A question for the Kerry supporters

I admire Kerry for volunteering to go to Vietnam. Everyone who served there ought to be treated as a hero. My objections to Bush, however, have nothing to do with his lack of service in Vietnam.

Kerry has opened the door for scrutiny of his service in Vietnam by placing such an emphasis on it in his campaign.

I find it compelling that the men that actually served on his boat hold him in high esteem.

I don't think, however, that this precludes the charges of those criticizing him from having validity.

No matter how one slices it, Kerry volunteered to serve in the military during a time of war, and he served in combat. He deserves kudos for this. Does he deserve to be President for this?

I consider his service to be a check in the Kerry plus column, but there's a lot more to being President that having served with distinction in a war.

Otherwise, Bob Dole wouldn't have lost to a draft dodger, the same draft dodger who beat out a Medal of Honor winner in the 92 Democratic primaries and then a decorated WWII pilot for the presidency.

And before the peanut gallery explodes, this is not an attempt to bring the sins of Bill Clinton into the discussion. He simply provides the best example, in recent memory, of the lack of importance of military service in a presidential campaign. (Bush beating out McCain in the 2000 GOP primaries is a pretty good one too.)

It's his record as president that I deplore. It's his alignment with right-wing extremists militarily, economically, socially.

It's the alienation he has generated within the world community because of his arrogance.

It's his lack of judgment in pursuing a needless war in Iraq (for who knows what reason), and allowing terrorists to gain a stronger foothold almost everywhere.

It's his tax cuts

, his underfunding of No Child Left Behind

his opposition to embryonic stem cell research

his repeated nominations to the courts of dangerous extremists

his insistence on supporting an attempt to write discrimination into the constitution

his lack of vision and humility and wisdom

It's his record as president that I deplore. It's his alignment with right-wing extremists militarily, economically, socially. It's the alienation he has generated within the world community because of his arrogance. It's his lack of judgment in pursuing a needless war in Iraq (for who knows what reason), and allowing terrorists to gain a stronger foothold almost everywhere. It's his tax cuts, his underfunding of No Child Left Behind, his opposition to embryonic stem cell research, his repeated nominations to the courts of dangerous extremists, his insistence on supporting an attempt to write discrimination into the constitution, his lack of vision and humility and wisdom.

It's him. It's just him. I love my country and I am infuriated by the directions in which he has taken us, domestically and internationally. I love my fellow Americans, and I am sickened that, in spite of the closeness and unity we all felt after 911, his policies since then have left us so bitterly divided. Bush no longer has any credibility here at home or in the world community. He can no longer lead. He has to go.

William S. Cohen link No Vietnam service
...
The list goes on, but I think you get the point.

Bush has never had his service in Vietnam a piece of his election or even his relection campain. I don't judge him on that because he doesn't use it.

The anti-Kerry swift boat guys are not mad at Kerry primarily because of his medals, his command talent, etc. They are made at Kerry because, when he came home from Vietnam, he testified before Congress on what he knew and observed in Vietnam. But they choose to attack Kerry's integrity and record because they cannot attack the facts about which Kerry testified.

Later congressional investigations, books by historians, and military courts marshall have confirmed Kerry's testimony. So the only smear tactic that remained was to besmirch Kerry's reputation as an officer and a wounded veteran. Very noble, don't you think?

bbb

The Bush Administration's "Chicken Hawk Brigade":

http://www.nhgazette.com/cgi-bin/NHGstore.cgi?user_action=list&category=%20NEWS%3B%20Chickenhawks%3BBureaucratic%20Battalion

BumbleBeeBoogie wrote:

The anti-Kerry swift boat guys are not mad at Kerry primarily because of his medals, his command talent, etc. They are made at Kerry because, when he came home from Vietnam, he testified before Congress on what he knew and observed in Vietnam. But they choose to attack Kerry's integrity and record because they cannot attack the facts about which Kerry testified.

Later congressional investigations, books by historians, and military courts marshall have confirmed Kerry's testimony. So the only smear tactic that remained was to besmirch Kerry's reputation as an officer and a wounded veteran. Very noble, don't you think?

bbb

Are you really saying that the amount of war crimes that took place has been documented? I would like to see this proof. From what I have seen there were no such crimes that took place in the swift boat commands that Kerry and his "band of brothers" served in. While Kerry has made these charges there was never anyone who testified with him that signed any type of affidavit confirming that these events took place. Why has no one signed an affidavit this effect?

It isn't a smear tactic when you have this many people coming forward saying that Kerry isn't telling the truth. They have already exposed his lie about being in Cambodia on Christmas in 69 and now they have changed the story 3 separate times to try and show Kerry was some place that he wasn't. I would say this is just the beginning. Kerry will be exposed as the man he is and you will still defend him.