Kerry Hits Back at White House, Defends Patriotism

Yahoo! News ^ | 4/16/04 | John Whitesides - Reuters

[NormsRevenge]

PITTSBURGH (Reuters) -

Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry (news - web sites), lashing out at the White House's "twisted sense of ethics and morality," accused Republicans on Friday of distorting his record and attacking his patriotism.

Kerry, at an outdoor rally on the University of Pittsburgh campus, used an American flag and the national anthem to fire back at Republicans who charge he is weak on defense for voting against some weapons systems and an $87 billion bill to pay for operations in Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites).

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, pointed out Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) and political adviser Karl Rove did not serve in the military.

"I'm tired of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney and a bunch of people who went out of their way to avoid their chance to serve when they had the chance," the Massachusetts senator said. "I'm not going to listen to them talk to me about patriotism."

"I've seen how these people in the White House today, in their twisted sense of ethics and morality, don't think twice about challenging John McCain and what happened to him as a prisoner of war," he said in reference to attacks by President Bush (news - web sites) in 2000 on his Republican primary rival McCain, an Arizona senator.

Kerry, who has tried to make his military experience a centerpiece of his campaign, is in a tight battle with Bush for the White House more than seven months before the November election.

Steve Schmidt, a Bush campaign spokesman, said Kerry's judgment in his voting record on defense and security was in question, not his patriotism.

"The fundamental difference in this election will be between President Bush's steady leadership in the war on terror and John Kerry's consistent political opportunism on the war on terror," Schmidt said.

Kerry has come under heavy attack from Bush and Republicans, who have launched tens of millions of dollars of advertising trying to paint him as a waffling, traditional tax-and-spend Democrat.

QUOTES STAR SPANGLED BANNER

"They don't think twice about trying to pretend to America that I somehow don't care about the defense of our nation," Kerry said, paraphrasing wording in the Star Spangled Banner including reference to "political bombs" bursting in the air.

"When I look up, that flag is still there and it belongs to all Americans," he said, pointing to a flag near the stage. "Not to them, not to a party. It belongs to us."

Kerry told the crowd of more than 5,000 that "asking questions about the direction of our country is patriotism."

The Bush campaign said on Thursday that it is cutting back its advertising by two-thirds, which Kerry said was designed to "distort" his record. Kerry told reporters he believed he had withstood the early Republican charge.

"They're out 50 million bucks and they got nothing for it," Kerry told reporters on his campaign plane on Thursday night.

The rally in Pittsburgh, which featured a performance by rocker Jon Bon Jovi, concluded a week-long tour of college campuses where Kerry plugged his programs to make college more affordable.

He appeared in Pittsburgh on the same day the powerful pro-gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, opened its annual convention in town. More than 50,000 gun-lovers packed the downtown convention center to sample what organizers billed as "Four Acres of Guns and Gear."

Cheney will make the keynote speech at the convention on Saturday, but Kerry did not mention the gun issue during his appearance.

The NRA has not made an endorsement yet but is certain to back Bush in November over Kerry, who supports the federal ban on assault weapons and a waiting period and background checks for the purchase of handguns.

[martin_fierro]

[Right_in_Virginia]

"Patriotism" is not the same thing as "being a patriot". ...true patriotic emotion comes from the inside, a genuine love and affection for those abstract principles that define the intangible "home", and an intense desire to protect and defend in every way, even by life itself, the ideals that have surrounded your existence,...

Thank you, FRiend, for finding the words to explain the hypocrisy of John Kerry and the genuineness of George W. Bush.

[Williams]

Those who do not want to criticize Kerry's war record miss the crucial point. It is KERRY who, ad nauseam, boasts about his war record. It is KERRY who claims it is a qualification for president. It is KERRY who today impugned Cheney and Rove for not serving.

Based on KERRY's constant claims, one would naturally examine his record. For example, he tried to avoid combat. He got out of combat ASAP. In fact, he insisted on it. So for KERRY to be talking about Cheney "avoiding service" is misleading at best.

And he is wrong from so many angles. Despite his brief combat service, he is horrible on national defense. It is no contest between Kerry and Cheney. No one is criticizing his patriotism. He is bragging about himself in an embarrassing way. And he is trying to stifle a national security debate, claiming questioning his votes is questioning his "patriotism." How could such a man possibly serve as president?

[raynearhood]

NO. You accuse me wrongly. Beat him on the issues. He hates the military, NOW! At least his voting record shows that. He hates capitalism, NOW! At least his voting record shows that. He wants to make an outrageous raise in taxes, NOW! He votes over and over to raise taxes. He has lied to the American public and lied under oath concerning Vietnam. The DNC lied to the American public about Bush's military record, Bush exonerated himself. We attack Kerry's record, he chooses not to disclose his records, fully within his rights. Some who served with him say good thing about him, some say bad things. It's pointless unless some sort of real inconsistecy is found in his record.

The DNC looked stupid attacking the President's record, we look stupid attacking Kerry's. So far, the only "bad" things we can say about his record is that he wasn't hurt enough to recieve a Purple Heart and he wanted to get out of the combat zone. STUPID ARGUMENTS!

[canuck_conservative]

"I'm tired of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney and a bunch of people who went out of their way to avoid their chance to serve when they had the chance,"....

You mean like Bill Cinton?

After all, he ran away to England without "doing his duty".

[motzman]

Kerry's minions fabricate AWOL stories about Bush, demand records proving he served, and Kerry can't qustioned about his medals from phantom wounds?

Did you see this story from the 15th's NY Post?



Kerry's commanding officer at the time, retired Lt. Cmdr. Grant Hibbard, told The Boston Globe that Kerry basically awarded himself a Purple Heart after receiving a superficial scratch in what Hibbard said was not even a firefight.

Kerry had volunteered for river patrol duty late in 1968.

He and his crew saw some Vietnamese running from a boat onto the beach, opened fire on them and then pulled out - apparently without taking return fire.

When the boat was safely back at base, Kerry "had a little scratch on his forearm, and he was holding a piece of shrapnel," Hibbard said Tuesday.

Though Hibbard says he did not want to give in to Kerry's insistence that he be considered for a Purple Heart - "I don't think he deserved one," Hibbard told The Post yesterday - he eventually did so.

It's not hard to imagine why.

Even then, Kerry had strong ties to the Kennedy machine in Massachusetts (Bobby Kennedy speechwriter Adam Walinsky wrote Kerry's famous 1971 anti-war Washington speech).

And the future commander-in-chief-wannabe certainly would have known that - under Pentagon rules then in effect - three Purple Hearts guaranteed him an early exit from the war.

One down, two to go? Seems so.

Kerry did leave Vietnam six months ahead of schedule - thanks to those Purple Hearts.

And he refuses to make public the detailed medical-treatment records relating to his wound - none of which, significantly, took him out of service for more than a day or two.

As noted, they did get him out of Vietnam - he won a cushy billet as an aide to an admiral. Presently he was out of the Navy altogether - also ahead of schedule - and free to begin his political career as an anti-war activist.

Yesterday, in response to questions about Kerry's Purple Heart, campaign aides released a document stating that Kerry received treatment for a wound suffered on Dec. 2, 1968.

Whether he required surgery or stitches - or even a Band-Aid - isn't specified.

And Hibbard told a reporter that the supposed wound resembled a scrape from a fingernail: "I've had thorns from a rose that were worse," he said.



Oh, BTW it takes 3 licks to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. An owl told me so.

[JasonC]

So which does he want us to stop doing - distorting his record or questioning his patriotism? Because there is no undistorted version of his record that leaves his patriotism intact...

[raynearhood]

I agree with you on every thing except that he had brief combat experience and got out of combat ASAP. He got out of combat after being assigned to a second boat. On that boat he earned, unless it can be proved otherwise, a Silver Star. That doesn't constitute getting out of combat ASAP.

I also agree that he was wrong to say that Cheney avoided service. We should answer that comment, and then attack Kerry on everything following Vietnam.

[July 4th]

If Kerry wants to attack the military service of Republicans, an inquiry into his Purple Hearts should be started immediately.

[Doe Eyes]

The definition of a patriot begins "a Republican who ...".

[raynearhood]

I did see the story. My initial thoughts were, what a poor, weak commander. Kerry did not, could not, award himself a Purple Heart. The commander would have had to lie for Kerry to get a Purple Heart if what he says is true. Or, he is lying now. That former officer had a problem with integrity somewhere along the line.

However, I am not saying that Kerry did deserve the awards. Most likely he did, but we may never know. What I am saying is it is stupid to continue that attacks on his military record. The DNC should not have attacked, with lies mind you, the President's military record. It was low. I question whether we should sink that low with them.

There is enough evidence after Vietnam to show that Kerry is not a man of character, we don't need to continue on this.

btw.. 'the world may never know.'

[motzman]

Good rebuttal. Kerry is a manipulator. He tried to get out of service by going to Europe, but was denied. He then tried for the least hazardous duty possible, which blew up on him. He then manipulated the system to get back to the US.

Then he threw his military brothers down the stairs for his own political desires. He married twice for money. He refuses to release his medical records. His Silver and Bronze Star stories are foggy.

He's never accomplished anything as a Senator. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't make it to the nomination.


And never trust an owl to give you a staight answer ;)

[motzman]

straight answer, that is...

[Helms]

"I hope he winds up penniless, living in a cardboard box in the streets."

Hilarious - then Martin Sheen can pay him a visit. They guy is beyond arrogant. Super Patrician.

[jwalsh07]

Starring John Kerry's Famous Strawman

[Helms]

Hey John, its me, Dick Clarke, mind if it tag along?

[NormsRevenge]

Right On, Homie!!

[NormsRevenge]

Who is that? The guy in the suit? Tom DeLonge. The guy holding his elbow is Chad Heinz Kerry, I think.

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites), D-Mass, center rear, his wife Teresa Heinz-Kerry, listen to Tom DeLonge, the lead singer of the rock band, Blink 182, left, as he talks to a rally at the University of Pittsburgh Friday April 16, 2004 in Pittsburgh.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

[goldstategop]

No one is questioning your patriotism, Senator. People are questioning your judgment, which is a legitimate subject open to debate. You are the one who has after all, repeatedly introduced proposals to reduce military spending and cut expenditures by our intelligence services. That calls YOUR judgment into question. And there you go again changing the subject cause you know full well you don't have a grasp of what it takes to keep America strong AND safe from her enemies.