BROADSIDES

January 31, 2005

Why The Long Face, Senator?
The Iraqi election was a success by any measure. U.S. and Iraqi forces prevented terrorists from disrupting the election and voter turn-out was impressive. By day's end, Iraqis celebrated in the streets.

Yet some are peeved about this amazing success -- America's enemies and some bitter-ass Democrats. (Oops...sorry for the redundancy.)

And one of the bitter-assiest is Democratic presidential loser, John Kerry.

Doing his best to criticize the president's Iraqi policy while supporting the results of the president's Iraqi Policy, Kerry said on NBC's Meet the Press, "It is significant that there is a vote in Iraq ..." [golf clap]

It's official! The first free elections in Iraq in 50 years is significant. Whew--that's a relief!

Woohoo! Order the fireworks!

"But," Kerry cautioned, "no one in the United States should try to overhype this election."

Damn. Cancel the fireworks.

"It is hard to say," Kerry pontificated, "that something is legitimate when whole portions of the country can't vote and doesn't vote."

So, according to John Kerry, the Iraqi election was both significant and not legitimate. Is this what passes for brilliance in Swiss finishing schools? Or is Kerry just taking a page from the Democrats' Big Lies Manual and applying the Florida 2000 election myth to Iraq?

On the bright side, at least Kerry didn't falsely accuse American troops of war crimes. This time.

Back on April 27, 2004, John Kerry wasn't so dour. In fact, he was downright giddy with excitement. On that day, his presidential campaign issued a press release. A few excerpts:

Today Teresa and I join South Africans and people around the world in celebrating the tenth anniversary of the first all-race elections in South Africa. Ten years after the end of apartheid, South Africa is a blossoming democracy and a leader in its region ...

Today's South Africa Freedom Day is an opportunity to pay tribute to the heroic and historic struggle of those who fought for freedom, democracy and justice in South Africa and to reaffirm our commitment to pursuing those ideals for all people in South Africa and around the world.

When it's South Africa, Senator Kerry is all for a nurturing a "blossoming democracy" and committed to the "historic struggle" for "freedom, democracy and justice". But when it's Iraq successfully taking its first step into freedom's light, Kerry maintains "it is hard to say" that the Iraqi election is "legitimate".

Let's review John Kerry's foreign policy positions ...

Democracy in South Africa: Good

Democracy in Iraq: Meh!

What accounts for this hypocrisy?

Perhaps it's because there's not a substantial Iraqi-American voting bloc to which to pander.

Perhaps it's because John Kerry isn't married to a wealthy Iraqi widow.

Or perhaps it's because the president of the United States isn't a Democrat and preventing his political success is the top priority -- even if it means undermining American national security.

Most likely, it's a combination of all three.

But don't fret. Thanks to 60,693,281 American voters, what John Kerry thinks doesn't matter -- here or in Iraq.

B. Sides @ 11:27 AM