Will John Kerry Report for Duty?
By Robert Parry | January 4, 2005

Early in Campaign 2004, Sen. John Kerry challenged George W. Bush’s operatives to “bring it on,” fully expecting that they would try to smear his patriotism despite his Vietnam War medals. In accepting the Democratic nomination, Kerry again highlighted his national service by snapping off a salute with the words: “Reporting for duty.”

Yet one of the biggest disappointments for many Democrats was that the “bring it on” John Kerry didn’t show up at key moments in Election 2004. He failed to respond aggressively when a Republican front group spread lies about his war record. He then meekly conceded defeat on the day after the Nov. 2 election rather than fight for a full examination of voting irregularities.

Now, John Kerry may have one more chance to “report for duty.” On Jan. 6, after the new Congress convenes, he could join with Reps. John Conyers, Maxine Waters and other members of the House of Representatives in supporting their expected motion for a full-scale investigation of Election 2004, particularly the widespread allegations of voting fraud in the pivotal state of Ohio.
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Kerry's skills on display in Mideast trip
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff | January 4, 2005

Senator John F. Kerry is reemerging on the public stage this week with a 13-day fact-finding trip through the Middle East, which supporters say shows that the Massachusetts Democrat is determined to maintain a high profile after his losing presidential campaign.

"He intends to play a prominent role in foreign and domestic policy, and this is clear evidence of this," said Philip W. Johnston, chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party. "The fact that his first major public outing following the election relates to Iraq and foreign policy tells us that he intends to be a strong spokesperson on those issues."

Kerry arrived in Amman, Jordan, yesterday and has planned a hectic itinerary, with stops scheduled in Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Egypt, Israel, and the West Bank. He has meetings set up with a wide range of specialists, local leaders, and military commanders, as well as troops from Massachusetts, said April Boyd, a Kerry spokeswoman.

"He'll be seeing things up close," Boyd said. "He wants to personally thank our troops for their service, focus on the steps that must be taken to achieve success in Iraq, and hear from experts in the region about the war in Iraq, the war on terror, and the Middle East peace process."

Kerry is the only elected official on his trip, and he is making an unusual number of stops in the Middle East, suggesting that he wants to go beyond the sometimes-scripted events planned by the Bush administration. Foreign trips are fairly typical for members of Congress -- a large number of House and Senate members are making trips to Iraq in the run-up to the Jan. 30 elections there -- but Kerry insisted on charting his own course for his trip. He is making stops in Israel and its occupied territories, as well as other Middle Eastern nations.
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Kerry urges supporters to swamp GOP leaders with calls
By Noelle Straub | Thursday, January 6, 2005

WASHINGTON - Sen. John F. Kerry [related, bio] yesterday launched a Capitol Hill switchboard assault on two top Republicans, urging backers nationwide to call to demand election voting reforms.

In an e-mail to nearly 3 million supporters, Kerry wrote, ``Despite widespread reports of irregularities, questionable practices by some election officials and instances of lawful voters being denied the right to vote, our legal teams on the ground have found no evidence that would change the outcome of the election.

"But that does not mean we should abandon our commitment to addressing those problems that happened in Ohio. We must act today to make sure they never happen again."

On the eve of today's certification by Congress of the 2004 presidential election results, Kerry blamed Republicans for ignoring calls for election reform even after the 2000 debacle. The e-mail listed the phone numbers of House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.).

Some House Democrats have called for Kerry to object to Congress counting Ohio's 20 electoral votes, but the Bay State senator wrote that he would not. Kerry has vowed to push reform legislation and help create a federal voting standard.

URL: http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/v ... leid=62067