Speaking of the race speech from Tuesday, Obama supporter John Kerry gave an interview with a local N.H. paper, reports NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli. In it, Kerry said the color of Obama's skin makes him uniquely qualified for president and even reach out to the moderate Islam world. During an interview with the New Bedford Standard Times, portions of which were posted on YouTube, John Kerry says bluntly that Barack Obama has the potential to “bridge the divide in religious extremism” because he is black.

“It would be such an affirmation of who we say we are as a people if we can elect an African American president, a young leader who is obviously a visionary and got an ability to inspire people,” Kerry said. “It will give us an ability to talk to those countries, to in some cases go around their dictator leaders to the people and inspire the people in ways that we can’t otherwise.”

The Massachusetts senator said Obama has an ability to perhaps even empower moderate Islam “to be able to stand up against the racial misinterpretation of a legitimate religion.” Asked by a reporter what gave Obama the credibility to do so, Kerry said, “Because he’s African American. Because he’s a black man, who has come from a place of oppression and repression through the years in our own country. We only broke the back of civil rights, Jim Crow, in the 1960s here. Everybody in the world knows this is a recent journey for America too. And everybody still knows that issues of skin and discrimination still exist.”

» related link RELATED TOPICS: Democrat | Obama | John Kerry | ALL TOPICS

del.icio.us

Libertygrrl commented, on March 20, 2008 at 12:40 p.m.:

What an idiot! And to think this man might have been president. God help the U.S. with Senators like this numbskull.

mfee01 commented, on March 20, 2008 at 3 p.m.:

I do not know which is worse, Senator Obigot or Senator Kerry. Is it not racism to vote for someone BECAUSE they are black?

DiscordantPhilosopher commented, on March 20, 2008 at 5:07 p.m.:

Man, nobody can be this stupid. World Peace! Why? Because he’s black. Wonder why no one thought of this before?

mfee01 commented, on March 21, 2008 at 6:51 a.m.:

Would he be saying the same thing if the "black" guy was Mike Steele? No wait under Liberal thinking there are no blacks, no women, no nothing on the right, except Republicans. It is funny how we loose our uniqueness as Conservatives, Wait doesn't that make us what they claim to be The Party of EQUALITY?

VRWC commented, on March 21, 2008 at 8:22 a.m.:

So here we are, the party of racism preeching to us about race. We only broke the back of Civil Rights thanks to the Republican party and we have an absolute right to not vote for a black man because of his views. And lets not forget that Obama flew all the way to Maryland to tell blacks not to vote for Michael Steele.

batter10456 commented, on March 21, 2008 at 11:50 p.m.:

I can't wait to cast another vote against John Kerry when the time comes for him to run for re-election.