

i think that Kerry meant what he said literally. He would use the court system to prosecute and set up committees that would try to understand the roots of terrorism. Gates may have used words that are similar but I think Gates would use bombs, missiles and every other tool he could to disrupt and dismantle terrorist groups and also the court system when necessary. To be fair, I think that Bush and Cheney have shown that they can eliminate the terrorist threat. We've been safe so far. They've "connected the dots". Bush and Cheney have proven that they know better than their "betters", JR, by liberating Iraq and WINNING. We are in the process of bringing our troops home now that we've won. The "betters" you refer to WERE WRONG. The "ruling class", Mike? Where do you think you live? In Russia? You wish!

As far as the other leftist comments are concerned, I am not surprised at the hatred and ignorance. The left is intolerant of political thought different from their own; a characteristic of fascism; real fascism, not the hyperbolic stuff they throw around.

timing is NOT hte issue. Kerry made sense back then, and it still makes sense now. bush sounded like an idiot back then and sounds like a copy cat now. The war is over when the sides some to agreement on their form of government. It has next to nothing to do with how many we kill. the 'surge' was actually two opposing sides meeting and coming to an agreement before the troops even got there. The way out of the war was always diplomacy. it just takes republicans SOOOOOOOOOO LONG t osee that democrats were right all along. We're talking to Iran now, huh?????? gee, I thought that was sOOOOO Unheard of. Admit it. Republicans say ANYTHING To get elecgted and usually they love ot rattle their sabors and tout how tough they are. T hey aren't tough. It's not tought t osay 'bring it on" encouraging insurgents to come after other people's children. republicans are idiots. they try their stupid ways for so long, have so much failure and come around to the democratic ideas in teh first place. pathetic. and then, they can't admit it. yeah, Like you're fooling anyone. Not even yourselves im' sure.