[Mb-civic] (Fwd) Dan Rather interview with Kerry (sounds relaitvely good...)

[ean at sbcglobal.net]

As the Democratic 
convention prepares to get 
underway in Boston
CBS News Anchor Dan Rather asked Sen. John Kerry about Iraq, Ralph 
Nader and Viet Nam. 
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/21/eveni
ngnews/main631125.shtml 
BOSTON, July 21, 2004

Rather: Looking back, was it a mistake not to get out of Iraq? 

Kerry: I think just to run or leave would be a tragedy and it's 
because of the arrogant way in which this administration approached 
this war, got itself into the war and pushed other people away. I 
think we need a new president to clear the air, to restore America’s 
credibility, to restore our alliances, and to bring people to the table 
that they should have been at since the beginning 

Rather: You used the word arrogance 
 too strong? 

Kerry: No. No. When you miscalculate what will happen in the 
aftermath of a successful invasion as they did, the height of that 
miscalculation is absolutely stunning. I’ve never seen anything like it 
in modern times and I think that word is not too strong at all. 

Rather: When I talked to someone in the Whitehouse -- said you 
think John Kerry can't win -- Why? They said -- these are the words 
they used -- 'He's aloof; he's distant, sometimes even cold.' Does that 
describe John Kerry in some ways? 

Kerry: No, doesn't describe me at all. It describes the person they'd 
love me to be but I'm not. 

Rather: Have you or any member of your campaign talked to Ralph 
Nader about withdrawing from the race? 

Kerry: No. 

Rather: Not at all? 

Kerry: No. 

Rather: When you spoke with him last time, did you talk to him 
about that? 

Kerry: No. 

Rather: Do you expect him to withdraw? 

Kerry: No. 

Rather: In a close race, couldn’t he be the difference or could he? 

Kerry: My hope is that in the course of this campaign that John 
Edwards and I will speak to people in the country who once 
supported Ralph Nader or found a reason for his candidacy. I hope 
people will not waste their votes, because a vote for Ralph Nader will 
be a vote for George Bush. 

Rather: At the core of the attack against you is that you were 
“Senator Flip Flop.” Does or does not the record indicate that you 
have been on several sides of most issues or at least several issues 
over the years? 

Kerry: Not a one. Ask me. 

Rather: You voted for the war but now didn’t vote for the money 
 

Kerry: That's not a flip-flop -- that's not a flip-flop. I voted to hold 
Saddam Hussein accountable in order to make sure he disarmed and 
I voted to do it with the stipulations of the president who said he 
would build an international coalition, go to war as a last resort after 
exhausting remedies of the U.N. He did none of the above. And I 
learned in war that if things are going wrong, you better fix it. Now 
that’s a pledge I made to myself after coming back from Vietnam. 

Rather: You don’t think that is a flip-flop. 

Kerry: Not in the least. I think we have to be in Iraq. What have I 
flipped on? I just think we ought to do it right! 

RATHER: What's the biggest mistake you've made in the campaign 
so far? 

KERRY: I regret some of early things I did in politics which weren't 
very smart. I've learned from them. 

RATHER: The antiwar movement leadership? 

KERRY: No, not in the least. Very proud of it 

RATHER: You hear people say, "Look John Kerry's a war hero" – and 
the record shows that you are. But can you be a war hero and be a 
leader of an antiwar movement? 

KERRY: I was. 

RATHER: And you're proud of that? 

KERRY: You bet I am. 

RATHER: Make any mistakes in that regard? 

KERRY: Yes, some language that I used, I've said before, I think was 
a little reflective of a young man who was angry, a young man who 
felt disappointed in our government leaders who had lied to us. I 
regret that I wasn't perhaps more tuned into how something I said 
might affect somebody. But you learn. That's the beauty of life. 

RATHER: Speaking of anger, have you ever had any anger at 
President Bush, who spent his time during the Vietnam War in the 
National Guard, running an effective campaign that does its best to 
diminish your service in Vietnam? You have to be at least irritated by 
that, or have you been? 

KERRY: Yup, I have been. That's an honest answer. Those of us who 
served care enormously about the people we served with and the fact 
of our having put our lives on the line. And I think when others 
challenge that, it would be inhuman if it didn't grate a little bit. But I 
keep my eye on a larger target. 

I'm running to be president of the United States because I believe in 
this country and I think the American people can see through those 
kinds of things. So I hold my breath and put my trust in the 
American people to look for something bigger and better than that 
kind of silly attack. But it does irritate, sure.

------- End of forwarded message -------