John Kerry opts not to endorse presidential candidate.

[ymmudu]

Kerry should have just gone up to Edwards and spit in his face. That would have been much more honorable.

[nirbija]

claytongault

It may well be that Kerry truly did not make up his mind before the NH Primary?

Obviously Kerry isn't new to Obama's position. Obama pledged to unite Americans & didn't change by going negative on the Clintons, the way Hilary & Bill the Shill did after Hilary lost in Iowa.

Kerry saw the 'swift boating' of Obama by the Clintons & was disgusted.

Those factors sealed the deal for a true American patriot who puts his country first!

KERRY'S ENDORSEMENT IS NOT PERSONAL, BUT PATRIOTIC!

[claytongault]

nirbija, that all sounds like campaign propaganda.

Why do you think that Obama will "unite Americans" when he is not a centrist candidate? How could he possibly create unity considering his own positions? He is more likely to be another B Clinton or G W Bush, dividing the country for another four years.

[nirbija]

claytongault

A so-called 'centrist' DOES NOT UNITE, per se.

A centrist is just another different position.

If Obama would be another Bill Clinton, I'll puke. Barf! Multiply that a gazillion times in the case of the bungling bush. lol

Having your own position & educating/challenging Americans on patriotic grounds to see & accept said position as the right position for America, will unite.

Also incorporating wise positions of others for America's good, ALSO goes into uniting Americans

[claytongault]

A centrist has far greater chances at bringing people together from both the left and the right of the political spectrum than does a candidate from either extreme.

You will have a far more difficult task ahead of you to, as you say, "educate/challenge" people to accept your positions if those positions are not close to the center of the political spectrum.

And you have not said anything about HOW Obama would unite American better than any other candidate, only fuzzy campaign slogans.

[nirbija]

claytongault

Actually it's the 'rightist', 'centrist', 'leftist' that F 'fuzzy' characterizations.

R U aware that there R some families who have members of ALL political stripes; & THEY STILL GET ALONG as family?

If U can't appreciate that Americans from varying political stripes CAN UNITE FOR THE GOOD OF USA, then YOUR KIND IS part of the problem.

Our mis-educational system along with your family failed U. That is Y U should seek to elect an Obama, who will C to our educational problem

[claytongault]

Why do you claim that left, center and right are fuzzy? Are the positions of the Democratic and Republican parties suddenly irrelevant?

I'm saying that people of opposing political pursuasions have a difficult time accepting positions too far from their own. This should not be a difficult concept.

I don't know about your family and educational background, but for you to looking past those cliches you're constantly using would be RLY good 4 U, U NO.

[nirbija]

claytongault

People from opposing political persuasions may have a difficult time uniting around a common national cause, but NOT an impossible time.

And some individuals DO have the interpersonal skill/intelligence/creativity/­heart/personality/practicality­/patriotism to communicate across the political divide. It happens ALL the time! It is just that some times in our history, those important qualities R in abundance & some times they R not. How the hell do U think the nation was formed?

[claytongault]

nirbija, that something isn't impossible doesn't mean that it's likely to happen. Not even remotely so.

Why would Obama, who is a first term Senator without any reputation for bipartisanship in the Senate, suddenly start persuading people to the left and to the right of the political spectrum to unite behind him?

What evidence is there that Obama has made any major attempts to attract, for example, the religious right? Or maybe you wouldn't include them in the people that he's going to unite?

[nirbija]

claytongault

Senator Obama was an Illinois 'bi-partisan' state senator for 8 years and a Community Organizer of workers, etc before that. He has years of 'people skill'.

Moreover, have you seen the Senator going after fellow contestants? That is not Obama's style, to be fighting fellow Americans.

Fighting our enemies, the maniac muslims, in the bad lands of Pakistan will be a different story.

Your 'religious right' only become rabid when they are used & encouraged to be UN-christ-like.

[claytongault]

I did not ask about the Illinois State Senate or organizing workers, but his record of his latest few years in the United States Senate.

Obama is too great a speaker to leave himself open to being accused of outright attacking his opponents. That is to his credit, but it doesn't change the game of politics.

Is Obama now characterising Muslims as maniacs and advocating sending American troops into Pakistan?

"My" "religious right"? Rabid, are they? No, this does not create unity.

[themethod]

woops, someone just changed his mind

[claytongault]

Well, he's a politician, what else can you expect.

It's a bit weird though that he wouldn't side with Obama before NH, but only after he got beaten there by Clinton. Wouldn't it have been better to stand up for Obama BEFORE NH and improve his chances to win that state? I mean, the issues haven't changed one bit, so all that remains is pure politics, in the worst sense of the word.

[ufund]

Typical John Kerry. He won't decide who he is supporting until April.......2009.