Kerry: Bush Failed to Use Vietnam Lessons/Jimmy Carter to Campaign With Dean in Georgia

AP ^ | January 13, 2004

[Shermy]

WATERLOO, Iowa - Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry told fellow veterans Tuesday that the Bush administration failed to use the lessons learned in Vietnam to avoid war in Iraq.

"We are at war again ... at war in a way that breaks faith with the need to build consent and legitimacy. We're at war in a way that clearly does not honor the notion that you must be truthful with the American people," said Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran.

Kerry said troops are overextended and put at more risk than necessary because of arrogance, "the same kind of arrogance that guided us during that time in Vietnam."

"We deserve leadership in this country that understands, number one, how we send young Americans off to fight and die," he said.

Kerry stopped at the Black Hawk County Soldiers Memorial Hall to underscore his intention to make veterans a driving force in the days leading up to Iowa's caucuses Monday night. The Massachusetts senator trailed rivals Howard Dean and Dick Gephardt in statewide polls.

Nearly 90,000 of Iowa's 290,000 veterans are registered Democrats or independents, Kerry officials said.

Kerry said while Bush exploits opportunities to visit troops overseas, the president has endorsed an increase in fees that make health care unaffordable for 1.2 million veterans.

Veterans intend to present resolutions during the caucuses calling for mandatory funding for veterans health care programs, retirement pay without a tax on disability compensation, enhanced treatment and research for service-related illnesses,and increased support for homeless veterans. Kerry said he supports the resolutions.

[Shermy]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040113/ap_on_el_pr/dean_carter_1

BURLINGTON, Vt. - Former President Carter will offer words of praise — but no endorsement — when he joins Democrat Howard Dean in Georgia on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, campaign aides said Tuesday.

The two men plan to have a private meeting and then make a joint public appearance in Carter's home town of Plains, Ga., on Sunday, according to Dean advisers speaking on a condition of anonymity.

The advisers said they don't expect Carter to make an endorsement as they anticipate that the former president will remain officially neutral. The former Democratic president said he will not express any preference about who should be the nominee.

Dean, a former Vermont governor, is locked in a tight race with Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt in Iowa's Jan. 19 presidential caucuses, according to recent polls. Dean is leading in the polls in New Hampshire and nationwide.

A show of support from Carter could boost Dean's appeal in the South. Carter, a Baptist, also could help Dean in his recent effort to appeal to religious voters.

Details of the trip are still being worked out, but Dean plans to attend church with Carter and accompany him when he teaches Sunday school.

Dean's advisers originally planned the appearance with Carter on Jan. 4, but had to cancel those plans because of a scheduling conflict. They rescheduled for the day before the Iowa contest.

Dean has sought Carter's advice throughout the campaign. During an appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live" in September, Carter said he sees a little of himself in Dean.

Carter said Dean visited his home in 2002 "when nobody was paying any attention to me at all" to ask the former president about his campaign 28 years ago.

Like Dean, Carter entered the presidential race as an ex-governor considered a long shot for the nomination. Carter said Dean asked him and his wife what they did to get a victory in New Hampshire, among other things.

"He claims, at least to me, to have had in part of his campaign technique about what worked for me in those ancient days in 1976," Carter said. "The only difference is that I didn't have any money and he's today used the Internet in a wonderful fashion."

[Prime Choice]

Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry told fellow veterans Tuesday that the Bush administration failed to use the lessons learned in Vietnam to avoid war in Iraq.

And that "lesson" would be to...what?   LOSE?

[stylin19a]

Nearly 90,000 of Iowa's 290,000 veterans are registered Democrats or independents, Kerry officials said.

does that mean 200,000 are registered republicans ?

[Huck]

Is Kerry a Vietnam veteran?

[BlueNgold]

LMAO .. Carter .. please .. Carter can't get his dog elected to 'cat-chaser' in GA. This is the same state that just got rid of Mad Max and finally elected an (R) gov. LMAO .. this is going to be freakin hilarious!

[capydick]

Former President Carter will offer words of praise — but no endorsement — when he joins Democrat Howard Dean in Georgia.....

Jimmy Carter + Howard Dean = MichGeorg McKakis.

[CPOSharky]

...retirement pay without a tax on disability compensation...

Disability is not taxed now. Is he trying to take credit for that? Or is some gen-xer who has never been in the service writing his speeches?

BTW, did you know kerry is a Vietnam vet?

[ClearCase_guy]

That Kerry! What the heck does HE know about Vietnam? It's not like he served there!! Or did he ...?

[My2Cents]

Keep talking, "F*in' Kerrey". It gives the American voters more reason to vote against you.

[EllaMinnow]

"A show of support from Carter could boost Dean's appeal in the South. Carter, a Baptist, also could help Dean in his recent effort to appeal to religious voters."

Could, but won't.

[Always Right]

And that "lesson" would be to...what? LOSE?

My thoughts exactly. The fact is Bush's Team did learn plenty from Vietnam, how not to fight a war. BTW, Bush also learned plenty from Carter, why you don't appease terrorists. Too bad the left hasn't learned as much.

[My2Cents]

the president has endorsed an increase in fees that make health care unaffordable

How? Where? Could this be another example of a Democrat saying the first thing that pops into his mind, but which has no actually basis in fact?

[Dolphy]

"We are at war again ... at war in a way that breaks faith with the need to build consent and legitimacy. We're at war in a way that clearly does not honor the notion that you must be truthful with the American people," said Kerry.

We are at war because the President was not willing to trust that Saddam, out of the goodness of his heart, would not either team up with terrorists or conduct other acts of aggression (besides the known funding of terrorism and shooting at our planes on a daily basis). This is the issue, this is what the President said and this is what the American people supported.

[Verginius Rufus]

Is Dean trying to drive down his numbers in Georgia? Why on earth would he, or anyone, want to be seen together with Jimmy Carter?

[JackDanielsOldNo7]

Carter, a Baptist, also could help Dean in his recent effort to appeal to religious voters."

Carter is about as religious as Hitler. He broke with the Southern Baptists because of their "extreme views" on such issues as abortion. Imagine that. Born again Christians dont like abortion. WHo whoulda thunk it.

Carter is a loser.

[geedee]

. . . you must be truthful with the American people," said Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran.

I get so sick of reading that BS about Kerry . . . as if it gives him a pass. Great, the guy was a war hero. A real John Wayne. But that doesn't mean he has the IQ of a gnat (which he doesn't) or the integrity of a jellyfish (which he does).

Let me prove my point.

Here's another story about a "decorated Army veteran."

Louis Jones kidnapped Tracie Joy McBride in my own backyard . . . from an Air Force laundry room . . . then sexually assaulted her, murdered her with a tire iron, then tossed her body away like garbage under a bridge.

From the link . . . "Jones served a total of 22 years in the Army as an airborne ranger, had combat duty in Grenada and the Gulf War, and retired as a Master Sergeant. His defense and appeals claimed post-traumatic stress and Gulf War Syndrome from exposure to nerve gas. The claims were rejected by the jury and later by appellate courts."

Were his claims true? Don't know, don't care. He was executed 3/18/2003. Good riddance.

Check out the link . . . some damn hero.

I would love to hear first-hand information from some of the folks who served with Lurch in Vietnam to see if they agreed with him receiving the accolades he's lived off of ever since -- not the "official" sources so often quoted, but the grunts who actually ate the same mud he did. Maybe he is a bonafide hero . . . but then, again, maybe he's not. In either case, I for one am damned tired of hearing about it like it's part of his name, like it provides cover for his socialist tendencies.

Kerry's a punk . . . war hero or not.

[Severa]

It's only going to get worse (the coverage of Carter that is) when the Seawolf class submarine named after Carter hits the seas later this year. It'll be the last of this class before we move on to the new Virginia class of fast attack subs.

[brazucausa]

lessons learned in Vietnam to avoid war in Iraq. I am not a military person however something tells me that these boys are stuck in a past land. Middle East is not Vitnam in my opinion.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

NEVER FORGET

Partners of our Terrorist Enemy HO CHI MINH during the Vietnam War =

JOHN Fitzgerald KERRY
HILLARY Diane RODHAM
WILLIAM Jefferson CLINTON
WALTER "And That's the Way it is" CRONKITE


Signed:..A Witness
http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_collection.htm


NEVER FORGET

[Maceman]

Kerry is obviously suffering from a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder -- caused by the horrors of his experiences in Viet Nam. That is why he cannot, apparently, give a single speech without referring to that conflict.

He needs to get off the campaign trail and into therapy in order to deal with those demons once and for all.

They say that generals always fight the last war. As president, Kerry would be responding to our 21st century enemies by constantly refighting the Viet Nam war.

He is like Captain Ahab and Viet Nam is his Moby Dick.