SlowpokeBlog

Commentary by Slowpoke cartoonist Jen Sorensen

Friday, July 30, 2004

John Kerry's Speech

Like many, I was sweating bullets yesterday over the possibilty that Kerry would play it cautious, but thankfully, he rose to the occasion and nailed it. Democrats have to see past the Republican intimidation tactic that speaking critically about Bush's malfeasance makes them "pessimists," and Kerry's speech was clearly a step in the right direction. He also did a masterful job of reframing the issues -- at long last, playing offense rather than defense. Some of my favorite lines:

I will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us into war. I will have a Vice President who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our environmental laws. I will have a Secretary of Defense who will listen to the best advice of our military leaders. And I will appoint an Attorney General who actually upholds the Constitution of the United States.

There is nothing more pessimistic than saying America can't do better.

Now I know there are those who criticize me for seeing complexities – and I do – because some issues just aren't all that simple. Saying there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq doesn't make it so. Saying we can fight a war on the cheap doesn’t make it so. And proclaiming mission accomplished certainly doesn't make it so.

That flag flew from the gun turret right behind my head. It was shot through and through and tattered, but it never ceased to wave in the wind. It draped the caskets of men I served with and friends I grew up with... That flag doesn't belong to any president. It doesn't belong to any ideology and it doesn't belong to any political party. It belongs to all the American people.

I want an America that relies on its own ingenuity and innovation – not the Saudi royal family.

...let's never misuse for political purposes the most precious document in American history, the Constitution of the United States.

I don't want to claim that God is on our side. As Abraham Lincoln told us, I want to pray humbly that we are on God's side.

What if we find a breakthrough to cure Parkinson's, diabetes, Alzheimer's and AIDS? What if we have a president who believes in science...?

Ah, a president who believes in science and empirical reality. Now that would be refreshing.

—posted by Jen, 1:24 PM - link | trackbacks

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