John Kerry is touting himself as a patriotic American who served his country with distinction. No doubt he was a great soldier and did a fine job serving his country. But if you think that is the whole story, you don't know Jack.
According to the Boston Globe:
Democratic presidential front-runner John F. Kerry, who has turned his decorated Vietnam War service into a theme of his campaign, said yesterday that President Bush and the US military should settle questions -- raised recently by Kerry allies -- about whether Bush completed his military service requirement in the Texas Air National Guard in the 1970s.
Before attending a campaign rally here that drew 2,000 people, on the eve of today's presidential primary in Arizona and six other states, the Massachusetts senator said that the matter of Bush's military service record was ''a question that I think remains open.'' Kerry added that he lacked ''the facts'' to make a judgment about accusations that Bush ended his military commitment prematurely.
So the great war hero is going to bring up unfounded accusations against George Bush. Great, bring it on Jack. American minded people will then bring up the fact that repeatedly you voted against the American Military and stood with Jane Fonda and other red diaper babies in protesting the war.
According to Boston Herald Traveler Kerry stood with Jane Fonda as a national leader of Vietnam Veterans Against War (VVAW). Kerry campaigned against the effort of the United States funded by groups like the American Communist Party.
He also authored an anti-war book, New Soldier.
Kerry also claimed while testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations in 1971, that U.S. soldiers had “raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam.”
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Eryk
Just out of curiosity, what good is it to be pro-war if you don't have the courage to actually fight? Kerry's country called and he answered. Doesn't this, the experience of having fought and witnessed these terrible things for the sake of America, give one the right to speak their mind? You call Kerry un-American but he did what he was asked to do. I don't see how your spin of the situation goes to return any credibility to George Bush. "Look! Kerry's a coward too!" isn't really going to swing my vote one way or the other.
2 - Tom
It's not spin, it's fact. He did protest the war.
I never called him un-American I said he acted un-American.
And I guess you are implying that GW didnt' really serve his country because he was only in the National Guard.
Tell that to all the National Guard and Reservists who are fighting in Iraq and to the families of those reservists and National Guardists who died.
3 - J Marsh
The right to protest for or against the things we believe in are rights granted to us by the Constitution and he Bill of Rights. The fact that Senator Kerry also fought, and shed blood, in a foreign war defending these same rights gives him a broader perspective on war in general and the Vietnam war in particular.
I am really getting tired of people who think that it is un-American to disagree with the way our government is handling our domestic and foreign affairs. It is every Americans duty as well as their right to speak up when we are not satisfied with the way things are being handled. The fact that John Kerry is taking the time and energy to run for President so he can better effect the changes he and his supporters think are necessary to ensure fairness from our government makes him very American.
4 - Hal Pawluk
I never called him un-American I said he acted un-American.
So if I were to say you were acting like a, for example, Fascist, I wouldn't be saying you were a Fascist?
Wow. Personally, I wouldn't buy that, but chacun a son gout.
5 - Tom
The right to protest does not mean you have to right to be free from criticism.
If he did act in a way contrary to his duties as a commander-in-chief that might bring into question his ability to manage the armed services.
6 - Tom Johnson
The problem is that Kerry is acting like he's really proud of his actions in the military, while he was never proud of it before. He's using something he was ashamed enough of about which to write a book that rails against it, yet when it will boost his standings he's just fine with it. That's hypocrisy.
7 - Eryk
I think proud to have served and proud to have participated in war are two entirely different things. Is war something a nation, any nation, should be proud of?
I still don't see the point you are trying to make. Having served in the military and fought in a war makes one an unfit commander-in-chief yet being an AWOL National Guardist does. Some crazy logic, there.
The right to protest doesn't exempt one from criticism, no. But, you've been so brainwashed by the post-9/11 media that you don't even see how inherently un-American your own words are. America is about change, growth, and moving forward. America is about questions and pluralism. America is about standing up for what you believe in.
Knocking John Kerry for refusing live as an American Lemming and fight, work, and die on command for the sake of Le Gouvernement is insane. I don't know the man, but I find it insulting that you would attempt to sully anyone's reputation, not for the Government, not even for America, but for George Bush. Explain that to all the National Guard and Reservists who are fighting in Iraq.
8 - Jackson Brown
John Kerry is a big part of why the troops who served in Viet Nam were met with extreme hostility...often being spat upon.
THAT is the reason he deserves criticism...period.
His 4 months on a patrol boat did NOT give him the "perspective" to attack the American troops about things he NEVER witnessed. Like in all wars, some troops do horrible things...but Kerry and the VVAW created a BROAD hatred for ALL soldiers of that era.
I am not brain washed, I was there, demonstrating against the war. However, many who saw the war as wrong had the common sense to see that the troops -- nearly a million that served -- were being attacked and treated in a vile manner for years, in large part because Kerry and his group.
I remember that time well. If you wore a uniform, you were likely to be verbally assaulted. We knew the difference between the policy makers and the troops who had no choice but to go or become a criminal.
Kerry's actions and speeches attacking the troops were UN-AMERICAN...period!
9 - Rick
I would have a lot more respect for Kerry if he had thrown his own medals over the White House fence. What a hypocrite.
Is the proud American serving his country, which he claims, or the shamed soldier who killed women and children, which he claimed a few years back?
10 - JR
...the troops who served in Viet Nam were met with extreme hostility...often being spat upon.
Urban myth.
11 - Bob
...the troops who served in Viet Nam were met with extreme hostility...often being spat upon.
Urban myth.
Urban myth? I am a Viet Nam vet.....don't try to rewrite my history! The only thong that stopped my harrasment when I got back was bashing a few heads.
12 - JEANMARRY
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13 - John Weiss
Did you serve or are you serving your country? If not then sit down and shut up coward. If so, you must not have seen the serious shit that went down. I was there, and if you thought it was a just war then you must be messed up in the head. Sorry the union kept you from seeing your favorite television program.
14 - Mac Diva
It seems to me that John Kerry is being criticized for growing as a person. I find nothing all that odd about him being first a soldier (a volunteer I think) and then deciding the war he fought in was being waged for the wrong reasons. Nor does it strike me as hypocritical that he is proud to have been willing to fight for his country, though he now believes he fought in an unjust war. What I see is a complex, intelligent person being misjudged by people who are not up to the task of understanding him.
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18 - John Kerry John Edwards two men for the peace of the world
John Edwards speaks the heart of America – hope and optimism. He is a lifelong champion for America’s families who has shown courage and conviction standing up for America’s values. In the Senate, he has a record of reaching across Party lines and working to reform our intelligence, to combat bioterrorism and keep our military strong. Together, we will campaign tirelessly across the country – fighting to build an America that is stronger at home and respected in the world.
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19 - Tom
You can believe that if you will. John Edwards is an opportunistic trial lawyer whose lawsuits against doctors and companies have cost people jobs and led to higher costs for health care and products we use every day.
What is reallly sad is that you are relying on the "strength' of the VEEP choice to bolster your boring, weak candidate, John Kerry.
20 - James Tittle
Kerry is an opportunist politician who cannot make up his mind on anything. It's a scary thing to even imagine that he could be president. Taxes will soar, the economy will topple, and the defense of our country will be non-existant. Be wary!