The Price of Politicization

I don’t want to suggest that the opposition party ought to shut up about foreign policy. But the opposition, whether Democrat or Republican, ought to be careful. We used to say partisanship stopped at the water’s edge. There were reasons for that. Here’s one of them.

The commander of the UN peacekeepers in Haiti has linked a recent upsurge in violence there to comments made by the US presidential candidate, John Kerry.
Earlier this year Mr Kerry said that as president he would have sent American troops to protect Jean-Bertrand Aristide who was ousted from power in February.
The Brazilian UN general, Augusto Heleno, said Mr Kerry’s comments had offered “hope” to Aristide supporters. Much of the recent unrest has centred on areas loyal to Mr Aristide.
More than 50 people have died over the past fortnight.

The Brazilian UN general could be full of it. I don’t see any evidence that what he says is true. In any case, John Kerry ought to say he won’t send US troops now to help out Aristide or his supporters.
I’m willing to bet the only reason he said what he did in the first place was because he felt he had to be “different” from George W. Bush. Even if I’m wrong about that, what harm can come from one more flip-flop? Just be yourself, John. Do it for Haiti.