Kerryism of the DayThe senator's caveats and curlicues.

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Bob Edwards: President Bush says [Iraqi cleric Muqtada] Sadr's defiance can't stand. What should the U.S. do?

Kerry: Well, it's interesting to hear that, when they shut a newspaper that belongs to a legitimate voice in Iraq^{1 2 3 4 5 6}, but⁷ if it's unaccompanied by a broader set of moves to try to broaden our own base in Iraq^8, it asks for great difficulties.

—Morning Edition, NPR, April 7, 2004

[1] and—well, let me change the term legitimate—when they shut a newspaper that belongs to a voice

[2] because he has clearly taken on a far more radical tone in recent days and aligned himself with both Hamas and Hezbollah

[3] which is a terrorist alignment

[4] sort of

[5] so it creates its own set of needs

[6] in order to deal with the possible future spread of terrorism

[7] at the same time

[8] I just think

Kerry version:

Well, it's interesting to hear that, when they shut a newspaper that belongs to a legitimate voice in Iraq, and—well, let me change the term legitimate—when they shut a newspaper that belongs to a voice, because he has clearly taken on a far more radical tone in recent days and aligned himself with both Hamas and Hezbollah, which is a sort of terrorist alignment, so it creates its own set of needs in order to deal with the possible future spread of terrorism—but at the same time, if it's unaccompanied by a broader set of moves to try to broaden our own base in Iraq, I just think it asks for great difficulties.

(Thanks to Jim Costopoulos)

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William Saletan is Slate's national correspondent and author of Bearing Right: How Conservatives Won the Abortion War. Follow him on Twitter here.

Photograph of John Kerry by Marc Serota/Reuters.

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