Kerry: Bush Campaign Laughs Off Vietnam War Service (press release)

usnewswire ^ | 03/24/04

[Pokey78]

To: National Desk, Political Reporter

Contact: Stephanie Cutter or Mark Kornblau, 202-712-3000, both of John Kerry for President, Web: http://www.JohnKerry.com

WASHINGTON, March 23 /U.S. Newswire/ -- George W. Bush's campaign spokesman today put his tongue in his cheek and thumbed his nose at the 2.6 million American soldiers who served honorably in Vietnam.

Bush spokesman Terry Holt made the remarks in a Washington Post story about John Kerry's positive new television ads which emphasize Kerry's 35-year record of fighting for his country, including service in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam during which he earned a silver star, a bronze star and three purple hearts.

"John Kerry's campaign seems to be summed up this way: I went to Vietnam, yadda, yadda, yadda, I want to be president," Holt said.

In response, Kerry spokesperson Stephanie Cutter made the following statement:

"The Bush campaign today laughed off John Kerry's Vietnam service and disrespected the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of American Veterans and their families.

"John Kerry has fought for his country for thirty-five years. He was decorated for his service in Vietnam, and then he came home and kept fighting to change America for the better.

"And perhaps George Bush's campaign can be summed up this way: 'I lost three million jobs, turned record surpluses into record deficits, denied affordable health care and prescription drug coverage to most Americans, yadda, yadda, yadda, four more years.'

"President Bush should apologize to America's Veterans for the disrespect his spokesman showed to those who wore the uniform of the United States and served their country in war."

[Paradox]

Bush spokesman Terry Holt made the remarks in a Washington Post story about John Kerry's positive new television ads which emphasize Kerry's 35-year record of fighting for his country, including service in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam during which he earned a silver star, a bronze star and three purple hearts

Is it just me, or did their adding the stuff about the awards just go and prove the Bush camp right? They complain about the yadda yadda, but they also affirmed it right there!

[sarasota]

Klassic Kerry. This spin is so outrageous I got whiplash. Twist and spin and hope no one gets the irony.

[Dilbert56]

It's actually the opposite (steal another Seinfeldism). Vietnam service is the only thing that rises above yadayadayada so it's being promoted to a place of honor.

I'm surprised we can't see right through JFnK. He has no guts and the thinnest skin imaginable.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Kerry and his media people called Bush and the Republicans "crooked liars." They trashed his Air National Guard service, linked him to the dragging death of James Byrd, Jr. and are now smearing Bush with the kangaroo 9/11 commission.

[ladtx]

George W. Bush's campaign spokesman today put his tongue in his cheek and thumbed his nose at the 2.6 million American soldiers who served honorably in Vietnam.

Disregarding the blatant bias in this story, as a Vietnam vet who served a FULL TOUR rather than just four months, was awarded a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, 2 other medals for valor and 23 air medals, I don't feel the least bit offended. The comment was clearly aimed at John WAYNE Kerry himself and is totally on the mark. Maybe it should now be John yada-yada Kerry.

[geopyg]

"John Kerry's campaign seems to be summed up this way: I went to Vietnam, yadda, yadda, yadda, I want to be president," Holt said."

How I would back up this statement is by saying that you can't just have ONE thing of major importance on your resume (i.e. service in our nation's military) and skip over everything else in order to say that you are fit to be President.

[Belisaurius]

They laughed at John Kerry's obsession with his Vietnam service. We're all laughing at it.

[kennedy]

"John Kerry has fought for his country for thirty-five years. He was decorated for his service in Vietnam, and then he came home and yadda, yadda, yadda, now he wants to be president."

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

The truth is that Kerry reluctantly served 3 months in combat.

What is most distressing is that he spent the rest of his life trying to weaken America.

That all is we need to know!!

[hresources]

I sepent a lot more time in Vietnam than did Kerry, but I don't have to remind everyone about it everytime I open my mouth. I wouldn't vote for that phoney creep for dog catcher.

[Salvey]

Kerry's 35-year record of fighting for his country, including service in the Mekong Delta

Whazzat? 35 years? I thought it was 4 months! And as for the "fighting" part, well...

[sarasota]

Thanks for your service for our beloved country. Kerry won't make the grade now or ever. He's already made a major fool of himself and he doesn't have enough handlers in this world to bail him out. He must be traveling today as there's been no sightings. Imagine he'll appear as windsurfer boy anytime now.

[lilylangtree]

This needs re-posting to show what kind of jerkoff Ketchupman is:

Writes Hal Cranmer:
I would like to add my two cents about my John Kerry experience.

During my career as an Air Force pilot, I spent two years flying a small twin-engine prop plane around the Pacific from my base in Okinawa, Japan. On one trip we had to fly Senator Kerry, his congressional aide, and a Navy Captain (Vietnam, A-4 fighter pilot) who was also in Kerry's party to various locations in Vietnam and Cambodia as part of the MIA/POW talks. When I met him, he was wearing a shirt with a picture of his sailboat on it. I told him I had a small 27' sailboat in Okinawa, he remarked 'Oh I never sail on anything less than 135 feet'. I laughed to myself and realized this guy was no sailor.

When we first flew him into Phnom Penh, he went to the back of the airplane and grabbed the pizza that was put aside for the crew and passed it around to his staff. He was never offered any pizza because they were supposed to have lunch with the Cambodian government once we landed. The pizza would have been our only meal that day. He just never cared to ask.

Then when we picked him up in Cambodia, he was an hour late getting to the airport We could not start the engines and therefore the air conditioning until he arrived. Phnom Penh at that time was over 100 degrees with 95% humidity and we were basically sitting in a greenhouse behind the cockpit windows. When he finally did arrive, we were ringing out our clothes from the perspiration. He walks out of the air conditioned car, into the airplane and asks us 'Could you guys get the air conditioning running, I'm a little warm." The other pilot had to physically restrain me from going back there and picking a fight.

Then we took him into Noi Bai airfield in Hanoi. After we picked him up the next day (he stayed the night in Vietnam, we stayed in Bangkok) we taxied out, ran up the engines for takeoff, and noticed that our prop rpm was vibrating all over the place. We taxied off to the side to look at it, but there was a good possibility that there was an engine
malfunction and the engine may fail if we took off with it. Well, Mr. Senator sticks his head up in the cockpit and says 'this plane WILL take - off, I have a press conference in Bangkok in three hours!"(Maybe this is an indication of how he will run the FAA). We ran the engines again, and did not have the problem, so we took off and made it back.

During the flight, he told everyone how he had taken a Cessna (a small general aviation plane) up with a fighter pilot, and the fighter pilot remarked that Kerry was one of the best pilots he had ever seen. I don't know about other pilots out there, but it's hard to imagine a little, single-engine prop plane pilot being able to show the 'right stuff'.

After Kerry left the plane, the Navy Captain came up to us, apologized and said basically that he knows Kerry is a jerk and that we should be glad we don't have to deal with him every day....

Or will we?
WE HAD BETTER GET OUT AND VOTE!!

Jack Privitt
HPE Computer Specialist, Inc.
5314 Mac Arthur Dr.
North Little Rock, AR. 72118

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

I'm surprised we can't see right through JFnK. He has no guts and the thinnest skin imaginable.

I'll be very surprised if Kerry maintains the stamina for the rugged campaign.

We will see him taking more frequent vacations.

[My2Cents]

Holt should have said, "John Kerry served in Vietnam...We're still not sure which side he fought for."

[Teacher317]

This from the man who describes VietNam servicemen as war crimes perpetrators?

[Sir Gawain]

This is about the dumbest attempt at spin I've ever seen. Do they actually believe this stuff they're saying?

[cripplecreek]

What ever happened to "Bring it on".

[My2Cents]

Right. "35 years of service" -- three months in Vietnam; 34 years and nine months tearing down the US.