Kerryism of the DayThe senator's caveats and curlicues.

What did he say?(For instructions on how to read a Kerryism, click here.)

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And^₁ they are prepared to attack every front they can with respect to the right of privacy. I believe the right of privacy is a constitutional right.^{₂ 3 4 5} Protecting the right of privacy is not pro-abortion; it is pro-choice, pro-the rights of women, to be able to control—protecting the right of privacy is protecting the full measure of rights.^{₆ 7} And as President Clinton said so often^₈, abortion should be rare, but it should be safe and legal. … And I believe that it is worth our fight to guarantee that we don't turn that choice into a criminal act, that we don't drive women once again into back alleys^₉, that we preserve that important constitutional right^₁₀, that we have a dialogue^{₁₁ 12 13 14 15}.

—Washington, D.C., April 23, 2004

[1] of course

[2] I believe it is a right.

[3] And let me say

[4] importantly

[5] and I think all of you know this—

[6] of human beings

[7] in our country

[8] and I think everyone here agrees

[9] and into danger

[10] in this country

[11] and reach out

[12] and talk about what we can all do

[13] sensitively

[14] to do this

[15] in a responsible way

Kerry version:

And of course they are prepared to attack every front they can with respect to the right of privacy. I believe the right of privacy is a constitutional right. I believe it is a right. And let me say, importantly, and I think all of you know this—protecting the right of privacy is not pro-abortion; it is pro-choice, pro-the rights of women, to be able to control—protecting the right of privacy is protecting the full measure of rights of human beings in our country. And as President Clinton said so often, and I think everyone here agrees, abortion should be rare, but it should be safe and legal. … And I believe that it is worth our fight to guarantee that we don't turn that choice into a criminal act, that we don't drive women once again into back alleys and into danger, that we preserve that important constitutional right in this country, that we have a dialogue and reach out and talk sensitively about what we can all do to do this in a responsible way.

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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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  The senator's caveats and curlicues.
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