Two days later, Iraqi prime minister Ayad Allawi spoke to a joint meeting of
Congress. Sen. Kerry could not be troubled to attend, as a gesture of solidarity
and respect. Instead, Kerry said in Ohio that Allawi was here simply to put the
"best face on the policy." So much for an impressive speech by perhaps America's
single most important ally in the war on terror, the courageous and
internationally recognized leader of a nation struggling to achieve democracy
against terrorist opposition.
But Kerry's rudeness paled beside the comment of his senior adviser, Joe Lockhart, to the Los Angeles Times: "The last thing you want to be seen as is a puppet of the United States, and you can almost see the hand underneath the shirt today moving the lips."
Is Kerry proud that his senior adviser's derisive comment about the leader of free
Iraq will now be quoted by terrorists and by enemies of the United States, in
Iraq and throughout the Middle East? Is the concept of a loyalty to American
interests that transcends partisan politics now beyond the imagination of the
Kerry campaign?
John Kerry has decided to pursue a scorched-earth strategy in this campaign. He is prepared to insult allies, hearten enemies, and denigrate efforts to succeed in Iraq. His behavior is deeply irresponsible--and not even in his own best interest.
Kristol also echoed something I said earlier this week.
Leave aside the rewriting of history going on here. The president of the
United States had just appealed for help from the United Nations and its member
states to ensure that elections go forward in Iraq. Kerry could have reinforced
that appeal for help with his own, thereby making it a bipartisan request. He
chose instead to give the U.N., France, Germany, and everyone else an excuse to
do nothing over these next crucial five weeks, with voter registration scheduled
to begin November 1. If other nations prefer not to help the United States, the
Democratic presidential candidate has given them his blessing.
