[progchat_action] Ex-Aide: Kerry voted for Iraq War for political reasons Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 01:44:49 -0500 (CDT) (According to Robert Shrum, John Kerry was dubious about the case for the Iraq War, however he allowed himself to be persuaded by the conventional wisdom that he could not get elected if he voted against it. In the 2004 Presidentaial campaign he paid the price for that calculation. SR) Ex- aide: Kerry weighed politics before war vote In a book, the presidential candidate's former strategist writes that upcoming '04 race colored Democrat's decision. By Michael Kranish Boston Globe May 29 2007 Washington - Sen. John Kerry voted for the Iraq war resolution in 2002 after weighing the political ramifications and being told by his future campaign manager that he would never be elected president in 2004 unless he sided with President Bush on the issue, according to a forthcoming book by Kerry's former strategist. The book by veteran Democratic Party strategist Robert Shrum, titled "No Excuses," paints a portrait of an often-dysfunctional Kerry presidential campaign in which senior strategists clashed with one another. It also quotes e-mails from Kerry's former campaign manager that are highly critical of the behavior of Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry. Shrum, who was brought into the campaign to help provide Kerry with a strategic overview, gives a vivid description about the events leading to Kerry's decision to vote for the war. He writes that Kerry telephoned him on the eve of the Oct. 11, 2002, vote. Shrum said that Kerry was skeptical of Bush's claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that he "didn't trust Bush to give the diplomatic route a real chance." Nonetheless, Kerry asked Shrum whether he would "be a viable general election candidate if he was in the small minority of senators who voted no." Shrum wrote that he told Kerry it was "impossible to predict the political fallout if we went to war." But he wrote that Jim Jordan, Kerry's former Senate press secretary and future campaign manager, "was insisting that he had to vote with Bush." Shrum wrote that Jordan had "hammered" Kerry with a warning: "Go ahead and vote against it if you want, but you'll never be president of the United States." Kerry voted for the war resolution, and Jordan became Kerry's campaign manager three months later. Kerry declined to comment on Shrum's book, which is scheduled for release early next month. His spokesman, Vincent Morris, said, "Senator Kerry voted [for the war resolution] based on the promise of effective diplomacy and because he believed that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. He's said previously that this was the most difficult vote he's ever cast, and he's acknowledged his vote was a mistake. Since that day, he's been one of the Senate's most outspoken voices to end the war." Asked about the conversation, Jordan said, "It wouldn't be appropriate for me to recount those conversations ... but it's ridiculous to contend that I had the influence to manipulate a man of his stature." Sen. Edward Kennedy, Kerry's fellow Massachusetts Democrat, urged Kerry to vote against the war, according to Shrum. Kennedy talked with Kerry on the Senate floor before the vote, Shrum wrote, and "passionately contended that even if it looked like good politics now, siding with Bush was wrong on the merits -- and even politically." http://www.startribune.com/587/story/1211151.html This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm DN!: War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death Date: Tue, 29 May 2007 16:20:21 -0400 DEMOCRACY NOW! DAILY EMAIL DIGEST May 29, 2007 = = = = = = = = = On Wednesday, Cindy Sheehan will join us for an exclusive interview to talk about her decision to step down from her role as a leading campaigner against the Iraq war. She made the announcement in a letter (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/5/28/12530/1525) released on Memorial Day. Cindy set up Camp Casey outside President Bush's Crawford estate in August 2005 in memory of her son Casey, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. If you have any suggested questions for Cindy, please email them to askcindy@democracynow.org. = = = = = = = = = * DN! is hiring * TV News Producer/Editor http://www.democracynow.org/jobs.shtml = = = = = = = = = TODAY'S DEMOCRACY NOW!: * War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death * Protests against the Bush administration and the Iraq War continued across the country over the Memorial Day weekend. Today we spend the hour looking at how presidents from Lyndon Johnson to George W. Bush sold wars to the American public. Media critic Norman Solomon and the Media Education Foundation have released a documentary titled "War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death." The film is based on Solomon's book of the same name. The film features extended commentary by Solomon and is narrated by Sean Penn. Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/29/1322235 * Headlines for May 29, 2007 * - U.S., Iran Hold Talks in Baghdad - Blackwater Guards Kill Iraqi Driver - UN: Remaining Nahr al-Bared Refugees at Risk - Supporters, Opponents Rally as Venezuelan Network Goes Off Air - Admin to Impose Darfur Sanctions, Seek Embargo - UN Investigator: U.S. Violating International Law - Ex-Deputy Goes on Trial for 1964 Civil Rights Murder - Sheehan to Step Down as Anti-War Leader - Israel Continues Gaza Attacks Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/29/1322226 = = = = = = = = = Democracy Now!'s daily news summaries are now available in Spanish: Read Tuesday, May 29, 2007: http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/29/1322226 To subscribe to these "Titulares de Hoy" by email, send a blank message to: boletin-sub@list.democracynow.org = = = = = = = = = COMING UP ON DEMOCRACY NOW! Wednesday, May 30, 2007: * On Wednesday, Cindy Sheehan will join us for an exclusive interview to talk about her decision to step down from her role as a leading campaigner against the Iraq war. She made the announcement in a letter (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/5/28/12530/1525) released on Memorial Day. Cindy set up Camp Casey outside President Bush's Crawford estate in August 2005 in memory of her son Casey, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. If you have any suggested questions for Cindy, please email them to askcindy@democracynow.org. = = = = = = = = = * Read Amy Goodman's latest column * "Trading Secrets" http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20070522_trading_secrets/ note that this news site, Truthdig, allows readers to post comments. Consider posting your own. Consider writing your local newspaper and asking for them to carry the column, distributed by King Features. Many papers across the US have done so already. 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