There are such things as tact and diplomacy,I leave out statesmanship because someone either has it or they don’t,Kerry doesn’t.

Saying because a mistake was made in the past it is right to repeat that mistake seems illogical.In the case of De Gaulle it lead to decades of emnity,now you can get this in the middle east without even trying,why take a gamble that Allawi will fail.

Further, it is of great interest to your enemies to see how you treat your friends,and in the middle east friendships can change overnight,you can quickly become the common enemy.

Why does Zarqawi slaughter and maim as he does,because he thinks he is on the winning side and Kerry’s words are only giving him aid and comfort.If Kerry is against Allawi,then perhaps Zarqawi thinks he only needs to push a little harder and the US is out of there.

There was a catch phrase in WWII “Loose lips sink ships”, anyone who thinks themselves worthy of the presidency would put the lives of others above his narrow personal interest.