Le Monde endorses Kerry

[Snowden]

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Saturday, October 30, 2004
COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY
Le Monde endorses
Kerry in U.S. race
Liberal French paper cites debate skills
'internationalist' vision, war experience
Posted: October 30, 2004
5:30 p.m. Eastern



© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com



The liberal French Daily, Le Monde, broke tradition and endorsed a candidate today for president in the upcoming U.S. election.

Citing "exceptional stakes" arising out of the events of Sept 11, Le Monde said that a victory for John Kerry was desirable "beyond the borders of the United States."



The endorsement reflects the sentiments of France. A poll commissioned by Le Monde last week showed only 16 percent of French respondents wanting George W. Bush to win, versus 72 percent for Kerry.

"Even the countries which supported the U.S. war in Iraq would be happier with a more mainstream type of president in Washington, one who would be more acceptable to all the Europeans," Guillaume Parmentier, director of the Center on the United States at the French Institute of International Relations, told Cybercast News Service.

Le Monde's endorsement said President Bush "exploits fear of new attacks" while asking for four more years to conclude his "world war against terrorism." Kerry was praised for his "internationalist" vision of the world, his experience in Vietnam and the force of convictions shown in the three presidential debates.

The translated endorsement reads:

Does Osama bin Laden vote for George W. Bush or John F. Kerry?

The Machiavellian interruption of the al-Qaida chief four days before the American election, in an "October surprise" dreaded by all the strategists, brutally placed this election in its true context: that of Sept. 11 and its continuations.

John Kerry, the Democratic candidate, estimates that the war in Iraq diverted American military resources in the fight against al-Qaida, prevented the capture of bin Laden and reinforced the terrorist threat. President Bush openly exploits fear of new attacks, always present among his fellow-citizens, and asks voters to give him four more years to conclude his "world war against terrorism." Each one can thus exploit the intervention of Osama bin Laden to his advantage: Mr. Kerry by seeing there proof of the failure of the policy of his adversary, Mr. Bush by pushing still a little more the fear factor.

To pick a party in an election abroad is not in the tradition of Le Monde. The exceptional stakes of the Nov. 2 presidential election, however, and the situation in which this historical choice arises convinced us that a victory for John Kerry was desirable, beyond the borders of the United States.

Because it is indeed a choice between two visions of the world and what is right. George W. Bush proposes to his countrymen to reclaim the system they knew before September 11, 2001 ... The vision of President Bush is that of a country at war ... with rules impossible to define. A war so unique that it is necessary to sacrifice legal restraints on him on which the American democracy is founded, to replace the tradition of transparency by opacity and spinning, and to ignore the international architecture which is at the center of a world consensus for over half a century.

John Kerry knows the world changed on Sept. 11, 2001. But he refuses to see in terrorism some higher force that justifies questioning the bases of American democracy and its international nature. His personal engagement during the Vietnam War, his experience of foreign politics and his "internationalist" vision of the world, his capacity to recognize errors, as well as the force of conviction made evident during three presidential debates make him a much more suitable statesman than Mr. Bush to answer the challenges after Sept. 11.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/ar...TICLE_ID=41197

[USMC5831]

WEll of course the French would want Kerry to win they know nearly everyone in the US hates them due to this war. And this war is callded by GW Bush. They want someone who is militarily weak in office so it matches their standards.

[Snowden]

Yes - but it seems the German newspaper, BILD, is more realistic, Chris :

Another October Surprise: Germany's Largest Newspaper Endorses Bush

Perhaps the largest October surprise in Germany is the BILD newspaper's endorsement of President George W. Bush. BILD, which has the widest circulation of any newspaper in Europe, lists the following 10 reasons why Bush should be re-elected:

Update: The list we had up earlier was an abbreviated summary of the 10 reasons. We have now translated BILD's list of reasons in their entirety. Here they are:

1. Bush has clear priorities. He sees the inhuman Islamic fundamentalism and the murderous mullahs as the largest danger for the Western world. 2. Bush has learned the lessons of history. Military strength, not pleasant talk, is the only thing that helps against violent fanatics. And with Bush -- unlike with Kerry -- there is no doubt about this.

3. Under Bush, the US, as a superpower, will continue to bear the financial, military and casualty burden in the fight against terrorism in a "holy war" which Islamic fanatics unilaterally declared.

4. Along with fighting terror and the terrorists, a re-elected Bush will do everything he can to prevent nuclear proliferation. That is especially true with regard to the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea.

5. Bush has learned that America can defeat every country in war, but needs allies in peace. Thus, his second term will be characterized by cooperation with international partners. But he will not depend on how Syria or Libya vote at the UN.

6. Bush knows that Europe and Germany don't have the military at their disposal to become involved in any further foreign military engagements. Therefore he won't ask them for help. Kerry will do exactly that - and will further burden already damaged German-American relations.

7. Under Bush, America will remain a reliable partner for Israel in its fight for survival. That must especially be in our German interest.

8. Republicans have always been stronger supporters of free trade than Democrats. That is also true of Bush when compared to Kerry. And that is good for Germany as an export nation.

9. Every new American administration makes mistakes. Bush has already made his. Kerry, on the other hand, has of yet held no (executive) position in the government. He would be worse prepared than most Presidents preceding him.

10. With Bush, we know what to expect. With Kerry, nobody knows what he stands for and where he wants to lead America - and the world.

Certainly, BILD should be applauded for its courage. Supporting George W. Bush in a nation where the overwhelming majority of the leftist dominated media absolutely seethe with hate for Mr. Bush is no small matter. The newspaper's email inbox is likely jammed with thousands of angry, outraged emails by now. But BILD's action proves that not all Germans have bought into the anti-American, anti-Bush mindset of most of the nation's media publications.


http://www.bild.t-online.de/BTO/news...pro__bush.html

(German text)