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Updated 6:40 p.m. - CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Sen. John Kerry will launch a broadside against Mitt Romney this evening on an issue -- foreign policy -- that has largely taken a backseat to a weeklong focus on the economy.
Jason Reed / REUTERS
Senator and former presidential candidate John Kerry, D-Ma., stands at the podium during a walk through of the stage area ahead of the second session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 5, 2012.
Kerry, the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will cast GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's foreign policy as either incomprehensible or a retread of the Bush administration.
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"In this campaign, we have a fundamental choice: Will we protect our country and our allies, advance our interests and ideals, do battle where we must, and make peace where we can?" Kerry will say, according to advance excerpts of his speech. "Or will we entrust our place in the world to someone who just hasn't learned the lessons of the last decade?"
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Democrats have criticized Romney for barely referencing foreign policy in his nomination acceptance speech last week in Tampa, making no reference at all to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that stretched must of the last decade. (Romney has defended himself by pointing to remarks he delivered the day before that focused largely on issues of foreign policy and national security.)
Ahead of tonight's speeches, the Romney campaign argued Thursday would be an excercise in rewriting history in Obama's record.
"An inventory of his record shows that by nearly all measures, President Obama has diminished American influence abroad and compromised our interests and values," wrote Romney policy director Lanhee Chen.
First lady Michelle Obama speaks to NBC's Brian Williams about keeping life balanced for her daughters. She is focused on keeping their lives as normal as possible while allowing them to appreciate their chance to witness history.
Foreign policy hasn't been at the forefront of this week's Democratic National Convention, but Kerry will look to turn the spotlight tonight to that issue, on which Obama owns an advantage over Romney in the polls.
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Kerry will take aim at two of Romney's central criticisms of Obama in the speech, relating to Israel and the management of the war in Afghanistan. (Romney has accused Obama of throwing Israel "under the bus," and has criticized Obama's timetable for withdrawing from Afghanistan too dangerous, though Romney wouldn't keep a full level of troops there for that much longer.)
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"Barack Obama promised always to stand with Israel -- to tighten sanctions on Iran and take nothing off the table. Again and again the other side has lied about where this President stands and what this President has done," Kerry will say.
On Afghanistan, the Massachusetts senator (and potential future secretary of state in the Obama administration) will say: "It isn’t fair to say Mitt Romney doesn’t have a position on Afghanistan. He has every position."
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When political bullets start to fly his way, Kerry will do what he did in Vietnam - run - and then ask to be rewarded for it.
Are you a Viet Nam vet Rick G.???? If so, did you serve with Kerry and thus know about Kerry's service?
Do you guys proof read. I can't be certain, but I don't think that Kerry was the 2008 Presidential nominee (sarcasm).
And how much aptitude in foreign affairs did the idiot in the White House now have? He had nothing outside of Chicago and his hut in Kenya. What do you people think they have a cabinet for????????? They pick the qualified people to fill the posts to advise them. Do you think the prez of GM knows how to put the doors on a 2012 Cherolet Suburban????? This is a bunch of trash talk from a draft dodging piece of garbage who is trying to support another soon to be has been. Get some new material. Instead of calling others unprepared and blaming them for everything that goes wrong and has gone wrong in your administration come up with some answers and solutions on your own dumbocraps.
Anyone want to see Kerry's tax returns? He didn't release them when he ran for President!
I thought John Kerry's speech was one of the most awful things I have ever tried to listen to. Not even the content - but the totally smarmy, fakey cadence. He's just awful.
This from the guy who tried to avoid a $50,000 luxury tax on his yacht by lying about where he actually berthed it.
Pathetic
The dems try to dredge up all this BS that is meaningless to the election and they keep getting these idiots has beens they are trying to parade as knowing something and then all the news comes out about how corrupt their lives actually are and they walk away in shame. Why not just address the issues debate them and let the public decide who they want as prez by giving us answers and solutions and not promises and lies.
I can't imagine anyone cares what J Kerry has to say - who his speach writer is. He has no original thought process. Commands NO respect. Any life outside of the country club is a fabrication of his.
John Boat Kerry... ouch, I got a splinter under my nail... can I get a purple heart for that? Lol... no serious, can I get one?
What a joke from a has been that was thrown under the bus by his own party.
The Treason One, Kerry, who lambasted the US Military and Free South Viet Nam during Congressional Hearings in 1971 actually thinks he is a "Foreign Policy Guru" with his fake and lying Testimony repeated in the "Re-Education Camps" of Viet Nam against those Freedom Loving Vietnamese tortured by the International Socialists Occupation Forces Illegally Occupying Ha Noi.
Nhan Quyen Cho Viet Nam!!! Human Rights for Vietnam!!!
Kerry has been running for Secretary of State for years. If Obama wins, he will finally get it.
How you Screamer in all Caps, I hate to interupt your screaming comments with the facts regarding Polygamy. The father that Obama claims as his, Barack Hussein Obama "Sr" was ALREADY married to someone in Kenya when he married Obama's mother. This would mean that our "President" is DIRECTLY a result of Polygamy....unless of course Obama is lying who his real father is.
Do You for a Minute Think Slick Willie will let Barry Kick Hillary to the Curb ?? NOT
Hey Kurt,
You've got that low life scumbag thing going full speed don't you. Well, you could at least try to not constantly lie. Problem is, you're obviously weak enough to believe all those chain emails from the tea party and what ever Rush and company says. You're exactly what the tea party wants, a useful idiot, nothing more.
I'd feel sorry for you but your time will be limited anyway. Win or lose you get kicked to the curb. Won't miss you a bit. See ya!
I'm so delighted with Kerry's speech on Romney's foreign policy experience.
"Mitt the Twit" is clueless when it comes to diplomacy. Some examples:
Any guess as to how long it would take a Pres. Romney to get us into a war (with no allies at our back!)?
To make us safe any minute. Sounds good... You liberal pussycat...
There's a difference between diplomacy and bending over and taking it up the a$$.
The democrats effectively pissed off the entire middle east in one night by flip-flopping between God, no God, Jerusalem, no Jerusalem. Couldn't figure out which a$$ to kiss could they.
You can kiss my backside if you want jr-1943330. I'm very flatulent today so no smoking please.
Obama/Biden 2012!
That flatulence could be caused by being packed so hard by your liberal buddies
Either way junior are you going to kiss it or not? I can't wait all day for your pursed lips to be on my liberal backside cause I've got other teapublican heads to crack.
Obama/Biden 2012!
Then right after the pompous Kerry, we're going to trot out another pompous loser - Al Gore.
John Kerry was a joke... Boy was the cool aide and lies pouring out last night... John Kerry looked like a zombie.. If your hitching your boat to these guys. You all foolish individuals... Have wonderful day where the middle east is in chaos, thank Obama, the economy is in the tank thanks Obama, Israel is threatened to be taken off the map, Obe one says sanctions on Iran will work no your wrong again. People wake up all of these guys are liers... Your plan is what, what is it...Right you suck too... Obama and Romney should be buddies they both suck....
It's funny how Mitt is portrayed by libtards as some out of touch rich guy, while this pompous douche bag gigolo Kerry is supposedly some kind of everyman-genius. Mitt did not stalk and marry some rich widow.
,'-D
Oh and by the way, he was the 2004 libdrone candidate, not 2008 as the author states.
From the article: "Kerry, the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee"
- I'm pretty sure Barack Obama was the 2008 Democratic nominee... Where are the fact checkers!? Come on!
Phony, lying J.Kerry should just go away. Nomo', muslim, is the last thing we need doing foreign policy leaning towards arabs. UnAmerican. Romney, no experience? The only qualifications Nomo' had was being black. White, he wouldn't have received the demo nomination four years ago.
Did all the readers know John F'ing Kerry served in Viet Nam? Yep, he even has a video of his 3 to 4 months of battlefield action. Now don't hold any of his incorrect statements he made as a bench mark. I am more concern in ...did he pay the state taxes for the yatch he hid in Delaware to avoid tax payment? His is a 1% ...isn't he? You rememeber he won't provide THE FAMILIES taxes either...hmm.
@Tbarret
Unless you were there and served you have zero right to question anybody's service in Viet Nam. Low information types like you are a dime a dozen.
Only the incredibly weak minded would believe what the Swift Boat idiots said. I guess you fit that bill.
John Kerry.... Silver Star, Bronze Star, 2Purple Hearts Genuine American War hero who had the courage to speak out against a stupid unjust war. He gave it back to Romney and all the sick twisted Rightwing whacker bastards who Slandered and lied about him. Including all those phony Swiftboat for untruth sons of bitches who lied through their teeth for political reasons and then went to Disneyland and celebrated.
They can all go to hell. Good job last night Mr Kerry
This article says Kerry was the 2008 nominee. Don't they mean 2004. SMH
I try not to take sides because I think all of our elected officials are on the take. But for those of you who think so highly of Kerry, check the records and see who wrote him up for "ALL" of his awards. He did. Then he turned his back on his fellow vets and lied about events in Viet Nam to please that traitor whore Jane Fonda. He has no honor and people should not expect and truth from him.
So Kerry Signed his own citations for his silver star, bronze star, 2 purple hearts huh??? faked everything....Gave himself the freaking Silver Star... Dude you are a liar and you know you are a liar just like the other POS who slandered this man F..Off
He never did release his military records. The only thing he posted on his web page were the citations for his medals.
EXCELLENT NEWS!!!
Swiftboat Hanoi Johnnie, the man who "attempted to avoid the draft by joining the Naval Reserve but unexpectedly got called up for duty, served 90 days in Vietnam, then after reporting for imaginary duty,
told many false accounts and of his fabricated stories of false heroism...
"personally honored as a 'Communist War Hero' and memorialized by Ho Chi Minh, himself, in Hanoi's Anti-American Communist Hall"... that John Kerry?
Mr. Innocent?
One of the most irrelevant, traitorous, disgraceful, phony, pandering azz-wipes, who ever wore a U.S. Military uniform... and faked his way in to Congress by "trashing the USA?"
Yes sir, I'm sure the Romney folks are laughing all the way to their electoral landslide in November.
How anyone could actually have ANY regard for John Kerry only highlights the fact that "Liberalism Truly is a Mental Disorder".
Oh Yeah, John Kerry is someone who should be believed about foreign policy. Are you kidding me? What are you people drinking today?
Oh now come on. And Obama is protecting the country? The same Obama who told the Russian PM to give him until after the election when he will have more flexibility to give the Russians what they want regarding missle defense in Europe? The same Obama who bows to foreign leaders? The same Obama who appologies to the world for America's tinkering into other's foreign affairs? The same Obama who has drastically cut the military spending? The same Obama who announces to the world the time tables of when we will be pulling out of wars. Yes. Obama is really protecting this country. Cough, bull s**t, cough. We have a current president who hasn't a clue foreign policy. Heck, for that matter, he doesn't have much of a clue on anything.
Thank you doctor72. Kerry is a piece of @!$%# and has no honor. Now has anyone heard either party comment on how the oil companies continue to rape our country? NO BECAUSE BOTH PARTIES ARE IN THEIR BACK POCKETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gas just went up .14 cents a gallon the other day and no one can explain why. Yet both parties fail to address this rape of the American consumer because they don't give a @!$%#. Wake up people and vote these @!$%#s out of office and keep doing it until they get the message.
Seeky Sanity, you sound like the little piss ant in school who used to get his azz kicked for being a d-khead. Now you are a big man on the computer. Douchebag!