Kerry's Spin on the Good Samaritan

by Senator John Kerry at the Annual Session of the National Baptist Convention

"Four years ago, George Bush came to office calling himself a 'compassionate conservative.' Well, in the story of the Good Samaritan we are told of two men who pass by or cross to the other side of the street when they come upon a robbed and beaten man. They felt compassion, but there were no deeds. Then the Good Samaritan gave both his heart and his help. (Luke 10)
It is clear: For four years, George W. Bush may have talked about compassion, but he's walked right by. He's seen people in need, but he's crossed over to the other side of the street.
As I have traveled this land, I've thought a lot about why America is heading in the wrong direction. Lost jobs, health care costs through the roof, the surplus gone, our alliances shredded, our influence challenged.
Well, as the president likes to say, there's nothing complicated about it. It all comes down to one letter -- W. So the next time you hear George W. Bush, remember the W stands for wrong. Wrong choices for Americans, and the wrong direction for America. This election all comes down to one decision: Do we want four more years of wrong choices for our country, or do we want to move America in a new direction?
Of all George Bush's wrong choices, the most catastrophic one is the mess he's made in Iraq. It's not that I would have done one thing differently in Iraq, I would have done almost everything differently. It was wrong to rush to war without a plan to win the peace. It was wrong not to build a strong international coalition of our allies.
And because we went it alone, we are bearing the burden and paying almost any price almost alone. Almost all the casualties are the sons and daughters of America. And 90 percent of the costs are being met by Americans.

This parable told by our Lord was evidently too nuanced for John Kerry to understand. The Samaritan did not hold back his funds to use for other Samaritans. Rather he saw a person from a different ethnic group who was badly beaten (think an Iraqi under Saddam). He was the third person to have come upon the beaten man, the first two passed to the other side of the road (think France and Germany or any other country aware of Saddam's use of money meant to feed his people). The Samaratin saw the mans condition and distress and he bandaged him up, took him to an inn and did what he could for him. The Samaritan then gave money to the inn keeper to continue caring for the injured man in the Samaritans abscence. He further promised to reimburse the inn keeper any additional money it took to care for the man until he regained health.
At no time did the Samaritan consider keeping his treasure for himself or other people of Samaria. Samaritans did not have a coalition of allies since they were actually a despised people. Yet this good man thought first of helping someone in dire need despite his country of origin. He did not flaunt his wealth and let someone else foot the bill. The Samaritan had a lot more in common with President Bush who saw a wounded nation and who took the steps, no matter how unpopular, to
bind up this nation. He sent our brightest and best to free the people wounded by Saddam. He offered much of our national treasure to help this nation back to health.

President Bush, the military and the people who support our leader are trying our best to be good Samaritans to a badly wounded people. We are not trying to use our national treasure to promise more entitlement programs to people in our nation in the hope of garnering more votes.

President Bush expresses his faith both in words and deeds. I have never heard him spin scripture into a stump speech to help him win the election. God will judge who has been a good and faithful steward.