After Osama bin Laden released his pre-election video yesterday, John Kerry repeated his criticism that President Bush let the terror kingpin get away by "outsourcing" the job to Afghan forces when we had bin Laden cornered in the Tora Bora mountains.
But it turns out that in December 2001, when the Tora Bora operation was under way, Kerry endorsed Bush's tactics during an interview with CNN's Larry King.
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Kerry said the Bush plan to get bin Laden "is having its impact, and it is the best way to protect our troops and sort of minimalize the proximity, if you will."
Lest anyone mistake his endorsement as half-hearted, Kerry added:
"I think we have been doing this pretty effectively, and we should continue to do it that way."
The quotes, unearthed Saturday by New York Times columnist David Brooks, only add to Kerry's image as a political opportunist who tailors his rhetoric to fit the moment.
According to Kerry, says Brooks: "When we rely on allies everywhere else around the world, that's multilateral cooperation, but when Bush does it in Afghanistan, it's 'outsourcing.' In Iraq, Kerry supports using local troops to chase insurgents, but in Afghanistan he is in post hoc opposition."
The Tora Bora contradiction exposes the credibility gap in Kerry's anti-terror pronouncements, says Brooks. "Many people are not sure that he gets the fundamental moral confrontation. Many people are not sure he feels it, or feels anything."
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Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
John Kerry: On the Record
2004 Elections
Al-Qaeda
Sen. John Kerry
Saddam Hussein/Iraq
War on Terrorism
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