You can say one thing about John Kerry. His positions have gotten more “nuanced” over time.
“Senator, I will say this. I think that politically, historically, the one thing that people try to do, that society is structured on as a whole, is an attempt to satisfy their felt needs, and you can satisfy those needs with almost any kind of political structure, giving it one name or the other. In this name it is democratic; in others it is communism; in others it is benevolent dictatorship. As long as those needs are satisfied, that structure will exist.” - John F. Kerry, Congressional Testimony, April 22, 1971.
“I have always said from day one that the goal here ... is a stable Iraq, whether or not that’s a full democracy. I can’t tell you what it’s going to be, but a stable Iraq. And that stability can take several different forms.” - John F. Kerry, April 14, 2004.
In other words, in John Kerry’s view, it doesn’t matter if Saddam is put back in power and the people are crushed under totalitarianism, as long as there is stability. Stability trumps freedom in his book. This man wants to be president of the United States.
You’re kidding, right? Yes, it’s not perfect, but there isn’t a better system out there right now. And it is certainly preferable to a brutal, totalitarian dictatorship.
I don’t think this is a situation for theological hairsplitting.