Remarks Senator John Kerry made in 1994 recently resurfaced in an October 20, 2004, Washington Post article that purported to examine Senator John Kerry's current views on the role of the United Nations and multilateralism in American foreign policy. During a discussion on CNN's Late Edition on April 17, 1994, Kerry said that American casualties incurred in the course of an international effort in Bosnia would be justified but not "[i]f you mean dying American troops unilaterally going in with some false presumption that we can affect the outcome."

Kerry's remark came in the aftermath of the U.N. humanitarian mission Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, in which American forces far outnumbered U.N. forces, and which resulted in tragedy when 18 U.S. soldiers were killed in a gunfight on October 5, 1993. But the Post took Kerry's remark about the threat of what happened in Somalia recurring in Bosnia out of context, by using that remark, rather than what Kerry has said about the war on terrorism, to explain his current position. Later, numerous conservative pundits distorted the remark to suggest that Kerry had said (1) that American casualties are only justified or acceptable as part of a U.N. action; and (2) that he would require U.N. approval before he took any military action as president.

Here's what Kerry said on CNN's Late Edition on April 17, 1994:

FRANK SESNO (then-Late Edition host): [W]hat are the U.S. interests and the strategic interests in this place called the Balkans?

KERRY: Well, they are less than our interests in, perhaps, Haiti. They are greater than our interests in Somalia.

SESNO: But worth dying for? That's the question. Are they worth fighting and dying for?

KERRY: Well, it depends what you mean by that, Frank. If you mean dying in the course of the United Nations effort, yes, it is worth that. If you mean dying American troops unilaterally going in with some false presumption that we can affect the outcome, the answer is unequivocally no.

The Post reported Kerry's 1994 quote (bolded above) accurately, but took it out of context by using it as evidence that “Kerry's belief in working with allies runs so deep that he has maintained that the loss of American life can be better justified if it occurs in the course of a mission with international support.” Kerry has asserted that the support of a broad coalition of nations in U.S. military operations would reduce America's share of the burden in terms of cost and casualties, and that America should be able to justify any unilateral preemptive action to the world after the fact. But in 1994, Kerry was talking specifically about the Bosnia and Somalia conflicts.

While the Post relied on a ten-year-old statement by Kerry to determine his position today, here's what Kerry himself said on September 30, 2004 -- at the first presidential debate -- about acting preemptively without international approval: “No president, though all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America.”

Nonetheless, conservative pundits quickly began to mischaracterize Kerry's 1994 remark:

Rush Limbaugh, right-wing radio host: “John Kerry believes that American troops dying under the banner of the U.N. flag is acceptable, when dying under the banner of the American flag is not.” [The Rush Limbaugh Show, 10/20/04]

William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard: “Kerry really does believe that the United Nations is a fundamental, legitimizing body for the use of U.S. force. His near obsession with gaining the approval of the U.N., and for that matter of France and Germany, for the conduct of U.S. foreign policy would make him the riskiest commander in chief of any presidential candidate since George McGovern.” [The Weekly Standard, "Dying for the United Nations," 10/20]

Newt Gingrich, FOX News Channel political contributor: “I understand that Senator Kerry has been quoted as saying he felt much more comfortable if the United States's troops were only used under United Nations operations. I think that's a direct quote from him.” [FOX News Channel, Hannity & Colmes, 10/20]

The Washington Times editorial: “When it comes to the question of when it is appropriate for the United States to use force abroad, John Kerry seems to have developed one general principle: It is only acceptable to risk American life and limb if the United Nations or supposed allies like France approve.” [The Washington Times, "Kerry's multilateralist fetish," 10/20]

WorldNetDaily.com: “Ten years ago, Sen. John Kerry said the deaths of U.S. military personnel are justified if they are engaged in a United Nations effort, but not if they die while fighting in a unilateral operation.” ["Kerry: U.S. deaths justified if on U.N. mission," 10/20]

Joseph Farah, WorldNetDaily.com editor and CEO: “John Kerry believes it is better to sacrifice American lives for the United Nations than for the United States. If you don't believe me on this, perhaps you will believe a paper that endorses his candidacy -- the Washington Post.” ["U.N. Secretary General Kerry," 10/21]