[FRgal4u]

Time for the GOP to get tough. Strange as it may be, the toughest challenger on this Kerry canard is none other than Dole or McCain.

Dole has the humor to debunk all this crap and slinging back at Clinton's record - If the American people would choose their Presidents based on previous military service, should BOB DOLE be the one win in 1996 then? Heck, how about McCain in 2000.

The real strategy is not to play offense in the normal way, in this case, a defensive strategy is what works - the strategy should be - praise Kerry on his service in 'Nam, citing he served his country then, have a great story to tell, BUT, this election is about the American people's future, not something happened in Vietnam or WWII. Keep this rhetoric in every turn, make people sicking tire of the Vietnam/Kerry crap, the strategy is to get a Kerry in Vietnam fatigue syndrome. This election will be decided on voters turnout of the two parties and the 10% (at most) middle independents. Key is to make the 10% middle voters so sicking tire of the stories that they will move on to other critical issues. Kerry is a cold, aloof senator and he is nothing appealing when his Vietnam shield is off. Time to be smart, get Dole out yak and yak in different circles about military service. Maybe the wit, humor of Bob Dole is the perfect antidote of the cold, hard, aloof image of Kerry.

[CedarDave]

I read earlier today that George Bush's active duty time comes close to exceeding the total of Kerry and Gore COMBINED!
(sorry, I don't have the thread reference)

[annyokie]

[longtermmemmory]

The Democrat convention will have huge video pictures of the medals. This is no different than clinton taking the west lawn, bombing the asprin factory, Bosnia in the 90's.

How about the picture of clinton with JFK (by accident) that was used over and over?

Here is the differnce. Kerry was embarrased by his military service until it was a political tool.

GWBush has always used his Guard Service as a point of pride ever BEFORE his involvement in politics.

Kerry is under the delusion that his military service immunizes his anti-war stances.

[highlander_UW]

If Kerry wants to make his service a presidential issue, let's look at it...

It's true that Lieutenant (j.g.) Kerry was in combat. Indeed, his boat had been fired upon by the enemy. Kerry beached his boat and an enemy soldier broke and ran. Tom Belodeau, one of the boat's gunners, admitted this enemy soldier was wounded in the attack. Lt. Kerry then chased the wounded man behind a ''hootch'' where he ''finished him off.'' It was for this action that he was awarded the prestigious Silver Star.

There were some who felt this act was not deserving of such an honor. Dan Carr, a Marine who served 14 months in Vietnam, questioned whether such an honor should have been bestowed on a man who killed a retreating and wounded enemy soldier.

When young Kerry returned to the States, he began protesting against the Vietnam War. On April 23, 1971, Kerry testified before Congress about atrocities he had allegedly seen and heard about. He testified that American soldiers ''raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, [had] 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.'' He stated there never was a communist threat in Vietnam. source: http://www.ircpolitics.org/news/articles/2004/IsJohnKerry.html

If Kerry witnessed rape and other atrocities and did nothing to stop them then he's an admitted war criminal. He should be imprisoned, not elected.

[Afro_conservative]

I don't think most people here get it. Either you are all retarded or you just don't care about winning. You cannot beat Kerry by talking about Vietnam so avoid this discussion at all times.

Why is it so hard for you people to understand. Prop up the War in Afghanistan and Iraq forget Vietnam we will lose if we touch that.

[Defender2]

#1. Your Highlighted Anwser at the Bottom of your initial post in the Article hits the Nail Right on the head!!!! Good Post!!!!

[Squantos]

Let him get all pigeon chested.......soon someone will post his pic with Fonda and will also bring up that the medals he's so proud of now he threw away then.......

He openly claimed he was ashamed of his affiliation with the US military then when it was popular and promoting his own agenda.............has anything changed with this POS ?.........NO !

Stay Safe !

[Angelwood]

Bump for later.

[Semper Paratus]

I'll take W's war record over Kerry's anyday.

Liberated Afgahnistan and Iraq.

[Howlin]

Speech of John F. Kerry - Page S2479 Congressional Record
Rush Limbaugh ^ | February 27, 1992 | John Forbes Kerry


Posted on 02/04/2004 8:05:39 PM EST by windchime


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.

I am saddened by the fact that Vietnam has yet again been inserted into the campaign, and that it has been inserted in what I feel to be the worst possible way. By that I mean that yesterday, during this Presidential campaign, and even throughout recent times, Vietnam has been discussed and written about without an adequate statement of its full meaning.

What is ignored is the way in which our experience during that period reflected in part a positive affirmation of American values and history, not simply the more obvious negatives of loss and confusion.

What is missing is a recognition that there exists today a generation that has come into its own with powerful lessons learned, with a voice that has been grounded in experiences both of those who went to Vietnam and those who did not.

What is missing and what cries out to be said is that neither one group nor the other from that difficult period of time has cornered the market on virtue or rectitude or love of country.

What saddens me most is that Democrats, above all those who shared the agonies of that generation, should now be refighting the many conflicts of Vietnam in order to win the current political conflict of a Presidential primary.

The race for the White House should be about leadership, and leadership requires that one help heal the wounds of Vietnam, not reopen them; that one help identify the positive things that we learned about ourselves and about our Nation, not play to the divisions and differences of that crucible of our generation.

We do not need to divide America over who served and how. I have personally always believed that many served in many different ways. Someone who was deeply against the war in 1969 or 1970 may well have served their country with equal passion and patriotism by opposing the war as by fighting in it. Are we now, 20 years or 30 years later, to forget the difficulties of that time, of families that were literally torn apart, of brothers who ceased to talk to brothers, of fathers who disowned their sons, of people who felt compelled to leave the country and forget their own future and turn against the will of their own aspirations?

Are we now to descend, like latter-day Spiro Agnews, and play, as he did, to the worst instincts of divisiveness and reaction that still haunt America? Are we now going to create a new scarlet letter in the context of Vietnam? 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.

But while those who served are owed special recognition, that recognition should not come at the expense of others; nor does it require that others be victimized or criticized or said to have settled for a lesser standard. To divide our party or our country over this issue today, in 1992, simply does not do justice to what all of us went through during that tragic and turbulent time.

I would like to make a simple and straightforward appeal, an appeal from my heart, as well as from my head. To all those currently pursuing the Presidency in both parties, I would plead that they simply look at America. We are a nation crying out for leadership, for someone who will bring us together and raise our sights. We are a nation looking for someone who will lift our spirits and give us confidence that together we can grow out of this recession and conquer the myriad of social ills we have at home.

We do not need more division. We certainly do not need something as complex and emotional as Vietnam reduced to simple campaign rhetoric. What has been said has been said, Mr. President, but I hope and pray we will put it behind us and go forward in a constructive spirit for the good of our party and the good of our country.

I thank our distinguished manager of the bill and the Senator from Delaware.

[mystery-ak]

DUH...I and many freepers figured this out 2 weeks ago....throwing medals isn't nearly as bad as desertion.