Great points made that I totally agree with:
A question: imagine, just for one minute, what would happen if a few dozen of George W. Bush's former colleagues - from Harvard Business school, Harkin Energy, the Texas Rangers, or from the statehouse in Austin - came together as a group to denounce his leadership skills and say he was unfit to be President.
Would big media ignore the group's story?
We all know this answer.
Personally - and I know many of you may disagree with me on this - I think the Swiftees made a mistake in questioning Kerry's medals.....
In the end, people generally tend to "trust the system" - whatever system that may be - and give the benefit of the doubt to the accused on the most basic of facts. One of the reasons the National Guard story never really hurt George Bush in a major way is because there was no getting around the simple fact he received an honorable discharge. To disregard this fact you'd have to start engaging in speculation and conspiracy theories, and people naturally tend to shy away from that sort of thing.
Yep. The Swiftees should not have run the first commercial. They (and many others) are mad at Kerry for his betrayal of the soldiers left behind in Vietnam. This is really what it's all about. In order for there to be any kind of real healing on this issue I believe Kerry needs to dump the nuance and apologize for some of the statements he made about soldiers in Vietnam. I believe he probably made some type of apology to John McCain but what about all the other POWs?
The record is clear that Kerry had serious doubts about Vietnam before going, yet went anyway. Kerry and his supporters hold this up as a noble example of service to country. And indeed it would be - if that were the end of the story. But it's not.
Kerry conspicuously bought a video camera in Vietnam to record and reenact his exploits.
I believe Kerry wanted to be just like the first JFK. No matter his motives, he did serve and I honor that.
And now, as with every run for public office John Kerry has ever made, he's draped those same medals around his neck, wrapped himself in the flag, and showered himself in the glory and sacrifice of service in a war that he and those in his party have hated and opposed for decades with every fiber of their being.
The Kerry M.O. - opportunism and flip-flops.
Posted by Tim at August 25, 2004 08:01 AM
