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Jewish World Review March 16, 2004 / 23 Adar, 5764

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Sen. Kerry, champion of the appeasers

http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | The terrorist attack in Madrid and the electoral defeat of Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar immediately following vindicate President Bush's characterization of the War on Terror as global in scope and his delineation of nations as being either with us or against us. More than these, it shows how indispensable is America's leadership in the war.

The prime minister went out on a limb in joining the United States against Iraq despite overwhelming opposition from the Spanish electorate — some 90 percent initially disapproved of Spain's participation.

Though Aznar was easily ahead in the polls days before the election, ultimately, his statesmanship was not rewarded. After terrorists slaughtered 200 people in Madrid, presumably in retaliation for Spain's courageous stance against them, her feckless voters chose to reward the terrorists instead.

Of course John Kerry will say that Spain's election is just further proof that President Bush has alienated most of the world against the United States through his arrogant and unilateral foreign policy.

It cannot be repeated often enough how absurd Kerry's premise is that the world would be a much safer place if President Bush exercised better diplomacy. Foreign nations have their own agendas, and they decide whether to support the War on Terror through the grid of those agendas, not based on how much they are courted by the United States.


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Some days Kerry and his ilk have implied that they wouldn't have supported action against Iraq but for the misleading intelligence data by which President Bush deceived them as to the urgency of the threat. Other days Kerry intimates that he was definitely supportive of the war effort, but not in the "unilateral" manner in which Bush proceeded.

Kerry's lies about the supposed WMD deception by President Bush show he doesn't have the character to be president any more than his most robust sidekick Senator Ted Kennedy. But his tripe about diplomacy and unilateralism shows that he lacks the judgment and appropriate worldview to be president.

Does John Kerry really believe that he, a man who couldn't pass a Dale Carnegie class on people skills if his life depended on it, could have persuaded more nations to join the coalition against Iraq than President Bush, Condi Rice, and Colin Powell? If so, he's delusional. But more likely he would have incurred their favor simply by not doing anything of substance.

You see, unlike many, I'm willing to believe that certain foreign leaders have told Kerry "we need to get Bush out of there." I don't think he's lying about that because appeasers everywhere, foreign and domestic, support Kerry.

When it comes to the War on Terror, among other related things, there are essentially two different perspectives. One is held by those who believe that international aggressors, whether they be communists or Al Qaeda, can be reasoned with, coddled, humored, or appeased. Or they aren't that great of a threat in the first place. The other perspective is held by those who have the common sense to know better.

Kerry is the same guy he was 30 years ago when he slandered American troops in Vietnam and said that America's cause against the murderous communists was not a noble one. He saw an ugly America then, he continued to see one through the intervening years when he consistently opposed our most critical weapons systems, and he sees one now.

Kerry is the current champion of those in this country who think the terror threat is overblown. If you doubt that, you haven't reviewed the exit polling data from the Democratic primaries. The War on Terror barely registers on their list of priorities.

But the War on Terror is of paramount importance. Some people in the United States recognize that and are determined to fight it; others don't and aren't. Some people in other nations recognize it and have the courage to follow America's lead in fighting it, and others don't. And no amount of sweet-talking diplomacy is going to change that. They are either with us or against us.

The cowardly reaction of Spanish voters in response to their 9-11 is a stern reminder that America someday might just have to stand alone in the War on Terror. President Bush realizes this and places his obligation of defending America above his desire that other countries like us, approve of our actions or are willing to join us in the effort. John Kerry has made clear that he doesn't get it any more than the Spanish voters.

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David Limbaugh, a columnist and attorney practicing in Cape Girardeau, Mo., is the author of, most recently, "Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity". (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.) Comment by clicking here.

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