Kerry's Vietnam war buddy on NBC's Today right now.

NBC Today Program | 01/22/04 | Self

[mewzilla]

Doesn't say much for Rassman that he allowed himself to be used this way. And I'd still like to know if he's getting reimbursed and/or paid for it.

[mewzilla]

From this website:

Rassman called Kerry headquarters on Friday and asked to help the Massachusetts senator. Kerry returned from that war an anti-war activist but had not been touch with Rassman.

Guess it depends on what your definition of been in contact is.

And how dumb is the media that it took'em this long to suss this out? Why didn't anyone have the brains to ask Rassman the minute he turned up?

[Miss Marple]

I haven't had time to search on this guy. My daughter is in the hospital with pneumonia and I am leaving to go to the hospital in a few minutes.

I am pinging an ace searcher to see if anything can be found. kcvl, can you search for Rassman and see if you can turn anything up?

[Common Tator]

What scares me about Kerry are two characteristic.

First he apparently has no fear. He could not have done what he did if he had fear.

The second characteristic is he must strive to win approval of what ever group he sees as in charge. Thus he could perform as a near perfect low level military officer in combat. Then he come home to a different environment and perform as a near perfect war protester. In Nam being a good combat officer was the thing to be. Here at home, being a rabid war protester was the thing to be. He was both.

He follows the prevailing wind to acheive the approval he craves. He has no views or core beliefs of his own.

If he were president and saw the French and Germans as the current power structure, he would do his beast to serve their interests. . It appears to me that Kerry tries to serve to the best of his ability whatever he sees as the dominant force in society. He tried as hard as he can to achieve their approval.

For any movement... Kerry is the perfect obedient follower. A man willing to give his life for a cause. He in incapable of being a leader. He is, in fact, the very desireable as a non thinking follower.

If Kerry were a Palestinian he would make the perfect suicide bomber.

[mewzilla]

Jeepers. Best wishes and a get well soon for you daughter!

[Jeff Head]

If he were president and saw the French and Germans as the current power structure, he would do his beast to serve their interests. .

Or the Chinese? Or any other interests.

We're having a tough enough time not completely and totally cowtowing to the Chinese now (which, IMHO, we will ultimatyely pay for in blood). In this regard, Kerry would be worse than Klintoon. The toon was doing it because he was bought and paid for, Kerry might well do it with a will.

[cyncooper]

My daughter is in the hospital with pneumonia

What?! Oh, dear...I do hope she recovers quickly.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

My best regards to you for the search assist bump and my prayers to your daughter. Hope she gets well soon.

[mewzilla]

And I wonder how long Rassman has been a Pubbie. And if he votes.

[motherof 3]

I saw Mark Shields say that Kerry's buddy was sitting home reading a book and came to the part about Kerry saving him and decided to call up Kerry and ask what he could do.
The democrat on the same program (Betchel or something with a B) called "the 65 year old Mr. Unger" who told Dean to treat Bush like a neighbor a "plant". I am also sick of them calling President Bush a draft dodger.

[MJY1288]

Prayers on the way for your daughters quick recovery,

I did some snooping around on Rassman and he is into Orchid's, and he was definitely in Vietnam in 68 and 69, and a green beret. I couldn't find anything where he spoke anything about politics, apparently he is a big-time expert on Orchids, he has given lectures all over the world about them

[familyofman]

To question everything about Kerry's record in VN is a dangerous tactic for W and repubs. It will only lead to a much closer/harder look at W's record. Better just to accept JFK's war record & move on, without trying to belittle that service. Deal with the facts & forget the spin & smear - it will probably backfire.

Don't forget - the majority of people in the US during VN - didn't approve of the conflict. Kerry can also gather support from the war protest crowd. Has anyone really explored in depth what W felt & did about VN?

[EllaMinnow]

This was posted on Monday:

IOWA SURPRISE If Sen. John Kerry fails in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, he always has a future in Hollywood, to judge by his performance over the weekend in Iowa. In that time Kerry belittled President Bush for his landing on an aircraft carrier while himself spending time flying about Iowa in a helicopter, taking control on occasion in front of reporters along for the ride and then feigning ignorance when asked if he wasn't doing exactly what Bush had been doing.

Then there is the mysterious case of his old Vietnam buddy Jim Rassmann, who flew into Iowa on Friday to greet Kerry warmly. Rassmann, you'll recall, was in Vietnam with Kerry and was rescued by the future Massachusetts senator after coming under heavy enemy gunfire. The men had not seen each other since that fateful day.

Rassmann told reporters in Iowa that he had contacted the Kerry campaign days before and said he was looking to speak to his rescuer. The campaign, knowing a good story when it saw it, flew the vet back to Iowa. When Kerry saw Rassmann during a rally, he approached his old chum, who was conveniently standing with a group of cameramen and reporters. Kerry claimed utter surprise at seeing Rassmann standing there, and the men warmly embraced. Yet Kerry had been tipped off to Rassmann's presence and arrival in Iowa a day before if not two days.

"It was a wonderful moving moment," says a Kerry volunteer. "We were briefed on it before the event, and told to steer cameras to a certain area. Reporters knew about it in advance, and so did Senator Kerry. We don't leave anything like this to chance."

Yet throughout the day, as the two men campaigned together, Kerry continued to act as if he'd known nothing about the planned reunion.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1061650/posts

[governsleastgovernsbest]

According to this Reuters story, it was Rassman who initiated the contact: "Rassman, a Republican, had not seen Kerry since the incident in Vietnam, but he called last week volunteering his services and was immediately sent to Iowa."

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=4154828

[americafirst]

I was with ya until your bottom line. That's the kind of comment that will be used to show that Freepers are nuts. Thanks a lot.

[cyncooper]

I have The Today Show on...

I see the show opens with Katie citing her favorite source, "some", as in when she promoed the upcoming segment on this topic, she said "Some say he's being credited with singlehandedly turning Kerry's campaign around".

I'm waiting for that segment...I see they start with Dean bashing.

sigh

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Did you get a chance to catch this interview with Jim Rassman?

[cyncooper]

It hasn't come up yet...I don't think I missed it....They did the opening and teasers of stories coming up, news, weather, then started on the Dean campaign and now Martha Stewart.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I don't think I missed it...

Nope. It should be on in about another 20 minutes or so.