Posted on 07/02/2004 11:39:04 AM PDT by Kaslin
A prominent member of Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign is still telling audiences that President Bush is "a draft dodger" because he served in the National Guard instead of joining the Army during the early 1970's.
"John Kerry was a warrior. George Bush was a draft dodger," Kerry booster Del Sandusky told a Florida audience on Thursday, in quotes picked up by the Bradenton Herald. Sandusky served aboard Kerry's swift boat in Vietnam and appears prominently in his campaign commercials.
In February, Kerry himself was roundly criticized for equating National Guard service with dodging the draft, when he told Fox News, "I've never made any judgments about any choice somebody made about avoiding the draft, about going to Canada, about going to jail, about being a conscientious objector, or going into the National Guard. These are choices people make." Kerry later said he didn't mean the statement as a slight to those who served in the Guard.
In the same speech yesterday, Sandusky criticized Bush for "mishandling" the war in Iraq, saying, "There are a lot of similarities to Vietnam. A lot of our kids are dying over there on the other side of the world."
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ, told the same rally that it was wrong to criticize Kerry for his anti-war activities after returning from Vietnam, saying it was "a cardinal sin to paint John Kerry as soft on defense or unpatriotic."
A CBS poll in May showed President Bush with a 13-point lead among veterans.
I'm still calling Kerry -- John-Jaquestrap Effin S.O.B 'I Don't Fall Down' Teresa Winthrop Simoes-Ferreira Al Qerry-Heinz III
Blessings on your son. :)
I am concerned about the military vote being counted, or not counted, as in 2000. How is the administration going to insure that the 'Rat crap-cheating doesn't happen again?
John Kerry was in Vietnam?
can we paint him as a murderer of fatally wounded VC soldiers?
Of course. IT'S ALL THEY'VE GOT!
Thank you.
I don't think people got "drafted" into the Navy. One could enlist in another branch of the service to avoid being drafted into the Army. No one calls them draft dodgers, though.
I keep hearing that Cheney got 5 deferments. Didn't everyone who went straight through college get 4 deferments, one for each year? Can someone from that era clear that up for me, please.
My sophomore year, the SS lost some paperwork and I had to go through the process all over again, since they sent me a new card with a 1A. When I present proof of enrollment, I went back to 2S.
So, unless there were medical conditions that would have made Mr. Kerry 4F, or some other considerations, he should have received 4 consecutive 2S deferments while he was an undergraduate.
Hope that helps.
I don't know why the liberals keep bringing up Cheney's deferment. It was perfectly legal, and I don't care if Kerry enlisted in the Navy or not. The fact is that he only served a little over 4 month and got back home in the shortest time under questionable circumstances if you ask me. While others served their 12 month or more
Geraldine Ferraro was spouting this lie on Fox the other day-- that Bush's guard records were still being 'kept from the public', (which we know means he's a draft dodger). She was called on this lie and kept it up anyway. While she also said that TerAYsa HK was giving millions and millions to charity, and that wasn't it wonderful that we'd have the richest first couple in history in the WH if Kerry won. She should have choked on her words.
beat me to it
Geradine Ferrraro knows quite well that the president's records have been released to the puplic and that the records prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was not AWOL, but like all liberals she thinks everyone else lies exept her
Thanks for the info. So VP Cheney's 5 deferments included the ususual 4 for college. I never hear the leftist press say anything about Kerry's 4 deferments...waiting...waiting...
That is exactly right. They know most of the Rats don't read, or were educated in gov't schools. That is exactly what they are counting on. We are living in a scary world. Ask a Rat why they are voting for sKerry, and they just say they are voting against the President. Be careful what you wish for.
Tang was developed for NASA
I wonder if John Glenn took it with him on his "frequent flyers senior citizen" trip...
Were all of the astronauts FT or were there any that went from the guard to NASA?
As far as I have read, He enlisted in the Navy. He later attented OCS and got his commission. After that he volunteered for duty in Vietnam. He spent just shy of 4 months in Vietnam, and managed to be awarded 3 Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star medal. (All of which are under suspicious circumstances.)
I say this not to help Kerry. But, I do not want erroneous information being stated by our side.
Its another example of the candidate and his operatives seeming inability to avoid stepping over themselves. Its about respect for a President. I don't care what you think of Bush's record, that's a legitimate area for debate and disagreement, but striking a low blow by calling the the President a "draft dodger" suggests that that just saying something that isn't true by repetition will make it true. President Bush may not have served in Vietnam but he didn't take a deferment from service like Bill Clinton did. He didn't escape to Canada like some Americans of his generation did to protest the war. If he had been ordered to go, he would have served. To call someone serving honorably in the National Guard a draft dodger does disservice to the truth and justice. Anyway, now that Kerry feels compelled to remind people he did serve in Vietnam, it should be on the record no one objects to his service to his country when he was there. What people do object to is Kerry's conduct after he left the military and his painting with a broad brush the rest of his fellow Americans who were in Vietnam as "war criminals." Try as he might by changing the subject, the truth is Kerry did choose after he was discharged to choose the side of America's enemy. And he thinks that should confer him immunity from responsible criticism of his judgment. To question that is not to question a man's patriotism but I think the more Kerry whines his patriotism IS being questioned, perhaps he doth protest too much. The important point to remember this election year isn't that Bush wriggled out of service in Vietnam, which Kerry's own party opposed; its what he DIDN'T DO after he left the National Guard. Bush didn't side with America's enemy in a bid to be cool with people who thought their country could do nothing right then. So if Kerry is foolish enough to charge Bush with being a deserter in the debates, the President might want to offer this rejoinder: "Americans who fought in Vietnam tried to save that country from the worst evil of the 20th Century. I believe that was a noble deed. Why did you Mr. Kerry, think that was a mistake back in 1971?"
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