Kerry Hits Back at White House, Defends Patriotism

Yahoo! News ^ | 4/16/04 | John Whitesides - Reuters

[NormsRevenge]

PITTSBURGH (Reuters) -

Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry (news - web sites), lashing out at the White House's "twisted sense of ethics and morality," accused Republicans on Friday of distorting his record and attacking his patriotism.

Kerry, at an outdoor rally on the University of Pittsburgh campus, used an American flag and the national anthem to fire back at Republicans who charge he is weak on defense for voting against some weapons systems and an $87 billion bill to pay for operations in Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites).

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, pointed out Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) and political adviser Karl Rove did not serve in the military.

"I'm tired of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney and a bunch of people who went out of their way to avoid their chance to serve when they had the chance," the Massachusetts senator said. "I'm not going to listen to them talk to me about patriotism."

"I've seen how these people in the White House today, in their twisted sense of ethics and morality, don't think twice about challenging John McCain and what happened to him as a prisoner of war," he said in reference to attacks by President Bush (news - web sites) in 2000 on his Republican primary rival McCain, an Arizona senator.

Kerry, who has tried to make his military experience a centerpiece of his campaign, is in a tight battle with Bush for the White House more than seven months before the November election.

Steve Schmidt, a Bush campaign spokesman, said Kerry's judgment in his voting record on defense and security was in question, not his patriotism.

"The fundamental difference in this election will be between President Bush's steady leadership in the war on terror and John Kerry's consistent political opportunism on the war on terror," Schmidt said.

Kerry has come under heavy attack from Bush and Republicans, who have launched tens of millions of dollars of advertising trying to paint him as a waffling, traditional tax-and-spend Democrat.

QUOTES STAR SPANGLED BANNER

"They don't think twice about trying to pretend to America that I somehow don't care about the defense of our nation," Kerry said, paraphrasing wording in the Star Spangled Banner including reference to "political bombs" bursting in the air.

"When I look up, that flag is still there and it belongs to all Americans," he said, pointing to a flag near the stage. "Not to them, not to a party. It belongs to us."

Kerry told the crowd of more than 5,000 that "asking questions about the direction of our country is patriotism."

The Bush campaign said on Thursday that it is cutting back its advertising by two-thirds, which Kerry said was designed to "distort" his record. Kerry told reporters he believed he had withstood the early Republican charge.

"They're out 50 million bucks and they got nothing for it," Kerry told reporters on his campaign plane on Thursday night.

The rally in Pittsburgh, which featured a performance by rocker Jon Bon Jovi, concluded a week-long tour of college campuses where Kerry plugged his programs to make college more affordable.

He appeared in Pittsburgh on the same day the powerful pro-gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, opened its annual convention in town. More than 50,000 gun-lovers packed the downtown convention center to sample what organizers billed as "Four Acres of Guns and Gear."

Cheney will make the keynote speech at the convention on Saturday, but Kerry did not mention the gun issue during his appearance.

The NRA has not made an endorsement yet but is certain to back Bush in November over Kerry, who supports the federal ban on assault weapons and a waiting period and background checks for the purchase of handguns.

[NormsRevenge]

[NormsRevenge]

[Prime Choice]

Those Kerry counter-attacks are soooo amusing!

[Right_in_Virginia]

John Kerry ... accused Republicans on Friday of distorting his record and attacking his patriotism.

Oh for heaven's sake...is he back on this nonsense?

What a waste of oxygen.

[commish]

WOW! Kerry served in Vietnam? You would think he would like trumpet that fact or something! I had no idea!

Does he know anything other than "how dare you attack my patriotism" as an answer to ANYTHING?

[LurkedLongEnough]

"Kerry, at an outdoor rally on the University of Pittsburgh campus, used an American flag and the national anthem..."

The article neglects to mention that he used the French national anthem... </sarcasm>

[governsleastgovernsbest]

John Kerry accused Republicans on Friday of distorting his record and attacking his patriotism.

There's only one thing Kerry failed to do. Give one example - one! - of an instance in which Republicans had attacked his patriotism.

[gramcam]

"When I look up, that flag is still there and it belongs to all Americans," he said, pointing to a flag near the stage. "Not to them, not to a party. It belongs to us."

Oh....I'm assuming the flag wasn't upside down this time, huh?

Grandma from Michigan

[what's up]

Did Kerry spend more than a day in the hospital for the purple hearts he received?

Should the Military be giving purple hearts to those who don't really get injured?

[BushisTheMan]

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran...

Please someone, can you do a picture of Kerry with three shaving cuts on his face...maybe a purple heart band-aid on the cuts?

He is making a mockery of people who honestly deserve purple hearts for wounds and courage. That's why I can't stand the guy.

[dead]

"I'm tired of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney and a bunch of people who went out of their way to avoid their chance to serve when they had the chance,"

Did anybody on earth ever hear Rove or Cheney question this dickbag's patriotism?

I swear, this loser is debating the voices in his own horse head.

[colorado tanker]

Excellent. Instead of playing offense, Kerry is playing defense, denying that he's not patriotic, thereby planting the seed that since he has to deny the charge, maybe there's something to it. Yep, the old Dukakis machinery is working just fine.

[dead]

[alloysteel]

"Patriotism" is not the same thing as "being a patriot". There is a clear, but subtle difference. One may go through the MOTIONS of being a patriot, yet feel not the least stirring in his heart. Down deep, where nobody on the outside may discern the cold lifeless loathing that is at the core of being, all the rituals may be acted out, and while this fine acting performance is going on, the plans for dismantling what is considered to be the whole sham are being rehearsed and honed.

But true patriotic emotion comes from the inside, a genuine love and affection for those abstract principles that define the intangible "home", and an intense desire to protect and defend in every way, even by life itself, the ideals that have surrounded your existence, your home, your family, the set of eccentricities that define your ethnicity, and the larger piece of real estate that you have chosen as your country. This realm is not only a place on the map, it is a state of mind.

[Reagan Man]

I see John Kerry is still lying and making an ass of himself. No one in the Bush administration or reelection campaign is questioning his patriotism.

More librat desperation on Kerry's part.

[Vermont Lt]

Do ya'll get the sense that most of the folks in Bush's campaign are standing in front of their TVs scratching their heads.....and saying "huh?"

Who questioned this guys patriotism? I havent hear it?

[Vermont Lt]

Do ya'll get the sense that most of the folks in Bush's campaign are standing in front of their TVs scratching their heads.....and saying "huh?"

Who questioned this guy's patriotism? I havent heard it?

[maxwellp]

Be careful. The liberal flip-flopper is trying to move center.

[raynearhood]

"Did Kerry spend more than a day in the hospital for the purple hearts he received?

Should the Military be giving purple hearts to those who don't really get injured?"

The answer to your first question is, it doesn't matter.

The answer to your second question is, the military only awards Purple Hearts for injuries incurred as a result of enemy contact. No matter the extent of the injury.

A friend of mine, while in Iraq, was involved in an ambush of the convoy he was in. No one was killed, he was the only one injured. His injury was a broken nose caused by the steering wheel of his Humvee. A mortar destroyed the rear axle of his truck, running him of the road into a ditch. He received, and rightly deserved, a Purple Heart.

I also know that alot of Purple Hearts awarded during WWII were for relatively minor injuries incurred during combat.

Attacking Kerry's awards is pointless. Most likely he deserved them. Just because he is a liberal doesn't mean that he didn't serve bravely in Vietnam. His actions since have been liberal enough, or detestable enough, to draw criticism.

Leave his military record alone, it always ends up making us look stupid.

[raynearhood]

Please, read my post 20.

[mombonn]

I truly loathe this waste of skin and bones. I hope he goes down in a Reagan-style landslide, and the Ketchup Queen throws him out of the kingdom.

I hope he winds up penniless, living in a cardboard box in the streets.

He is even more disgusting than clintbilly. Never thought I'd scream at the TV more than I did at the IMPEACHED ex-42.

[cyncooper]

He is just breathtakingly nasty.

ICK ick ick


ick

[mombonn]

"When I look up, that flag is still there and it belongs to all Americans,"

He paraphrased that from Dean.

[VadeRetro]

Here we go again!

"Senator, what on Earth were you thinking when you proposed killing the F-15 program in 1980?"

"Hey! Were YOU in Vietnam? How many Purple Hearts do YOU have?"

"What about the B-2 bomber?"

"How DARE you question my patriotism? Did I mention I was in Vietnam?"

"Why did you vote against funding the troops in Iraq, given that you had voted to send them there?"

"How many Viet Cong have YOU ever killed? How many villages in free-fire zones have YOU ever shot up? Hmmm? How many slope girls have YOU ever raped? ...."

[Net flies over Senator and hauls him offstage]

[Dutch Boy]

That's okay. The panel on Brit Hume's show couldn't either. Kerry must be getting scared

[VadeRetro]

Who questioned this guys patriotism? I havent hear it?

[Hangs head] I did it!

[wingman1]

Kerry repudiated his service in Vietnam by throwing away his medals. He certainly earned the right to do so.

What the hell is he talking about when he says, "I'm tired of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney and a bunch of people who went out of their way to avoid their chance to serve when they had the chance," ?

Even if Rove and Cheny were guilty as charged, over 30 years ago, wouldn't Kerry have encouraged and even applauded them for avoiding service at that time?

Hellfire, I sure as hell didn't want to go. But I went. I look back and forth - from past to present. I understand protests and accept alot of things.

But Kerry is off his rocker.

[wingman1]

Right on.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

I saw that. Mort Kondracke's hard-hitting attack on Kerry for these tactics was astounding, wasn't it?

[cricket]

Brit Hume and company on FoxNews just blasted Kerry out of the water for Kerry himself and the Dems being the ones who constantly bring up the 'patriotism' and they are wondering why. . .

All agreed; Lib and Conservative; that it was totally disgusting.

Persoanlly think Kerry does not like the ruminations re his four months/three medals in Vietnam.

Or, he just is running out or hate-filled rhetoric and he is now on replay.

[MEG33]

Of course he is doing the innoculation bit again..The campaign speakers for the Republicans never question his patriotism,only his votes and his judgement.

They replayed his droning statement on Fox and I just don't see this man as capable of lighting a fire in anyone's heart.He is dull,droning and dreary.I don't believe he is capable of leading a choir,much less a nation.

I ,individually,personally do not believe he is a patriot..SO THERE!

[BlkConserv]

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, pointed out Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) and political adviser Karl Rove did not serve in the military.

With this statement, he acknowledges that Bush served honorably in the Air National Guard, which is part of our Armed Services.

So he and his liberal media buddies lied and smeared Bush's record, as usual...

[MamaLucci]

Wasn't that the theme of the Howard Dean campaign.....
"Republicans and Rush Limbaugh don't own that flag, blah, blah, blah...."
uh, that really worked out well for Howie.
Now Kerry is reduced to stealing his LOSING primary rival's campaign theme,
to help define who HE is?

[governsleastgovernsbest]

I also saw that clip of Kerry on the stump. Droning is right! He sounds like a caricature of a pompous politician from the 1920s.

[ServesURight]

Bush's new campaign commercial totally nails Kerry. Just nails the lying, waffling SOB.

[IamHD]

Who is that? lol

[wingman1]

You're right.

The Kerry campaign is running out of gas. Sure he's raising some money from Bush haters, but I know some old Democrats who are ashamed of what he and his fellow travellers in the media are trying to do.

[IamHD]

[VadeRetro]

"Senator, what on Earth were you thinking when you proposed killing the F-15 program in 1980?"

OK, this charge is false. He proposed killing the F-15 in 1984, not 1980. Also the F-14, the B-1, the B-2... Pretty much everything we use today was to be cut out or cut back.

[Prince Charles]

Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry (news - web sites), lashing out at the White House's "twisted sense of ethics and morality..."

Ha! Lurch's campaign is more twisted than Monica's favorite schlong!

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Excellent point!

[MamaLucci]

...but I know some old Democrats who are ashamed of what he and his fellow travellers in the media are trying to do.

Well, I'm glad to hear that, because it IS despicable, and anyone that would ascribe to it just to follow the "party line" is despicable, as well.

[ServesURight]

Leave his military record alone, it always ends up making us look stupid.

Sorry, Kerry's military record should be up for debate.

The partisan hacks in the DNC and liberal media made mince-meat out of Bush's National Guard service. Never mind the fact that he served and wanted to go to Vietnam via the Palace Alert program, never mind that he learned how to fly the F-102 Delta Dagger jet fighter plane. Nope, Bush didn't really serve he's not a hero like our Kerry hahaha...

In 1992 Effin Kerry told the GOP to leave Xlinton's draft-dodging alone, even though - as it is with Kerry now - ripe for debate. And believe it or not, the same DNC and media poked fun at Dan Quayle's guard service in the Indiana Guard.

- It is Kerry himself, who brought Vietnam into the Presidential election. Now that he's unable to defend himself he has to play the patriot card.

- Valid questions exist about Kerry's military record. There are threads here on FR in which one of soldiers who served with Kerry said that Kerry "wanted a quick ticket out of here." Kerry desperately wanted to get out of Vietnam so he can have a cushy desk job, and then...

- Lie in sworn Congressional testimony, April 22, 1971 - about Vietnam soldiers "shooting livestock for fun, and burning down villages." If Kerry served so "honorable", then why doesn't he release his military/medical records then?

[BushisTheMan]

Funny photo....but I want a BIG CLOSEUP of his BOTOXED FACE with the purple heart band-aids on his 3 shaving cuts.

[W04Man]

Bump

http://W-04.com

[BushisTheMan]

Attacking Kerry's awards is pointless. Most likely he deserved them. Just because he is a liberal doesn't mean that he didn't serve bravely in Vietnam. His actions since have been liberal enough, or detestable enough, to draw criticism.

Leave his military record alone, it always ends up making us look stupid.

Normally I would agree with you but after the Bush AWOL fiasco brought on my his buddies at the DNC and the media, he deserves to be ridiculed. He also needs to present his FULL medical and military record to the public as Bush did.

If I believed he truly deserved the medals, I would be quiet. But I think he lied then as he lies now. He is a liar and cannot be trusted. He is MISLEADING the American people.

The Vietnam Vets are planning to march against this guy and his military record. Kerry, not I, made his Vietnam service an issue.

[chilepepper]

I have not doubt that J.F'n.Kerry is a true patriot.

A patriot in the Struggle for Peace, a.k.a. "MIR", for the establishment of the Union of Socialist States of America, of which Massachusetts for the past generation has been in the vanguard: we should thank these progressive pioneers for showing the rest of us poor misguided wretches the way to this bright communal future where the wise leaders of the United Nations decide what is best for us...

[jackbill]

That's okay. The panel on Brit Hume's show couldn't either. Kerry must be getting scared

If I recall, the panel was unanimous in saying that Kerry was way over the line on his charges against Cheney and Rove. That's Barnes, Kondrake and Birnbaum.

Sounds as if Kerry is getting desparate.

[jackbill]

Senator, can you show us the scar from that first Purple Heart?