John Kerry starring in "The Man Who Would Be King" -- Handheld Director's Cut
Posted on 07/28/2004 1:12:54 PM PDT by vanderleun
John Kerry starring in "The Man Who Would Be King" -- Handheld Director's Cut
KERRY'S STAFF HAS STATED THAT THE MAIN THRUST of the convention is to "Reintroduce John Kerry to the American people. Too many people don't know him." Well, it things like this continue to surface, the American people are about to know Kerry all too well.
"Kerry would revisit ambush locations for reenacting combat scenes where he would portray the hero, catching it all on film. Kerry would take movies of himself walking around in combat gear, sometimes dressed as an infantryman walking resolutely through the terrain. He even filmed mock interviews of himself narrating his exploits. A joke circulated among Swiftees was that Kerry left Vietnam early not because he received three Purple Hearts, but because he had recorded enough film of himself to take home for his planned political campaigns." -- DRUDGE REPORT 2004®Sigh. There are times when the mind finally reaches the outer limits of boggle.
I don't expect politicians to be without ambition. Indeed, I expect them to have ambition by the barrel. It is the profession in which ambition's debt soars with the National Debt and people are always dropping by your office looking for your soul's mortgage payment. Ambition is, in itself, not at all a bad thing. It is the driving force behind all that is good in the world. But as we have seen in the blood painted history of the 20th Century and this one so far, ambition is also the source of all that is evil in the world.
When I read this item, I thought of Martin Sheen. Not the Martin Sheen of the West Wing, the President that everyone dreams about, but of Martin Sheen the candidate in The Dead Zone. The film tells the tale of a man with the ability to see the future and when he touches Stillson (Martin Sheen) he sees the defining moment of the Stillson presidency to come:
Greg Stillson: Put your hand on the scanning screen, and you'll go down in history with me!In the film, we have a happy ending in that Stillson's career and himself are ended. But it still remains a cautionary tale of political ambition gone mad.
Five Star General: As what? The world's greatest mass murderers?
Greg Stillson: You cowardly bastard! You're not the voice of the people, I am the voice of the people! The people speak through me, not you!
Greg Stillson: You put your god damn hand on that scanning screen, or I'll hack it off and put it on for you!
For a politician to be trusted with command, most sensible people would agree that ambition is not enough. Ambition needs to be tempered by a quality that is all too infrequently found in today's politicians, honor.
Honor is an old-fashioned concept that has faded from the public arena and even vast segments of the private arena in the last few decades. You probably saw it begin to leave during the Nixon years with the trend increasing in momentum through the Carter years. Honor had a brief comeback during the Reagan administration and limped along through the Bush I years before being utterly eradicated by Bill Clinton.
GWB has, to his credit, restored honor to some degree in the White House and it can perhaps be persuaded to take up permanent residence in a second term.
But all that is the political sphere, and honor among politicians like that among theives is a fungible quality, something that can always be sold in bits and pieces if the reward to ambition is sufficient.
The one real citadel on honor in American Institutions remains the armed forces.
Which is why this Kerry move from long ago made cynically made for this shining is so deeply offensive. By knowingly "reinacting" battle scenes for his own personal political ambitions, Kerry exposes himself as a man who would sacrifice honor itself for advancement.
In Civilization and Its Enemies : The Next Stage of History , Lee Harris strongly underlines how, while honor may be dispensable in politics and private life, the one place it is not dispensable is within the military. Indeed, the very foundation of our military depends upon a deeply embedded sense of honor. Honor is the only thing that stands between the city and the legions. Once that Rubicon is crossed any safety for the Republic is fatally compromised. Actions that are dishonorable within the military are actions that threaten the security of the nation at its foundations. Knowing this, the Armed Forces are one of the few institutions where honor codes are taken seriously, as well they should be. It is an honorable thing to perform acts in battle that advance victory and save lives because it is the right thing to do at the time. To do so mainly in the hope that these actions will result in personal glory and decoration is the mark of man with no honor. Heroes do not seek glory and medals, they are only the tokens of actions taken out of altruism and courage, not from ambition and venality.
Shakespeare is clear about honor, as are the great military and political figures from our past and present. To choose to go and fight for your country is, without dispute, a thing of honor and should be respected by all. To choose to go and fight for your country in order to acquire footage to further your mean and low political ambitions, is shameful and dishonorable. It cannot be seen as anything else. he who would do it is without shame, without honor and unworthy of any elected position.
When the sort of man who would 'reinact his combat feats' for his own gain is paired with a man whose work as a trial lawyer was to use the poor and the injured to build up his own fortune you have, at last, an offering to the American people that has neither honor, nor shame, but only blind and destructive ambition. You have, finally, a slate that is not even worthy of trust much less high office.
It is, I suppose, not surprising, but still deeply depressing that so many of my fellow citizens think so little of themselves that they would support such a choice. The only thing to say to them now seems to be:"Have you no shame? At long last, have you no shame?"
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* Title coined by Beezlebubba @ FreeRepublic.com
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The fact that Drudge has this up, will cause it to spread, the story is so embarassing.
I'm sure the GOP will use this sort of story about J F'n Ketchup, throughout the run to the election.
Excellent! BTTT
Its amazing they allowed the DNC allowed this reenacted peices to be used, knowing the potential emabarassment. They will try to discredit and smear the vets who were there and saying Kerry reenacted these scenes. "Right wing conspiracy" will be thrown around and Bush's not being in Vietnam will be another standard defense. All in all, most Americans will see the reenactments for self grandizing. It is possible that the Demecratic Convention will result in a boost to the President.
Can someone impose that shot of Bigfoot beside Kerry? That would be hilarious!
Wow! Funny and very, very fast. I am impressed. You sir are a great American.
So, Kerry risked the lives of American Soldiers to go back and RECREATE combat scenes, from his personal memory of what did(n't) happen? He should have been court-martialed for wasting their time and risking their lives.
Thanks!
Memo to John Kerry: Kim Jong Ill thinks you are self-centered and conceited.
After the election he'll re-enact the treason part,,,if he wins.
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