Kerry rejects GOP questions about medals

YAHOO News ^ | 4/26/04 | AP

[kattracks]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Monday rejected as a Republican-driven controversy renewed questions over his claim to have thrown away his Navy medals during a 1971 Vietnam War protest.

Kerry has said for years that he threw away his ribbons, not his three Purple Hearts, Bronze Star and Silver Star during the April 1971 protest. On Monday, however, a tape of a television interview Kerry gave shortly after the protest suggested he was talking about more than his ribbons when discussing the anti-war demonstration.

In an exchange, aired by ABC and published in The New York Times, an interviewer asks Kerry, "How many did you give back, John?" Kerry responds, "I gave back, I can't remember, six, seven, eight, nine." The host then notes that Kerry had won the Purple Hearts and Bronze and Silver stars. Kerry says, "Well, and above that, I gave back my others."

Nearly 800 veterans "gave back" their medals by throwing them over a fence near the Capitol. Kerry has said he also threw over the fence the medals of two other veterans who had asked him to give them back.

Kerry denied Monday that his statements have been inconsistent. He said ribbons were often referred to as medals.

"Back then ribbons, medals were absolutely interchangeable," Kerry told "Good Morning America" on ABC. "The U.S. Navy pamphlet calls them medals. We all referred to them as the symbols they were representing. Medals, ribbons ... countless veterans threw the ribbons back."

The protest took place the same week Kerry testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on behalf of the anti-war group Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

"The fact is I have been accurate precisely about what took place, and I am the one who later made clear exactly what happened," Kerry told ABC. "This is a controversy the Republicans are pushing."

The anti-Bush political group MoveOn PAC released a 60-second television ad Monday comparing Kerry's service in Vietnam to President Bush's record with the Texas Air National Guard. Bush has been criticized for being unable to account for some periods of his Guard service.

"This election is about character," the ad concludes. "It's between John Kerry, who left no man behind ... and George W. Bush, who simply left."

[kattracks]

Kerry is confused, as usual. It wasn't the GOP asking the questions, but ABC, which by no stretch of the imagination is an arm of the GOP.

"It's between John Kerry, who left no man behind ...

Kerry left many men behind, and worsened their situation by condeming them all as war criminals.

[weegee]

AP is showing their bias again. The headline SHOULD read, Kerry rejects ABC questions about his medals.

[Peach]

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Monday rejected as a Republican-driven controversy renewed questions over his claim to have thrown away his Navy medals during a 1971 Vietnam War protest.

Just this sentence alone proves that Kerry isn't fit for the presidency. This isn't a GOP driven controversy. It's a controvercy of Kerry's own making, considering his numerous flip flops.

And, Kerry negated his OWN argument this morning when he said that medals and ribbons were interchangeable. If they are interchangeable, then he DID throw his medals away, in effect.

And, has anyone ever tried to throw a ribbon? It's like throwing a feather with a safety pin attached.

[smiley]

Typical main stream bias....never watch them

[ride the whirlwind]

"This election is about character," the ad concludes. "It's between John Kerry, who left no man behind ... and George W. Bush, who simply left."

Bah humbug! What a crock!

[weegee]

Note the headline and then subject of the article.

The "revived" public Media Schadenfreude and and Media Shenanigans lists PING

[Diogenesis]

[cweese]

...i hope the media hammer this for weeks as they did concerning W's natl. guard duty. fat chance...

[weegee]

Kerry may want to reconsider that tactic:

Kerry was AWOL from Navy Reserve service

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Even a blind pig can see that he has a pattern of not answering questions which is rather unsettling. I think he jumped the shark several weeks ago, but this is adding insult to injury.

[MamaLucci]

E-Mail AP and complain!

info@ap.org

[maryz]

Wow! What a santized version for those who didn't catch the show (or the transcript or the soundbites on radio shows)!

Check out a Freeper report on the show at Discussion Thread: Kerry's Appearance on GMA Regarding Medals

[PattonReincarnated]

AP is showing their bias again. The headline SHOULD read, Kerry rejects ABC questions about his medals.

It's not just the AP. Why hasn't anyone asked why Kerry was protesting the war in the first place, let alone throwing medals/ribbons away? The base assumption he is that those who protested the war were correct. No one in the media seems to want to bring up the fact, it was a minority of people who actually protested, and the vast majority thought they were wrong. They are still wrong. Kerry is wrong. Kerry was a traitor. He aided the enemy while Americans were in battle. Period.

[Ciexyz]

Three Bandaid Kerry is stepping in dog doodoo again.

[laconic]

John Kennedy would never allow himself to be photographed either wearing a funny hat or eating something. Now you see the wisdom of the man, at least on that basis.

[Coop]

What's so beautiful about this is, even if Kerry handles this controversy professionally and efficiently, the broader news that he actively protested the Vietnam War while his comrades were still dying over there now reaches more of the masses.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

The Associated Press has way too much power in the news media.

[spoiler2]

"it was a minority of people who actually protested,"

It may have been a minority, but their bad behavior had a major effect. Kerry's display and claims that we were war criminals may have been the reason that so many Vietnam vets were treated so badly, even spit upon, when they returned after he did.

Given a public appearance in front of the cameras, this TRAITOR has already brought untold misery to thousands of his fellow Americans and shouldn't be given any more opportunities.

[God luvs America]

Agreed...wasn't it kerry's commanding officer from Nam who started this debate?

[alloysteel]

Listen, if you don't want your can of worms opened, don't open the other guy's can of worms first.

If John Kerry's service record has a few blemishes, it is not the sort of thing you want to go brandishing about. If you do not want people talking about it, do not keep bringing it up, as that makes all discussion a public matter, and once that happens, it is a little hard to keep control.

ABC is simply using "informational assault".