Kerry's Anti-War Legacy

Newsday ^ | 2/22/04 | Craig Gordon

[Victoria Delsoul]

Kerry has made his Vietnam service -- which earned him three Purple Hearts, a Silver Star and a Bronze Star -- a central part of his appeal. His campaign advisers believe it works on two levels, both directly to bolster his credentials as being tough on foreign policy in the post-9/11 era,

How could this be? Kerry is against the war in Iraq, and he has undermined and slandered the soldiers in Vietnam accusing them of unspeakable crimes, which I take, he was part of as well. He is weak on foreign policy --his idea of fighting the war on terror is to surrender to the UN. On the other hand, the Democrats idea of getting an ex-Vietnam "hero" is all that is needed to fight the war on terror is going to backfire bigtime. The good thing about all this is that, Kerry is a thing-skinned individual with a short fuse and a bad temper, and it shows. As soon as the public starts finding out who Hanoi John is, his poll numbers will go down really fast.

[secretagent]

I ,just for the record, consider him a pompous,shallow,fraud and a danger to our country.

I agree with all that except possibly the fraud part.

He may still believe in the truth of the "Winter Soldier Investigation", as apparently do most people who've heard of it.

[MEG33]

He is a fraud to use his service in Viet Nam as a basis for expertise in National defense and calling it a smear when someone questions his voting record on national defense.

He's a fraud to say his military service 30 yrs ago on a swift boat qualifies him to be a a better CIC.The dems and Kerry want us to ignore Bush's record AS a CIC.

[secretagent]

If Kerry cited false testimony (Winter Soldier Investigation) to support his charge of widespread war crimes, then he either had very poor instincts for the truth or he didn't care about the truth or he lied.

But we haven't established the false testimony part yet.

Sure smells close though.

[MEG33]

Google "NIS investigation into atrocities in Viet Nam".Interesting.You're welcome for the other link.

[secretagent]

Thanks for the NIS investigation googling idea.

I've already looked into it, and have concluded it all stems from one source, Guenter Lewy, an historian who claims to have seen it somewhere. As of this date, it apparently remains lost to everyone, although the Navy was looking for it.

This gives the pro-Kerry side justification to support the "Winter Soldier Investigation" as still valid, at least from the NIS attack.

I know of no other primary source for the claim of false testimony at the WSI.

We can suspect fraud because of the shady characters, like Mark Lane and Al Hubbard, associated with it. But the WSI witnesses appear intact so far.

Perhaps the Kerry candidacy will sharpen the scholarship.

[secretagent]

I wonder what would have happened to the flag-raisers on Iwo Jima if they had returned and denounced the war?

I don't know.