Searching for understanding

If any of my readers can explain Kerry means when he explains his "global test" comment in the debates, please explain it to me.

Asked during a town hall meeting in Hampton to explain what he meant, the Massachusetts senator said, "It's almost sad; it's certainly pathetic, because all they can do is grab a little phrase and try to play a game and scare Americans."

He added, "They're misleading Americans about what I said. What I said in the sentence preceding that was, 'I will never cede America's security to any institution or any other country.' No one gets a veto over our security. No one.

"And if they were honest enough to give America the full quote, which America heard, they would know that I'm never going to allow America's security to be outsourced. That's the job of the president.

"But I can do a better job of protecting America's security because the test that I was talking about was a test of legitimacy, not just in the globe, but elsewhere.

"If you do things that are illegitimate in the eyes of the other people, it's very hard to get them to share the burden and risk with you."

I'm familiar with the claims of "nuance" and that Kerry is "thoughtful", but what the heck does he mean?

What Kerry seems to ignore is that Americans did hear the full quote, but then they heard "global test", and he didn't explain that. Now he - does - but what is "a test of legitimacy, not just in the globe, but elsewhere"? It's obvious that "the other people" are those with whom you want "to share the burden and risk". So how does the "global test" not include "do[ing] things that are" legitimate in the eyes of the rest of the world? The other people cannot be Americans, because Americans aren't going to "share the burden and the risk" with - themselves.

I'm lost.

Hat tip to Hugh Hewitt.