...and, after he (Kerry) did all that FOR us, what does that say about us, we who cannot seem to even' pull down the wounded ones?' That the 2004 election was as close as it was, speaks volumes to how far we, as a country, have fallen. Kerry may have been the exception which proves the below 'rule', but sadly, certainly not by much.
"No one in this world has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby." --H. L. Mencken
Our system has never been perfect, but it's way better than anything else. In spite of all the lousy presidents we've elected -- Wilson, FDR (4 times!), Carter, Clinton -- we've always bounced back. We're still in the fight and there's still hope.