John Kerry has taken a beating this week on national security, including from us, so let's give him credit for finally saying the right thing about events in Spain.
"In my judgment the new prime minister should not have said he was going to pull out of Iraq," the Senator told a Phoenix TV station late Tuesday about the comments by new Spanish leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero blaming last week's terror bombings on the U.S. "He should have said this is going to increase our determination."
Well said, and a sign that the Kerry camp is figuring out that its self-association with foreign critics of U.S. policy is not a political winner. Those remarks helped make up for the fact that on the same day Mr. Kerry's campaign had set up a conference call for reporters during which Howard Dean essentially blamed Mr. Bush for the murders in Spain. "The President was the one who dragged our troops to Iraq, which apparently has been a factor in the death of 200 Spaniards," said the Vermont voice of moderation.
Yesterday Mr. Kerry disavowed Mr. Dean's comments, but he'd be better off confining the former Governor to his Montpelier quarters through November. Even Americans who doubt the wisdom of toppling Saddam Hussein aren't going to buy the line that it explains the killing of 201 Spanish civilians. Americans believe that what we are trying to do in Iraq is honorable, and Democrats won't win either respect or votes claiming otherwise.
"In my judgment the new prime minister should not have said he was going to pull out of Iraq," the Senator told a Phoenix TV station late Tuesday about the comments by new Spanish leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero blaming last week's terror bombings on the U.S. "He should have said this is going to increase our determination."
Well said, and a sign that the Kerry camp is figuring out that its self-association with foreign critics of U.S. policy is not a political winner. Those remarks helped make up for the fact that on the same day Mr. Kerry's campaign had set up a conference call for reporters during which Howard Dean essentially blamed Mr. Bush for the murders in Spain. "The President was the one who dragged our troops to Iraq, which apparently has been a factor in the death of 200 Spaniards," said the Vermont voice of moderation.
Yesterday Mr. Kerry disavowed Mr. Dean's comments, but he'd be better off confining the former Governor to his Montpelier quarters through November. Even Americans who doubt the wisdom of toppling Saddam Hussein aren't going to buy the line that it explains the killing of 201 Spanish civilians. Americans believe that what we are trying to do in Iraq is honorable, and Democrats won't win either respect or votes claiming otherwise.
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