Posted on 03/16/2004 2:43:41 PM PST by Pokey78
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry promised to be a "veteran's veteran" Tuesday as the White House tried to sour his support among a key constituency by airing a commercial accusing him of rejecting funding for soldiers at war in Iraq.
Kerry warned an audience of veterans that President Bush has misled the country on everything from the war to the economy and had broken promises to veterans needing health care. From the Oval Office on Tuesday, Bush questioned Kerry's own truthfulness by calling for him to identify the world leaders Kerry has said would rather see him as president.
In his first visit to West Virginia since becoming the presumptive nominee, Kerry was seeking to define himself as a war hero. The state, with 203,000 veterans, or 15.4 percent of its adult population, is home to more veterans per capita than all but Alaska, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming. Although solidly Democratic in past elections, West Virginia sided with Bush instead of Al Gore in 2000. Its five electoral votes would be essential in another close election.
"Nothing is more important than telling the American people the truth about the economy, health care, and war and peace," Kerry told veterans in Huntington. "This administration has yet to level with the American people."
In a nod to Mountain State geography, Kerry said, "On issue after issue, this president's misleading misstatements have produced a credibility gap as big as the New River Gorge."
Although Kerry has said he won't break confidences and reveal which overseas leaders have told him they back his campaign, Bush told reporters, "If you're going to make an accusation in the course of a presidential campaign, you ought to back it up with facts."
For the second day in a row, Vice President Dick Cheney criticized Kerry at a Republican fund-raiser. "We are the ones who get to determine the outcome of this election, not unnamed foreign leaders," Cheney told donors at a benefit for Rep. Bob Beauprez, R-Colo.
Howard Dean, Kerry's former rival, said he agreed with Kerry's decision not to name the leaders and that it was "silly" for the Bush administration to suggest he reveal them, "given the proclivity of this administration to threaten those both home and abroad who are candid."
"If I were Senator Kerry I wouldn't name those names because this administration would clearly make their lives difficult," said Dean, a former governor of Vermont.
Joining Kerry in Huntington were seven members of swift boats he commanded in Vietnam, service that won Kerry three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star. At the same time, the Bush campaign released a television ad accusing Kerry of being "wrong on defense" by not supporting bills that would have ensured troops had body armor and higher combat pay and given reservists and their families better health care.
"Few votes in Congress are as important as funding our troops at war. Though John Kerry voted in October of 2002 for military action in Iraq, he later voted against funding our soldiers," the ad says.
Kerry labeled the ad "another distortion," arguing that he would have supported funding for the troops if Bush had eased his tax cut to avoid exploding the deficit.
"I'm not going to worry about the misleading," Kerry said. "I'm going to keep pounding away at the truth. We're going to build an army of truth-tellers."
Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt rejected Kerry's argument, charging Kerry with abandoning troops.
"While he falsely attacks the president over veteran's funding, John Kerry authorized our troops to liberate Iraq and then voted against funding for body armor, increased combat pay and health care to support them," Schmidt said.
Kerry faulted Bush's handling of the economy, pointing to a Congressional Budget Office study that said only 6 percent of the nation's deficit can be attributed to cyclical economic issues.
Kerry also sought to counter Bush's charge by bringing along a series of decorated local veterans. Don Kinnard, state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a seven-tour veteran of the Vietnam War, said veterans like Kerry have earned a special status.
"They have unquestionable patriotism," Kinnard said.
Kerry said Bush's commitment to veterans is suspect, noting that the president has slashed billions from Veterans Administration spending "that would drive 200,000 veterans from the VA health care system."
"Our veterans' health care shouldn't depend on the yearly whims of budget cutters," he said. "When I am president, we will make the funding for veterans health care mandatory."
Kerry was returning to Washington on Wednesday for a speech before flying to Ketchum, Idaho, to begin a five-day vacation.
This sick puppy NEEDS a vet.
Okay, I give. Does a "veteran's veteran" refer to other veterans as "war criminals"?
Waitaminute. I thought the Boston Globe insisted that Kerry never mentioned getting support from "foreign leaders"?
And the Left wonders why we consider the media biased in their favor??
Well, at least he doesn't have to promise to be a "Moron's Moron." He's been doing that without fail for over 30 years.
Amen to that. I'll be more than happy to do anything I can to ensure that he loses in November.
The AP makes it sound like President Bush pushed this issue.
He was asked by a reporter (he was with the PM of the Netherlands) about Kerry's "foreign leaders" comment, and President Bush merely said that anybody running for the office of the presidency ought to be prepared to back up what they say.
I had the privilege of talking to nurses in a reserve hosp unit returning from a year at Ramstein. They were amazed at how much better the new ceramic body armor is working. They said abdominal injuries decreased dramatically once our troops received the new body armor. From the wounds on arms and legs from shrapnel it was their professional opinion many of our wounded would have died if not for the improvements in body armor. Please pass this story along to veterans who support Kerry
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