Lead, Don't Divide (Kerry's Senate speech- Feb. 27, 1992)

Mr. President, I also rise today--and I want to say that I rise reluctantly, but I rise feeling driven by personal reasons of necessity--to express my very deep disappointment over yesterday's turn of events in the Democratic primary in Georgia.

Certainly, those who went to Vietnam suffered greatly. I have argued for years, since I returned myself in 1969, that they do deserve special affection and gratitude for service. And, indeed, I think everything I have tried to do since then has been to fight for their rights and recognition.

What a lying POS then and now.

This is from a guy who called his comrades (paraphrasing) thugs, murderers, and butchers of innocents in testimony to Congress in about 1971.

This is from a guy who did everything he could to stall and discredit the POW/MIA groups during the 70s and 80s.

(Don't know this one for sure, because he may not have been in Congress yet--at a minimum, this was his mindset). This is from a guy who supported pulling the rug out from under the South Vietnamese government when they needed money to maintain their defenses after we had left, leading to the inevitable fall of Saigon.

This is from a guy who did everything in his power to "normalize" relations with Ho Chi Minh and his successors, with no meaningful advances in human rights in return.

This guy makes me sick, and the pass he's getting so far for shoving his Vietnam hero status down our throats on a daily basis while pretending not to makes me sicker.

We do not need to divide America over who served and how.

If you really feel this way, John-John, you should publicly criticize the sick jerks like Michael Moore who are trying to "prove" W was a "deserter," "AWOL," etc. Instead, you do a Howard Dean "well some people say...." trick.

He believes in nothing but power. He'll do anything for it, including change "heartfelt" positions on a dime, and surrendering our sovreignty to countries that hate us and all we stand for.

He's Bill Clinton, hopefully without the cleverness and likability.

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