John Kerry on the issues

Hendricks County Flyer ^ | February 19, 2004 | Rich Lowry

[Samwise]

"We do not need to divide America over who served and how." -- John Kerry, Feb. 27, 1992

As his campaign rolls on, Sen. John Kerry sat down the other day for a brief (and entirely fictional) interview about the issues. Sitting on his campaign plane tightly wedged between Vietnam veterans, the senator was at the top of his game and turned in an utterly characteristic performance. The transcript appears here exclusively:

Q: Senator, the Bush administration is advocating significant savings to try to rein in the federal budget. Is that a good idea?

A: This is a phony budget that doesn't make any real tough choices. And let me tell you, I know something about "savings." I saved Jim Rassmann's life in Vietnam. When he fell out of my Swift Boat, I single-handedly pulled him from the water, under fire, in an act that has forevermore stood -- at least in my own supple and quite impressive mind -- as a metaphor for my long career of making sacrifices and tough choices.

Q: Obviously, a key domestic issue this year is health care. Why are you the best candidate on this issue?

A: Look -- health care is very personal for me. The third time I was wounded in Vietnam, as I felt the hot metal coursing through my flesh, I realized then and there that the only solution to America's health care problem was a system that would allow ordinary people to have the same benefits as members of Congress, and give refundable tax credits for 50 percent of the cost of health coverage for small businesses and their employees.

Q: Senator, the Vietnam War is often a subtle undercurrent to your campaign, and some Democrats have been criticizing President Bush for serving in the Texas Air National Guard. Are you making Vietnam an issue?

A: No. I have always said, across my long, distinguished career of public service, that I would never judge the choices of anyone during the Vietnam War. Not those who chose to burn their draft cards. Not those who chose to flee to Canada. Not those who chose to drop acid and commit public sex acts. Not even those cowardly weasels who chose to serve in the National Guard.

When I was maneuvering through the Mekong Delta, and the jungle heat was nearly intolerable, some of my comrades in arms would say, "I hate those cowardly pantywaists who stayed home to serve in the National Guard." And I would say to my men as we dodged incoming fire: "No. No! We are here risking our lives every single hour of every single day in order to defend the freedom and security of even those cowardly weasels back home in the National Guard."

Q: To keep the focus on Vietnam for a moment -- if you don't mind -- after you came home you engaged in antiwar advocacy that has drawn criticism. For instance, you testified before Congress that your fellow servicemen routinely raped, beheaded and tortured people in Vietnam.

A: This is a campaign about the future.

Q: Senator, some critics have attacked you for voting to authorize the Iraq War, then changing your mind and voting against $87 billion to fund the troops and reconstruction.

A: Those critics don't know John Kerry. They don't know how I turned bitterly against the Vietnam War, too. No one in this race -- not John Edwards, not Howard Dean, no one -- has the long, distinguished qualifications I have in terms of changing their opinions about a war.

Q: On a lighter note. Everyone has been talking about the "wardrobe malfunction" during the Super Bowl.

A: Well, I'm not the best one to ask. [Chuckles] As you know, for a brief, but significant part of my life, the only wardrobe I had was a khaki uniform and a machine gun at the ready.

Q: Thank you, Senator.

A: Funny you say that. Jim Rassmann told me exactly the same thing

[JulieRNR21]

This piece reveals the real Kerry.......BUMP

[Brasil]

LOL
Lowry has Ketchup's ponderous speechifying down pat.

[vpintheak]

LMAO! Man, it sounds so much like the rat it's scary!

[WorkingClassFilth]

"Well, I'm not the best one to ask. [Chuckles] As you know, for a brief, but significant part of my life, the only wardrobe I had was a khaki uniform and a machine gun at the ready."

You know, I almost miss ol' billy jeff. At least he was an effective liar and creative degenerate. Kerry is like a barfly that lies for his liquor. What a pissant.

[snippy_about_it]

To keep the focus on Vietnam for a moment -- if you don't mind...

LOL. Good post Samwise. I hope we can tear this sleezy hypocrite down to size during his campaign and watch him crumble.

[SAMWolf]

LOL! Great find!

Senator Kerry Belatedly Receives Vietnam War Award

HANOI, Feb 22 - Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong announced in Hanoi today that Socialist Republic of Vietnam has approved the awarding of the Friendship Decoration for US Senator John Forbes Kerry.

General Secretary Nong Duc Manh stated, "This award is long overdue and the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam wishes to express it's heartfelt gratitude for then Lt. John Kerry's hard work and dedication to halting Yankee Imperial aggression against the peace loving people of Vietnam".

President Tran Duc Luong and General Secretary Nong Duc expressed the gratitude of the Vietnamese people for Senator Kerry's brave stand in pointing out that, "At times they (US Forces) had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war, and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country."
(JOHN KERRY'S TESTIMONY BEFORE THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE, APRIL 22,1971

"These brave statements listing the atrocities committed against the peace loving people of Vietnam by the Yankee Imperialist aggressors of the United States helped raise the morale of our dispirited troops after the military defeats of Tet 1968. They also provided us with information which we were able to broadcast to the US Air Pirates and Criminals in our care at the time, pointing out that even their fellow Countrymen recognized their criminal behavior.

As Colonel Bui Tin wrote: "Every day our leadership would listen to world news over the radio at 9AM to follow the growth of the antiwar movement.

Visits to Hanoi by Jane Fonda and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark and ministers gave us confidence that we should hold on in the face of battlefield reverses. We were elated when Jane Fonda, wearing a red Vietnamese dress, said at a press conference that she was ashamed of American actions in the war and would struggle along with us .... those people represented the conscience of America .... part of it's war- making capability, and we turned that power in our favor"
Colonel Bui Tin, served on the general staff of the NVA

Friendship Decoration

Instituted on June 20, 1960, the Friendship Decoration was awarded to foreigners, who supported and helped the Vietnamese in the defense of their country. It is a 30mm round disk. The obverse depicts two hands shaking with the North Vietnamese flag in the background. The inscription reads, DOAN KET CHIEN THANG GIAC MY (Solidarity against American Aggression).

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam hopes the Senator Kerry accepts this award and will not throw it back over the wall at our Embassy at a later date.

Wouldn't you like to see this for real?

[Samwise]

Wouldn't you like to see this for real?

For all I know, he and his buddy Hanoi Jane each have one tucked away in a safe. Goodness knows he earned one. He is beyond contempt.

[potlatch]

Is this for real? LOL, when I read through it, I thought it was a parody!!

[Samwise]

Sen. John Kerry sat down the other day for a brief (and entirely fictional) interview about the issues.

but it is in keeping with his personality and character...er uh...lack of personality and character. :^)

[potlatch]

...er uh...lack of personality and character. :^)

LOL, I'll bump that!! Even at a Dem forum, they were complaining about his speeches, 'droning' they called them!