DLR'sCock
09-14-2004, 03:24 PM
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=703&e=7&u=/ap/20040914/ap_on_el_pr/sept_11_widows_kerry
Five 9/11 Widows to Endorse Kerry
By Devlin Barrett
The Associated Press
Monday 13 September 2004
WASHINGTON - Five outspoken Sept. 11 widows on Tuesday will publiclyendorse John Kerry for president, The Associated Presshas learned, throwing their weight behind the Democratic challenger in aheated campaign debate over who is best suited to defend the nation fromanother terrorist attack.
Some, including Kristen Breitweiser, of Middletown, N.J., and MonicaGabrielle, of West Haven, Conn., also have agreed to make campaignappearances for the Democratic senator, campaign sources told the AP.
"We will be speaking from the heart, and speaking from our conscience,"Breitweiser said Monday. She would not elaborate. Breitweiser is by farthe most visible and outspoken of the Sept. 11 family advocates, and hasbeen highly critical of the government's reform efforts to date.
The move highlights the widening political divide among the nearly 3,000Sept. 11 families.
At the Republican National Convention two weeks ago, two widows and thesister of another Sept. 11 victim offered moving tributes to theirdeparted loved ones. The somber appearances offered no direct endorsementof President Bush , but their message of support wasunmistakable.
Other relatives publicly have praised Bush's response to the attacks, evenamid the displeasure of many families over an early Bush campaign ad thatused images from the World Trade Center site.
Bush has made his response to the terrorist strike the centerpiece of hisre-election campaign.
Three years after the attacks, most of the families agree on the need forreforms in how the government manages and conducts intelligence work. Butthey are split on what those changes should be and who should make them.
Some relatives, including Breitweiser, have promised to create a watchdoglist to track any lawmakers who oppose reforms proposed by an independent,bipartisan commission that investigated the attacks.
The commission issued its report in July. Among its major recommendationsare the creation of a national counterterrorism center and a new directorof intelligence with Cabinet-level authority over budgets and intelligencepolicies. Congress is hurrying to enact some of the recommendations beforeits adjourns for the year, including Bush's support for creating the postof national intelligence director.
Kerry has said all of the recommendations should be adopted as quickly aspossible.
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Five 9/11 Widows to Endorse Kerry
By Devlin Barrett
The Associated Press
Monday 13 September 2004
WASHINGTON - Five outspoken Sept. 11 widows on Tuesday will publiclyendorse John Kerry for president, The Associated Presshas learned, throwing their weight behind the Democratic challenger in aheated campaign debate over who is best suited to defend the nation fromanother terrorist attack.
Some, including Kristen Breitweiser, of Middletown, N.J., and MonicaGabrielle, of West Haven, Conn., also have agreed to make campaignappearances for the Democratic senator, campaign sources told the AP.
"We will be speaking from the heart, and speaking from our conscience,"Breitweiser said Monday. She would not elaborate. Breitweiser is by farthe most visible and outspoken of the Sept. 11 family advocates, and hasbeen highly critical of the government's reform efforts to date.
The move highlights the widening political divide among the nearly 3,000Sept. 11 families.
At the Republican National Convention two weeks ago, two widows and thesister of another Sept. 11 victim offered moving tributes to theirdeparted loved ones. The somber appearances offered no direct endorsementof President Bush , but their message of support wasunmistakable.
Other relatives publicly have praised Bush's response to the attacks, evenamid the displeasure of many families over an early Bush campaign ad thatused images from the World Trade Center site.
Bush has made his response to the terrorist strike the centerpiece of hisre-election campaign.
Three years after the attacks, most of the families agree on the need forreforms in how the government manages and conducts intelligence work. Butthey are split on what those changes should be and who should make them.
Some relatives, including Breitweiser, have promised to create a watchdoglist to track any lawmakers who oppose reforms proposed by an independent,bipartisan commission that investigated the attacks.
The commission issued its report in July. Among its major recommendationsare the creation of a national counterterrorism center and a new directorof intelligence with Cabinet-level authority over budgets and intelligencepolicies. Congress is hurrying to enact some of the recommendations beforeits adjourns for the year, including Bush's support for creating the postof national intelligence director.
Kerry has said all of the recommendations should be adopted as quickly aspossible.
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