A Call to Service: on War & Peace

Supported Kosovo action & Powell Doctrine

I fully support the concept of a quick victory when war is deemed unavoidable, but we cannot always choose our opponents for their weakness. Use of force sometimes ahs to be controversial and limited. And we are dangerously distant from our moorings as a nation if we make military or political considerations alone the reason for using or not using force. I supported our military intervention in Kosovo, which was both controversial and limited, though ultimately successful. Many conservative supporters of he Powell Doctrine, including its namesake, opposed this action. But it proved to be the right thing to do in the face of potential genocide and given a carefully weighed proportionate use of force. Source: A Call to Service, by John Kerry, p. 42-3

Palestinians renounce right of return; get treated equally

But the biggest step each side must take is not really explicitly addressed in that road map. For Palestinians, it's compromising on the "right to return" to Israel, since that claim inherently rejects the establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine in 1948. For Israelis, the test is extending truly equal rights and equal services to non-Jewish citizens -and once terrorism has ended and secure boundaries have been set, creating genuine economic partnership with an independent Palestine.

While the United States should recognize that both parties must be willing to walk the path of peace together, we must also acknowledge that there is no substitute for our own leadership in lighting the path and dealing with potential pitfalls along the way.

Source: A Call to Service, by John Kerry, p. 53-4

*The above quotations are from A Call to Service, by John Kerry, published Oct. 2003.* Click here for definitions & background information on War & Peace. Click here for more quotes by John Kerry on War & Peace.
*Other candidates on War & Peace:*
George W. Bush Dick Cheney John Edwards John Kerry *Third Party Candidates:* Michael Baradnik Peter Camejo David Cobb Ralph Nader Michael Peroutka	*Democratic Primaries:* Carol Moseley Braun Wesley Clark Howard Dean Dick Gephardt Bob Graham Dennis Kucinich Joe Lieberman Al Sharpton
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org! Click for details -- or send donations to: 1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140 E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org (We rely on your support!)