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General discussion

John Kerry Supports, Opposes Border Fence

May 22, 2006 12:02AM PDT

Sen. John Kerry joined most of his Democratic colleagues last week in voting to build a wall along 370 miles of the U.S.-Mexican border.

But he now says that after the wall is built it should be taken down as soon as possible.

"I voted for it," Kerry acknowledged Friday while speaking to the New England Council breakfast.

But in quotes picked up by the Boston Herald, the Massachusetts Democrat added: "If I were making the long-term decision, I?d announce, you know, hopefully it?s a temporary measure, and we can take it down as soon as we have enough people" to guard the border.

Story Continues Below

Kerry said beefing up the number of border patrol agents "should be America?s goal, absolutely and positively." He noted that he'd introduced an amendment to the Senate border bill that would add 3,000 new officers.

"But in the temporary," he said, "we?ve got to have a comprehensive approach everywhere," adding that, "in the short term, I think [the wall] can serve us well."

this man should be the spokes person for flip flopsHappy

hes got no plan again yet he wanted to be presidentSad
glad hes got a plan wait he had a plan wait hes got a plan
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/5/21/104203.shtml?s=ic

Discussion is locked

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Not what he said at all, Mark
May 22, 2006 12:09AM PDT

He said he favors the fence, but as a temporary solution only. How is that a flip-flop?

I'm glad you're sticking by your own "rule" about not attacking people who aren't in the forum to defend themselves.

Wink

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Temporary fence ...
May 22, 2006 12:13AM PDT

... permanent guards. Doesn't that sound bass-ackwards to you? Build a fence with intent to tear it down? Beefing up the guard force until a permanent fence can be built requiring fewer guards makes infinitely more sense.

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its ridiculous
May 22, 2006 12:19AM PDT

the man cant stand by any decision, supprised he said yes when he got married

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That makes it a bad idea
May 22, 2006 1:08AM PDT

It does not make it a flip-flop.

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I didn't ask about the flip flop ...
May 22, 2006 1:13AM PDT

... I merely asked if he made any sense, which he isn't. A wall takes much more time and money to erect -- you don't put up a temporary wall to later be shored up by more patrols. You put more temporary patrols until you can erect a suitable permanent wall.

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(NT) (NT) Mark tried to spin it into a flip-flop
May 22, 2006 2:22AM PDT
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And *I* asked ...
May 22, 2006 3:01AM PDT

... if the notion of a temp fence/permanent guard made sense to you?

I'll give you that this current situation is not an example of a flip flop. But I'll bet his current rhetoric on amnesty is a turnabout from:

"I supported and was prepared to vote for amnesty from 1986. And it is essential to have immigration reform. Anyone who has been in this country for five or six years, who's paid their taxes, who has stayed out of trouble, ought to be able to translate into an American citizenship immediately, not waiting."

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its a typical band aid kerry responce
May 22, 2006 5:23AM PDT

yes/no/ maybe
mans a fool

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It's better to stick to the wrong policy rather than change?
May 22, 2006 10:48PM PDT

I sure hope you don't do any investing, Mark -- you'd lose your shirt in short order! "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of narrow minds."

-- Dave K, Speakeasy Moderator
click here to email semods4@yahoo.com

The opinions expressed above are my own,
and do not necessarily reflect those of CNET!

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and dk to be blind to truth is worse
May 22, 2006 10:55PM PDT

don't be blind all your life dk your bias to the president tarnishes your objectiveity

kerry hasnt shown an inkling to haveany balls, or stick to anything

ask the people who served with him wait you beleave him

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Narrow mindedness on issues cuts both ways
May 23, 2006 4:25AM PDT

Your blinkered view of global warming science comes to mind.

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Furthermore -- WHAT is the wrong idea here?
May 23, 2006 4:29AM PDT

IF it's wrong, what is the "right" alternative? It's just not enough to proclaim everyone else's ideas and policies to be wrong, wrong, wrong without pressenting a viable alternative and STICKING by that without flip flopping yet again!

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he said temporary fence
May 22, 2006 12:18AM PDT

why leave it up temp. they will just wait till its down josh.

and dont try change subject josh per usual he wants it both ways as he never sticks or has a plan.
we need a permant solution not a temporary soulution as he said.

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(NT) (NT) he's not a decider
May 22, 2006 12:26AM PDT
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(NT) (NT) and when is he ever a decider?
May 22, 2006 12:30AM PDT
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the wall should be visible
May 22, 2006 3:27AM PDT

from outer space and high enough to use this great canadian tool. obviously canada will have no problems putting anyone over a northern fence.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/

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we have no problem deporting people.
May 22, 2006 8:39AM PDT

there is a good process in place with law to back it.

once the process has been followed, they are outta here.

they are non tax paying leeches and we have enough of those among our real Canadians.

Do not need to add to the numbers.

And in Canada, deported means deported, without any political brouhaha or ludicrous demonstrations.

And if the children of illegals born here want to stay, believe we have a process to deal with that as well.

We also deport 'landed immigrants' that is to say people who have legitimately applied for and received landing status in our country, who have been convicted of a felony and sentenced for a period of 3 years less one day.

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(NT) (NT) voted for it before he voted against it? ;-)
May 22, 2006 7:14AM PDT
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(NT) (NT) he has a plan
May 22, 2006 7:16AM PDT
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A question
May 22, 2006 10:02PM PDT

How much is the wall going to cost to erect vs hiring more border patrol guards?

If the wall goes up (and I assume it won't be something made of a 'cloth' material that can be torn down quickly), large amounts of money will be invested in not only the materials for the wall itself but construction crews and equipment to do it.

Now....if Kerry thinks the wall should be only temporary until we get more border patrol guards hired and in place, wouldn't it make more sense to do an 'either/or' immediately?

Either build the wall and leave it in place for the long haul OR use the money instead to hire more border patrol guards NOW.

If more guards are hired now, then the money saved on erecting and then tearing down the wall could be used more effectively than Kerry's plan of action, doncha think? And if we've needed more guards to make his plan effective, why hasn't the funding been allocated already to do just that? With so many people here out of work already, it makes no sense to me that nobody in Congress has recognized that this is something that could have been done quite a while ago.....

Are we doomed to be a country that seems to have politicians who thrive on closing the barn door after the horses have left....over and over and over again?

TONI

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Do you really think...
May 22, 2006 10:07PM PDT

that all the people (and we are MANY) that oppose Bush's policies automatically support everything coming out of the democrats? At least in my case no. I oppose GW but that doesn't make me support Kerry or any other Democrat for that matter. I think democrats are a little different than the GW followers who blindly "buy" everything this man says.

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The Democrats
May 22, 2006 10:43PM PDT

have evolved into a political party that isn't even recognizable anymore as a party you can trust. They don't trust each other either and swing back and forth with major decisions as quickly as morning turns to night. The majority of the bills passed anymore are so filled with pork that the actual potatoes are lost in the overfilled meat of that pot pie and the potatoes hardly get noticed. If the added pork to the bills could actually get sliced out, the national debt could probably be paid back in record time, but removing the pork isn't in the best interests of the Dem party anymore. It's much easier to pass that pork around and point the finger of blame at other areas, such as a war, than point the finger at themselves for over-indulgence to interest groups.

TONI