from the April edition of The Washington Monthly
"Tilting At Windmills" column
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0404.tilting.htmlscroll down to next-to-last item "A Question For Marjorie"
(snip)
"...the ... characteristics appear in a considerably more favorable light in an article headed "Kerry Dots Deliberation with Decision" that appeared on the front page of the same edition of the Post that carried Marjorie's column.(March 7, 2004) Its author, Laura Blumenfeld, finds that Kerry "researches and analyzes carefully before choosing. He always deliberates, even if only for a second. What differs is how close he is to the ground."
She tells a story of how a plane was plunging towards the Nevada desert. "10,000 feet, 6,000 feet, 2,000 feet and falling. Young Kerry, sitting next to the pilot, reached for the controls. 'Give it to me,' Kerry said, over the screams of the engine," and landed the plane safely. His brother Cameron explained to Blumenfeld: "It's the deadline thing. He is not going to act when he doesn't need to. He's incredibly decisive when he needs to be."
Kerry is a relentless questioner, often playing devil's advocate with his staff--a quality especially esteemed by presidential historians, and the very opposite of George W. Bush, described in The Price of Loyalty, who dislikes arguing with himself, who is profoundly incurious, and who does not encourage his staff to provide him with carefully researched alternatives, disliking the kind of debate that would explore options.
Another op-ed appearing the same day as Marjorie's, Bruce Reed's in The New York Times, described how Kerry's apparent waffling can simply mean that he sees the merit in both sides and wants his decision to reflect those merits. In the case of welfare reform, for example, this meant voting in favor of reform while making sure the bill included more child-care money and other improvements that would make it more humane..."
(snip)
:kick: