| | Kerry: No Dem will ever be swift-boated again 
Senator John Kerry told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week" that no Democratic President will ever allow themselves to be attacked in the way that the "Swift-boat veterans" group attacked him in 2004.
"Unfortunately, when lies are put out on television sufficiently and unanswered sufficiently, they can make a difference. That will never, ever happen again," he said.
Stephanopoulous and Kerry discussed Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's clash over a controversial comment Clinton made regarding Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Clinton accused Obama's campaign of distorting her comments to suggest that she thought less of King.
When Stephanopoulous asked Kerry if he felt the Obama campaign owed Clinton an apology, he neglected to comment.
"George, I don't know what the back/forth has been and i'm not here to get in between, you know, the sort of two campaigns and how they're interpreting that," he said.
Throughout the interview, Kerry voiced his strong support for Obama and his "ability to inspire hope."
"Who better than Barack Obama to talk to young blacks in america or disaffected young people or -- anybody, and sort of say, you see what happens if you have a dream and you pursue it and you work at it?" he said.
Kerry cited financial problems as a main reason why swiftboating was such a problem for him in the 2004 elections.
"We were stuck in the federal financing. [Barack Obama] is not. And he will have the ability to be able to redefine himself immediately," he said.
This video is from ABC's This Week, broadcast January 13, 2008.
Transcript via closed captions
:: I believe barack obama has the ability to inspire hope and to -- to find our aspirations as a nation in a way that reaches not only americans but the world.
:: You made an artful reference to king and johnson. Senator clinton got into a little trouble this week where she seemed to downplay martin luther king's contribution at the expense -- and enhance lyndon johnson's reputation at the expense of martin luther king. Here's what she said.
:: Dr. King's dream began to be realized when president lyndon johnson passed the civil rights act of 1964.
:: And yesterday she said that the obama campaign was distorting those words. She blamed the obama campaign.
:: I am, you know, particularly offended at the way that some have taken out of context and apparently deliberately tried to mislead others about what was said.
:: Does the obama campaign owe senator clinton an apology?
:: George, I don't know what the back/forth has been and i'm not here to get in between, you know, the sort of two campaigns and how they're interpreting that. History knows that it was those folks crossing that bridge at selma and facing those dogs and those batons and bloodied heads. History knows that it was kids getting on the buses in the freedom rides and going down to the south, people being blown up in birmingham, dozens of other places in the south. History knows that it was the courageous, nonviolent movement inspired by martin luther king that forced politicians to confront these issues, just as it has been for women, for the environment, for children, for a host of other issues. Yes, it takes a president, obviously, in the end to do that. I believe barack obama has the ability to bring both of those qualities, inspire and be a president. And I think there's a reason, george, that ben nelson of nebraska and tim johnson of south dakota and janet napolitano of arizona and kane and others --
:: All republican states.
:: All republican state, red states, difficult states, are saying we believe barack obama can unite, can create this fresh and new beginning. The other thing -- I look around at our country. I came in to public service to try to make a difference, like most of us. I see my colleague, ted kennedy who does a superb job of leading on these issues on the health and human services committee, frustrated, struggling to deal with an education system we still know isn't working. Who better than barack obama to talk about -- and just by his person signify to the world the difference that it needs to get an open door to a good school? who better than barack obama to talk to young blacks in america or disaffected young people or -- anybody, and sort of say, you see what happens if you have a dream and you pursue it and you work at it? I was just in south africa. And, and I picked up the newspaper one day and there was a big headline on the second page, "obama says" the following. They have a huge issue there of credibility of their leadership and the issue of aids. I personally believe, having been 20 years, 24 years on the foreign relations committee, that barack obama can say things to african-american leaders that a white president just can't say and I think --
:: But a lot of dem --
:: And there's power in that.
:: But a lot of democrats are worried he just can't get there. One of the arguments the clinton campaign is making -- you say you support him because he wants to end the politics of swift boating. One of the things is he will fall victim to the politics of swift boating, that he's not tough enough --
:: No, he won't, nor will any democrat ever again. And you're looking at the person would understands that better than anybody. We made the miscalculation that we had answered the lies enough. They were answered. They were answered contrary to myth on day one, instant one. Counterpress conference. And the mainstream media wrote the truth. But unfortunately, when lies are put out on television sufficiently and unanswered sufficiently, they can make a difference. That will never, ever happen again --
:: Even if barack obama --
:: -- whoever our nominee is, I intend to fight like crazy --
:: -- senator clinton is a known quantity, that's one of the arguments her camp makes. Barack obama is not.
:: I think barack obama knows and the campaign knows that that definition process has to begin immediately and any effort to define him will be countered immediately and he will have the money to do that immediately. That's one of the differences. We were stuck in the federal financing. He is not. And he will have the ability to be able to redefine himself immediately.
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