Kerry Gets Opportunity To Grill Swiftie Backer

AP reports on John Kerry’s questioning of Sam Fox who was nominated to be ambassador to Belgium:

“Might I ask you what your opinion is with respect to the state of American politics as regards the politics of personal destruction?” Kerry asked near the end of the hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Fox, one of the nation’s most generous contributors to Republican candidates and causes, said he shared Kerry’s concerns that politics “has become mean and destructive.”

Fox said he didn’t recall who asked him to give to the group and blamed partisans on both sides for contributing to so-called 527 groups that are not subject to conventional campaign finance rules.

“So is that your judgment that you would bring to the ambassadorship, that two wrongs make a right?” Kerry asked.

Obama was also displeased with Fox’s contributions to the Swift Boat Liars:

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., a presidential hopeful and chairman of Tuesday’s hearing, said he found Fox’s responses “unsatisfying.” He said he would have preferred if Fox admitted it was a mistake to contribute to the Swift Boat group.

Update: Kerry Called Hero By Swiftie Backer

1 Comment

  1. 1
    mbk says:

    Just as important ( basically unmentioned, as usual, in the MSM coverage) was the fact that the first part of Sen. Kerry’s interrogation covered the nominee’s qualifications, or, more accurately, his utter LACK of qualifications, to be ambassador of Belgium. Kerry eviscerated this guy slowly, calmly, devastatingly. Kerry’s knowledge of Belgium exceeded Fox’s by about 10,000 times.

    By the way, as far as I remember, Sen. Kerry was the only senator who asked Fox any substantive questions whatsoever. SFRC hearing in general was very sparsely attended that day.

    LInk to entire hearing at http://www.senate.gov/~foreign/hearings/2007/hrg070227p.html. Click on “nominations”. Video uses Real Player, which can be downloaded for free. Kerry’s star turn starts at about 1 hour 33 minutes. Things start to heat up at 1 hour 38 minutes (quizzing on nominee’s knowledge of Belgium), then Swift Boat issues start at 1 hour 52 minutes.

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