so ... uh ... why are you voitn for bush ??

[vicman]

Me personally? I don't know !!!!! The WMD issue might sound good when you spin it, but truth be told, THE WORLD, THE U.N., Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Russia, etc.. ALL WARNED OF THIS WMD threat Iraq posed So, how this WMD intel failure becomes a Bush failure is amusing. Only rabid Bush haters find comfort in that wicked spin which most clear thinking adults know is just poppycock.

wow. that post must have taken you lotsa time to write with the different colors!

this administration was the one who decided and persuaded everyone to let him go to war, that is why the blame is on bush. simple. if the intelligence was shady, as we have now seen it was very innacurate, a few more months might have ultimately provided the necessary data that they did not have WMD's and probably have dictated that a different course of action be taken.

[vicman]

yea i will....cuz it was clinton who left a mess and BUSH had to take the wrath,,,....if neone had half a BRAIN...they would be happy were straighten those bitches out and i dont give 2 rats asses bout the the fact that this might also be bc of oil. incase u didnt kno, AMERICA needs oil to function...we are not europe where we can walk out our door and walk to the food store. This country was doomed if we didnt take the intiative and do some work over there... u people are unreal!!!!!! ur buddy clinton also sold nuclear weapons plans to north korea...so lets not go there!

and the US also provided Saddam with a lot of his military capabilites.

Saddam hated fundamentalists, that is why he almost destroyed Iran. last thing he wanted was religious fanatics taking hold of power in Iraq, now there is a vacuum of power in Iraq. once the US leaves, I will be suprised if fundamentalist take hold of the country. Iran X 2.

btw, anyone seen the polar caps melt?

[vixengirly]

and the US also provided Saddam with a lot of his military capabilites.

Saddam hated fundamentalists, that is why he almost destroyed Iran. last thing he wanted was religious fanatics taking hold of power in Iraq, now there is a vacuum of power in Iraq. once the US leaves, I will be suprised if fundamentalist take hold of the country. Iran X 2.

btw, anyone seen the polar caps melt?

yea ur right..the world is not fuckin perfect tho...would u rather us not capture him and continue to let him ruin peoples lives tho... someone fucked up and we fixed it...were doin right over there but u wont ever hear that on the news!!!!!!! talk to a marine, army personnel and let them tell u how happy those people are....they have schools, playgrounds and smiles... and they are thankful for the men and women are there...but like i said...u wont ever see it on tv!

[vicman]

You're wrong !!!!! lol. u'r pathetic. READ A BOOK and stay away from the DNC talking points. Not only did they Countires I mentioned feel that Saddam had them but so did allot of Demz. Even your boy Kerry voted for the war but yet you do not hate him. This info has been available to the public for a while so either you are in deniel or your hate for Bush is so grand that it has blinded you (or it could be the drugs).

Say hello to your democratic friends !

What Did The Democrats Say About Iraq's WMD

"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real..."

- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003 | Source

"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force -- if necessary -- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security."

- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002 | Source

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line."

- President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998 | Source

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program."

- President Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998 | Source

"We must stop Saddam from ever again jeopardizing the stability and security of his neighbors with weapons of mass destruction."

- Madeline Albright, Feb 1, 1998 | Source

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983."

- Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998 | Source

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."

Letter to President Clinton.

- (D) Senators Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, others, Oct. 9, 1998 | Source

based on the data they had, they made those statements. had they known what we know now, i doubt both republicans and democrats would have made the same statements they did then.

"may the words i say be tender and sweet, because i may have to eat them in the future." a lot of dems and reps were probably thinking the same thing once it was clear there were no WMD's in Iraq.

[jtk4]

well sounds good in movie land but if it turns into iran like vicman said then we are worse off.

[vicman]

yea ur right..the world is not fuckin perfect tho...would u rather us not capture him and continue to let him ruin peoples lives tho... someone fucked up and we fixed it...were doin right over there but u wont ever hear that on the news!!!!!!! talk to a marine, army personnel and let them tell u how happy those people are....they have schools, playgrounds and smiles... and they are thankful for the men and women are there...but like i said...u wont ever see it on tv!

ya think so? are they also playing in fountains of chocolate and running around in their personal candy land?

the world is not perfect - i agree w/ you, but saddam in power balanced the region somewhat. people fighting for their religion, are in my view, 1000X worse than people fighting for their political ideology.

the soviets realized the mess they got into when they invaded afganistan, the US is learning the same thing the soviets did.

[obby]

Did anyone say that we had to invade with a ground force? .

Lets try this again. Here is one person who did. reconize the name ?

"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force -- if necessary -- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security."

- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002

based on the data they had, they made those statements. had they known what we know now, i doubt both republicans and democrats would have made the same statements they did then.

"may the words i say be tender and sweet, because i may have to eat them in the future." a lot of dems and reps were probably thinking the same thing once it was clear there were no WMD's in Iraq.

"i doubt both republicans and democrats would have made the same statements they did then."

I'm glad someone acknowledged this. Which is why I stated that how this WMD intel failure becomes a Bush failure is amusing.

[jtk4]

"if necessary"

Kerry voted for the resolution in order to strengthen the President's hand in dealing with Saddam Hussein and the U.N. Not to go to war. It was not a vote on the question "Should we attack Iraq?" Nothing in the resolution required or recommended that the President take the nation into war when alternatives were available.

As the President made clear earlier this week, "Approving this resolution does not mean that military action is imminent or unavoidable." It means, "America speaks with one voice." — John Kerry, Senate Floor, October 9, 2002

[pookie23]

Lets try this again. Here is one person who did. reconize the name ?

"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force -- if necessary -- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security."

- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002

"i doubt both republicans and democrats would have made the same statements they did then."

Bingo, which is why I don't blame Bush nor Kerry.

Give up man...we're "dumb" and "uninformed"...therefore our vote shouldn't count.

And they still haven't given me anything on Kerry's past accomplishments..lol

[jtk4]

I blame bush because he is the god dam president, not some guy working at 7-11, not a senator, he is the president and he fucked up. If i fuck up at my job, even with bad intel i would be gone.

It also not like up to that point our intel was fucking top notch. We were attacked, and nobody in our intel knew enough to stop it, now I am to believe them when they say saddam has wmd, please.

[obby]

Dude, The President does not have the power to do shit on his own. You have to know this. You're an American. Congress must approve any idea our President throws in front of them. Congress is the one who controls our money. NOT THE PRESIDENT. That is the way the American Government works. The Prez does have the power to veto certain bills that Congress tries to pass but to say that our Prez took us to war and it's his fault is ignorant. Congress approved the war and your boy Kerry was one of the ones who voted for it.

The records are public. Look them up.

[jtk4]

What were bushes past accomplishments before he was elected?

What accomplishments are you looking for, he has been elected to the senate 4 times, he graduated from bc law, and yale. We know about his vietnam service. What do you want?

[chris817]

OBBY......WORD THE FUCK UP!!! u broke it down, thank u very much..

idk how people can vote for KERRY when uneducated celebrites, like leo, ben, aston.....stand behind him. voting for kerry is a TREND PEOPLE.... in the end...we need someone to protect us and ill put money on it that if kerry wins, we get attacked hardcore~ and ur taxes end up going to welfare ghetto bitches and playgrounds for their children...i work for my money im sure u do too...

i could go on, but ill let obby do that )

Yeah thats exactly why we voted for Kerry b/c of celebrities? LOL if you blame clinton for 9/11 b/c he did not do enough, is bush to blame if we get attacked again? nice to predict we get attacked if kerry gets elected? you really need to stop listening to sean Hannity and ann coulter.

Also by the way you write i highly doubt you make more than 200K a year, so i don't think you have much to worry about

[jtk4]

Dude, The President does not have the power to do shit on his own. You have to know this. You're an American. Congress must approve any idea our President thrown in front of them. Congress is the one who controls our money. NOT THE PRESIDENT. That is the way the American Government works. The Prez does have the power to veto certain bills that Congress tries to pass but to say that our Prez took us to war and it's his fault is ignorant. Congress approved the war and your boy Kerry was one of the ones who voted for it.

The records are public. Look them up.

so congress asked bush for this resolution? Congress provided the intel(bad) to the president, and they went in front of him and gave a speech that pretty much assured him that saddam had these weapons?

wait no it was the other way around.

[obby]

Just look it up bro.

I'm out

[jtk4]

Wait am i wrong?

A quick question?

Does congress get to see all the intel that the president sees or does the president get more intel briefings and is given more info then the members of congress?

[mursa]

..lol , Obby loves fighting for a lost argument !

..he really is a super-citizen .

[mursa]

Just look it up bro.

I'm out

Look up what ??? , the fact that you never blame the commander in chief and in turn blame others for being tricked by this administration ..........Spin my friend , right sided spin ....you don't fool many, but yourself .

[vicman]

so congress asked bush for this resolution? Congress provided the intel(bad) to the president, and they went in front of him and gave a speech that pretty much assured him that saddam had these weapons?

wait no it was the other way around.

congress and senate will pass anything the president wants. they are both GOP controlled.

[kramadas]

You're wrong !!!!! lol. u'r pathetic. READ A BOOK and stay away from the DNC talking points. Not only did the Countires I mentioned feel that Saddam had them but so did allot of Demz. Even your boy Kerry voted for the war but yet you do not hate him. This info has been available to the public for a while so either you are in deniel or your hate for Bush is so grand that it has blinded you (or it could be the drugs).

Obby, you moron I haven't even heard the DNC "talking points". Maybe you need to lay of the COulter and O'reily - they're just entertainment, ya know, not real politics. The countries you mentioned might have "felt" Saddam had them, but unlike Bush they did not want to act on their "feelings" and wanted actual proof. I can't believe you're so completely brainwashed you cannot see this. And you people keep talking about 12 years of inspections not working - wtf are you talking about? You see any WMD in Iraq now??

Good thing there's talk of an internal revolution in the republican party if Bush wins - its time to separate the neo-cons from the paleo-cons, and expose the neo-cons for what they are - extremists!

[kramadas]

yea i will....cuz it was clinton who left a mess and BUSH had to take the wrath,,,....if neone had half a BRAIN...they would be happy were straighten those bitches out and i dont give 2 rats asses bout the the fact that this might also be bc of oil. incase u didnt kno, AMERICA needs oil to function...we are not europe where we can walk out our door and walk to the food store. This country was doomed if we didnt take the intiative and do some work over there... u people are unreal!!!!!! ur buddy clinton also sold nuclear weapons plans to north korea...so lets not go there!

haha - so according to you, Clinton was not responsible for the 1993 attacks, but Bush Sr!

You better give a rat's ass if its about oil. Wow, from your typing I can I take it that you're young or quite uneducated, so I'll excuse your inability to see past your own hand. Do you even understand that a war about oil could lead to many more 9/11's?? Do you even realize that the situations in Afghanistan and Iraq are NOT getting better. Yeah, I've talked to marines who're there. One my best friends who gives me a ride home is an instructor in the army (right now he teaches ROTC). HIs friends(currently serving in Iraq) say that the enemy is becoming more and more sophisticated. The people, who at one time might have been friendly, are now overtly hostile! And these guys are conservatives!

Clinton sold nuclear weapons plans to N Korea - jeez, time to stop listening to Ann Coultor!! haha

Yeah, and lets not forget the republicans selling biological and chemical weapons to Iraq in the 80's - weapons which were used to kill thousands of Kurds!

you're are so blind it'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic!

[somebitch]

Again...you still haven't answered the question: What has Kerry done in the past to make you think he's the right choice?

what did Bush do before he was president that made people see him as the right choice for the last election? NOTHING.

[pookie23]

what did Bush do before he was president that made people see him as the right choice for the last election? NOTHING.

go back to the sex board grumpy!

[somebitch]

OBBY......WORD THE FUCK UP!!! u broke it down, thank u very much..

idk how people can vote for KERRY when uneducated celebrites, like leo, ben, aston.....stand behind him. voting for kerry is a TREND PEOPLE.... in the end...we need someone to protect us and ill put money on it that if kerry wins, we get attacked hardcore~ and ur taxes end up going to welfare ghetto bitches and playgrounds for their children...i work for my money im sure u do too...

i could go on, but ill let obby do that )

this is the dumbest thing i have read in a while...

i hope youre kidding

[kramadas]

Give up man...we're "dumb" and "uninformed"...therefore our vote shouldn't count.

And they still haven't given me anything on Kerry's past accomplishments..lol

Just a few things. BTW, curious (like somebitch mentioned) what were some of Bush's pre-2000 accomplishments (other than sniffing coke on his ranch)?

Building a Stronger Economy

Crossed Party Lines to Support a Balanced Budget and Cast the Decisive Vote to Create 23 Million New Jobs. Shortly after joining the Senate, John Kerry crossed party lines to bring fiscal discipline back to Washington.

Fought for Gramm-Rudman-Hollings, Deficit Reduction Act, Balanced Budget Act. John Kerry cosponsored and voted for the landmark Gramm-Rudman-Hollings balanced budget and deficit reduction bill to end runaway deficits. In 1993, John Kerry supported the Deficit Reduction Act, which put America back on track toward a balanced budget and fiscal discipline. John Kerry's vote reduced the deficit and resulted in the creation of 23 million new jobs. John Kerry also voted for the historic 1997 Balanced Budget Act, which dramatically reduced spending and balanced the budget for the first time in a generation.

Helped Increase the Minimum Wage. John Kerry was instrumental in passing the most recent increase in the minimum wage - to $5.15 per hour in 1997.

Fought for the Child Tax Credit. John Kerry led a successful fight for an amendment he introduced to make sure that all working families receive a child tax credit.

Stood Up for Small Business. As chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee, John Kerry promoted policies to increase access to capital, open international markets, foster innovative technology companies, reduce red tape and increase federal contracting opportunities. He also created and improved the MicroLoan program, expanded the successful nationwide Women's Business Centers (WBC) and loan programs that help the small businesses of reservists stay afloat while they are on active duty.

Making America Safer

Fought For 100,000 Additional Cops on the Street. As a former prosecutor, John Kerry understands the importance of strong law enforcement. That's why he led the fight to add police on our streets through his amendment to the 1993 Crime Control bill. John Kerry's amendment provided for $150 million to hire 100,000 new police officers - a measure widely regarded as having helped to lower the crime rate across the country.

Fought to Modernize and Strengthen America's Military. John Kerry has supported over $4 trillion in defense funding and has supported virtually every successful weapons system in use by today's military. In 2002, John Kerry voted for the largest increase in defense spending since the 1980's. And because John Kerry understands that our national security begins with the men and women who risk their lives to protect it, he has supported pay increases, benefit increases, and quality-of-life improvements for America's men and women in uniform throughout his career.

Fought Global Terrorism. John Kerry introduced critical legislation for cracking down on international laundering of terrorist funds. He was one of the key architects of anti-money-laundering provisions in the Patriot Act designed to deny financing for terrorists, and he has consistently used these provisions to press the Bush administration to crack down on terrorist financing activities by Syria and Saudi Arabia. He introduced a bill to ban arms exports to countries that provide support for acts of international terrorism, a proposal that was incorporated into the final 1990 State Department Authorization Bill.

Made the Homeland More Secure. John Kerry was an original co-sponsor of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, which improved our nation's airline security after September 11th. He also helped pass legislation in response to September 11th that placed armed Coast Guard personnel on high-risk vehicles such as oil and gas tankers as they enter port.

Worked to Prevent the Spread of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Weapons. John Kerry has made preventing the spread of nuclear weapons a top priority. He fought for ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, fought against withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, and has been a strong and persistent advocate of programs that help secure nuclear, biological and chemical weapons stockpiles and materials in the former Soviet Union so they do not fall into the hands of hostile states or terrorists.

Expanding and Improving Health Care

for All Americans

A Leader in Expanding Access and Lowering the Cost of Health Care for America's Children. John Kerry was there at the beginning of the fight to provide the largest investment in children's health care since the creation of Medicaid.

Wrote Pre-Cursor Bill to S-CHIP, Providing Coverage for up to 5 Million Children. John Kerry's 1996 bill, the Healthy Children, Family Assistance Health Insurance Program, was the precursor to the successful State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) that became law in 1997. S-CHIP provides funding to cover 5 million children.

Improved Coverage and Care for America's Veterans. John Kerry has been a tireless champion of mandatory funding for veterans' health care. He fought vigorously for full funding of Veterans Administration (VA) health care and opposed the Bush administration's exclusion of Priority 8 veterans and its elimination of VA outreach efforts. He sought improved prescription drug benefits and authored legislation in 2003 to let veterans fill prescriptions written by non-VA doctors through the VA pharmacy.

Improved Post-Natal Care. John Kerry co-sponsored an amendment that successfully required health care plans to provide coverage for a minimum hospital stay for a mother and child following the birth of the child.

Fought HIV/AIDS. John Kerry was among the earliest supporters of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, which today is the largest discretionary federal investment in treatment and support services for individuals and families living with HIV or AIDS. Today, 533,000 Americans with HIV/AIDS receive better treatment through this program.

Addressed America's Nursing Shortage. John Kerry wrote the Nurse Reinvestment Act to help relieve a nationwide, crisis-level shortage of registered nurses by encouraging more young people to choose a career in nursing. Today, enrollment rates at undergraduate nursing programs are up by 17 percent.

Making America More Respected

in the World

Helped Spread Democracy and Human Rights Throughout the World. John Kerry was a leading advocate for democratic elections in the Philippines, serving as an elections monitor as part of a Senate delegation that uncovered the fraud that led to the ouster of President Ferdinand Marcos. He was a strong proponent of U.S. participation in the NATO intervention that put an end to the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. He worked with the United Nations and Cambodian government officials to facilitate the creation of the genocide tribunal in Cambodia that will prosecute key members of the Khmer Rouge. He sponsored the Code of Conduct of Arms Transfers Act, which prohibited U.S. military assistance and arms transfers to nations that do not adequately protect the human rights of their citizens. And he co-sponsored bipartisan legislation which imposed sanctions on Burma's military regime for detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and repressing her National League for Democracy party.

Fought Global HIV/AIDS. John Kerry authored major elements of the Global AIDS and Tuberculosis Relief Act of 2000, legislation which at the time provided the most money ever for fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world. He sponsored the bipartisan U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2002, comprehensive legislation that was unanimously approved by the Senate and became the foundation of the global AIDS legislation that was passed by congress and signed by President Bush.

Fought International Crime, Corruption and Drug Trafficking. John Kerry chaired the landmark hearings that uncovered the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal - the largest banking corruption scandal in modern times. He led hearings which provided evidence that Haitian military officials were involved in drug trafficking to the United States. He also led hearings on corruption and drug trafficking by Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, and introduced legislation requiring the Reagan administration to cut off foreign aid to Panama because of drug-related corruption within its government.

Uncovered Government Corruption. John Kerry went on a fact-finding mission to Nicaragua and presented his findings to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Based in part on John Kerry's groundbreaking findings, the committee reached a consensus decision to investigate the Contra guerillas and their connection to drug trafficking in the United States. The resulting investigation uncovered the Iran-Contra scandal, a scheme that diverted profits from illegal arms sales to Iran to support the Contra guerilla fighters in Nicaragua.

Other Important Accomplishments

Took on the Task of Investigating POW/MIA Issues. John Kerry and John McCain "doggedly investigated" an important and volatile issue which some described as an "unglamorous task that nobody else wanted." Regarding the investigation, John McCain said, "John Kerry handled the chairmanship of that committee with tremendous skill." In 1994, John Kerry sponsored an amendment with McCain that urged the American government to lift its 25-year trade embargo with Vietnam. He then worked closely with McCain and President Clinton to facilitate full normalization of trade and diplomatic relations with Vietnam.

Fought to Help Victims of Agent Orange. Beginning more than 15 years ago, John Kerry introduced legislation to assist veterans in receiving medical compensation after being exposed to the toxic chemical Agent Orange. John Kerry even testified before Congress to force the government to care for Vietnam veterans. John Kerry's bill, the Comprehensive Agent Orange Scientific Evidence Review Act, sought to require that the Veterans Administration(VA) look into the "health effects of exposure" to Agent Orange. John Kerry also voted to pass the Agent Orange Act of 1991 and the Veterans' Agent Orange Exposure and Vietnam Service Benefits Act of 1989.

Fought to Protect America's Environment. John Kerry has been described by the League of Conservation Voters as an "environmental champion." He introduced legislation to improve standards for clean air and establish a fund to finance emissions reductions. He secured millions of dollars in funding to clean America's waterways, harbors, and drinking water, worked to strengthen the Safe Drinking Water Act, and introduced legislation in 1996 to ensure "protection in the quality of our water." He sponsored legislation that extended and strengthened laws protecting marine mammals from commercial fishing. He helped protect America's National Parks and National Forests from pollution, excessive logging, and overdevelopment while ensuring that endangered species are preserved for all Americans to experience. He has opposed opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling for over a decade, ensuring that future generations can experience this national treasure. He strongly advocated for U.S. participation in the Kyoto accords and other international environmental initiatives, and personally participated in many major world environmental summits, including conferences at Rio di Janiero, Kyoto and the Hague.

Fought for America's Veterans. John Kerry has been a tireless champion of mandatory funding for veterans' health care. He fought vigorously for full funding of VA health care and opposed the Bush administration's exclusion of Priority 8 veterans and its elimination of VA outreach efforts. He sought improved prescription drug benefits and authored legislation in 2003 to let veterans fill prescriptions written by non-VA doctors through the VA pharmacy. As chairman of the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, John Kerry investigated the fate of missing American soldiers in Vietnam and brought about the resolution of this difficult issue for their families and for the governments of both countries. In 1994, he sponsored an amendment with Senator McCain that urged the American government to lift its 25-year trade embargo with Vietnam. He then worked closely with Senator McCain and President Clinton to facilitate full normalization of trade and diplomatic relations with Vietnam.

Stood Up for America's Children. John Kerry wrote the bill that became the foundation for the 1997 State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), which provided states with federal funding to help extend health insurance coverage to children whose families do not qualify for Medicaid. He introduced legislation to expand state and local early childhood development efforts, including education, child care and health care for children between birth and six years old. At the end of 2000, a version of this bipartisan legislation was signed into law. To address the needs of America's at-risk youth, John Kerry led the effort to establish the YouthBuild program, which provides young people with basic education toward a diploma and the skills training they need to get a good-paying job. YouthBuild also teaches leadership and civic engagement while providing students with adult mentors who help them overcome personal problems and participate in a supportive community with positive values.

Fought for Affordable Housing. As a member of the Senate Housing Subcommittee, John Kerry has a long record of fighting for affordable housing. He shaped the first significant rewrite of the public housing program in over 20 years and worked to craft and pass a bill that helped save the government billions of dollars in rental assistance payments, preserved thousands of affordable rental apartments, and helped finance the rehabilitation of those apartments. With Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT), John Kerry sponsored the Affordable Housing Preservation Act to foster local partnerships between non-profits, state and local governments, and private landlords in order to keep existing housing projects available and affordable for low-income tenants. He worked to create and implement the "mark-up to market" program and he co-authored the Affordable Housing for Seniors and Families Act of 2000.