MtnBiker
Senior Member
By Charles Hurt and Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Sen. John Kerry refuses to provide any information to support his assertion earlier this week that he has met with foreign leaders who beseeched him to prevail over President Bush in November's election.
The Massachusetts Democrat has made no official foreign trips since the start of last year, according to Senate records and his own published schedules. And an extensive review of Mr. Kerry's travel schedule domestically revealed only one opportunity for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee to meet with foreign leaders here.
On Monday, Mr. Kerry told reporters in Florida that he'd met with foreign leaders who privately endorsed him.
"I've met with foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly," he said. "But, boy, they look at you and say: 'You've got to win this. You've got to beat this guy. We need a new policy.' Things like that."
Aides and supporters of Mr. Kerry have said providing names of the leaders or their countries would injure those nations' ongoing relations with the current Bush administration.
"In terms of who he's talked to, we're not going to discuss that," spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said yesterday. "I know it would be helpful, but we're not going into that. His counsels are kept private."
Mr. Kerry has made other claims during the campaign and then refused to back them up, including statements that Mr. Bush delayed the deal with Libya to give up its weapons of mass destruction program for political reasons.
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Powell defies Kerry to list world support
By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff, 3/15/2004
"I don't know what foreign leaders Senator Kerry is talking about. It's an easy charge, an easy assertion to make. But if he feels it is that important an assertion to make, he ought to list some names," Powell said on "Fox News Sunday."
"If he can't list names, then perhaps he should find something else to talk about."
Powell also labeled "offensive" Kerry's assertion that the United States delayed, for political reasons, a recent deal with Libya to destroy its weapons of mass destruction.
"It's absurd. I don't know what Senator Kerry is talking about," Powell said. "It was not held up for any campaign or political purpose."
Speaking at a fund-raiser last Monday in Florida, Kerry said: "I've met foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly, but, boy, they look at you and say, `You got to win this. You got to beat this guy. We need a new policy,' things like that."
The Bush campaign and the Republican National Committee have argued that such unverifiable comments raise questions about Kerry's truthfulness. The committee has begun sending out e-mails entitled "John Kerry: International Man of Mystery," challenging his assertions.
During a town hall meeting here in Lehigh Valley yesterday, Kerry was also challenged by a sign-maker who later acknowledged he was a registered Republican and prior Bush voter.
"Did you meet with any foreign leaders?" asked Cedric Brown, 52, as the audience of hundreds rose up against Brown as he continued interrupting the senator.
"I've met with lots of foreign leaders, but let me just say something to you, sir. Just a minute. Just a minute," Kerry said. "I'm not going to betray a private conversation with anybody and get some leader -- they have to deal with this administration."
Kerry later said the issue was not whether he met face to face with foreign leaders or spoke with them by phone or through third parties. Rather, he said, the issue was whether the Bush administration's foreign policy has isolated it from allies and other foreign nations, leaving some leaders yearning for a change in the White House. Nonetheless, Kerry appeared to concede some imprecision in his statements.
"Sometimes as a candidate you may pick an inartful way of doing that that isn't as effective as other ways," he said during a news conference. "I'm going to make sure as I go forward here, and I am very careful to pick ways that nobody will misinterpret what I'm saying, and I think that's important, obviously. But what I've said is true, what I've said has been documented in any number of ways, and what I've said is a central issue for our nations."
link to full article
Why should we believe Kerry on these statements?
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Sen. John Kerry refuses to provide any information to support his assertion earlier this week that he has met with foreign leaders who beseeched him to prevail over President Bush in November's election.
The Massachusetts Democrat has made no official foreign trips since the start of last year, according to Senate records and his own published schedules. And an extensive review of Mr. Kerry's travel schedule domestically revealed only one opportunity for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee to meet with foreign leaders here.
On Monday, Mr. Kerry told reporters in Florida that he'd met with foreign leaders who privately endorsed him.
"I've met with foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly," he said. "But, boy, they look at you and say: 'You've got to win this. You've got to beat this guy. We need a new policy.' Things like that."
Aides and supporters of Mr. Kerry have said providing names of the leaders or their countries would injure those nations' ongoing relations with the current Bush administration.
"In terms of who he's talked to, we're not going to discuss that," spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said yesterday. "I know it would be helpful, but we're not going into that. His counsels are kept private."
Mr. Kerry has made other claims during the campaign and then refused to back them up, including statements that Mr. Bush delayed the deal with Libya to give up its weapons of mass destruction program for political reasons.
Link to full article
Powell defies Kerry to list world support
By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff, 3/15/2004
"I don't know what foreign leaders Senator Kerry is talking about. It's an easy charge, an easy assertion to make. But if he feels it is that important an assertion to make, he ought to list some names," Powell said on "Fox News Sunday."
"If he can't list names, then perhaps he should find something else to talk about."
Powell also labeled "offensive" Kerry's assertion that the United States delayed, for political reasons, a recent deal with Libya to destroy its weapons of mass destruction.
"It's absurd. I don't know what Senator Kerry is talking about," Powell said. "It was not held up for any campaign or political purpose."
Speaking at a fund-raiser last Monday in Florida, Kerry said: "I've met foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly, but, boy, they look at you and say, `You got to win this. You got to beat this guy. We need a new policy,' things like that."
The Bush campaign and the Republican National Committee have argued that such unverifiable comments raise questions about Kerry's truthfulness. The committee has begun sending out e-mails entitled "John Kerry: International Man of Mystery," challenging his assertions.
During a town hall meeting here in Lehigh Valley yesterday, Kerry was also challenged by a sign-maker who later acknowledged he was a registered Republican and prior Bush voter.
"Did you meet with any foreign leaders?" asked Cedric Brown, 52, as the audience of hundreds rose up against Brown as he continued interrupting the senator.
"I've met with lots of foreign leaders, but let me just say something to you, sir. Just a minute. Just a minute," Kerry said. "I'm not going to betray a private conversation with anybody and get some leader -- they have to deal with this administration."
Kerry later said the issue was not whether he met face to face with foreign leaders or spoke with them by phone or through third parties. Rather, he said, the issue was whether the Bush administration's foreign policy has isolated it from allies and other foreign nations, leaving some leaders yearning for a change in the White House. Nonetheless, Kerry appeared to concede some imprecision in his statements.
"Sometimes as a candidate you may pick an inartful way of doing that that isn't as effective as other ways," he said during a news conference. "I'm going to make sure as I go forward here, and I am very careful to pick ways that nobody will misinterpret what I'm saying, and I think that's important, obviously. But what I've said is true, what I've said has been documented in any number of ways, and what I've said is a central issue for our nations."
link to full article
Why should we believe Kerry on these statements?
