Polish President Calls Kerry 'Immoral,' Bush 'Gentleman'
By Jimmy Moore
Talon News
October 6, 2004
Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry was labeled "immoral" by the president of Poland on Tuesday for failing to recognize his country's involvement with the coalition forces in the ongoing war in Iraq.
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, who sent 6,500 troops to assist the United States in the war in Iraq, said the Massachusetts senator's oblivious attitude about Poland's contributions to the efforts in Iraq is simply deplorable.
"I find it kind of sad that a senator with 20 year parliamentary experience is unable to notice the Polish presence in the anti-terror coalition," Kwasniewski commented in an interview with TVN FACTS about last week's presidential debate in the United States. "This is immoral."
He added that it is "sad" that Kerry "underestimates Polish sacrifice" in the war in Iraq, where 13 Polish troops have died in combat.
Recognizing that this error by Kerry was not made "out of ignorance" but rather poor political judgment, Kwasniewski said it is clear to anyone that the coalition consists of 30 nations who are unified in their efforts to fight this war.
"There is one thing which should be stated clearly: this coalition is not just the United States, Great Britain, Australia alone; it also involves participation of Polish, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Spanish soldiers who have died," Kwasniewski explained.
The Polish president continued to lambaste Kerry for failing to give credit to those countries who joined together as one body to remove an evil dictator from power.
"It is immoral not to recognize the involvement we contributed based on our conviction that there should be unity in fighting terrorism, that there was a need to display international solidarity and that Saddam Hussein was a dangerous individual of this world," Kwasniewski expressed.
Applauding President George W. Bush for being "a real Texas gentleman," Kwasniewski said Bush "made sure to show appreciation for other countries' involvement in the coalition."
Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie responded to Kwasniewski's comments on Tuesday by reiterating Kerry's propensity for making fallacious or contradicting statements.
"Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski's deeming as 'immoral' John Kerry's insult of Poland's sacrifice in Iraq once again exposes the fallacy of the senator's claim that he would be able to convince other countries to replace our troops in Iraq with theirs," Gillespie exclaimed in a statement. "President Krasniewski has been resolute in understanding the importance of achieving victory in Iraq, unlike Senator Kerry, who has vacillated with every shifting political wind."
