Posted on 07/29/2004 8:14:10 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
Associated Press Writer
BOSTON (AP) - John Kerry skipped past his role in the Vietnam protest movement that brought him to prominence when he talked of his younger days fighting for his country and ignored that conflict when praising the American tradition of going to war only ``because we have to.''
Kerry once famously called the Vietnam War ``the biggest nothing in history,'' and says he is still proud of his anti-war activism when he came back. But in the text of his televised speech at the Democratic National Convention, he emphasized his war record and offered mere clues to his protesting past.
A video introduction shown at the convention before the broadcast networks began carrying his speech included a clip of the young Kerry, in military garb, testifying to Congress against the war in 1971.
And his speech made passing reference to his generation's marches for ``civil rights, for voting rights, for the environment, for women, and for peace.''
Kerry short-handed a few telling policy details in other parts of his speech.
He declared, for example, that ``we value health care that's affordable and accessible for all Americans'' and called that care ``a right for all Americans.''
But his plan, while aimed at expanding coverage and reducing premiums, does not ensure coverage for all. His campaign says the plan would extend coverage to an additional 27 million people, which would leave more than 10 million without health insurance.
He rhetorically asked, ``What does it mean when 25 percent of the children in Harlem have asthma because of air pollution? America can do better. And help is on the way.''
A study by Harlem Hospital Center last year found 25 percent of the children in a 24-block area of Harlem had the disease. But blaming all of that on air pollution as part of a case against the Bush administration is not supported by the study.
Apart from genetic factors, the study found that the asthmatic children were about 50 percent more likely to live with a smoker. Pollen, dust, animal dander, cockroaches and cold air were thought to be among the contributing causes, along with urban air pollution.
On equipping the military, he said, ``You don't value families if you force them to take up a collection to buy body armor for a son or daughter in the service.'' He's had a long-running dustup with Republicans who criticize him for voting against an $87 billion package for Iraq and Afghanistan that included money for thousands of extra sets of body armor.
His campaign said he voted against the bill, among other reasons, because it included no-bid contracts for companies.
Kerry emphasized throughout his speech his credentials as a Vietnam veteran. ``I defended this country as a young man,'' he said. ``We fought for this nation because we loved it and we came back with the deep belief that every day is extra.''
There was no telling from his remarks that Kerry became a leading anti-war protester after his return from Vietnam.
Testifying to Congress on behalf of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, he detailed atrocities he said were committed by U.S. troops in Vietnam, including rapes, beheadings and random killings of civilians, only to acknowledge later he had not witnessed these acts.
He tossed away the ribbons he had received with his war medals, threw away the medals of other veterans who weren't able to attend a protest and told the 1971 Senate hearing: ``The country doesn't know it yet, but it has created a monster, a monster in the form of millions of men who have been taught to deal and to trade in violence, and who are given the chance to die for the biggest nothing in history.''
Despite his judgment then that Vietnam was about ``nothing'' - and despite other wars and invasions of arguable necessity - Kerry suggested Iraq was a departure from a long-held practice of last-resort wars.
``As president, ``I will ask hard questions and demand hard evidence,'' he said. ``I will immediately reform the intelligence system so policy is guided by facts, and facts are never distorted by politics.
``And as president, I will bring back this nation's time-honored tradition: The United States of America never goes to war because we want to, we only go to war because we have to.''
pretty tough on him for the AP
WOW this is from the A&P?
LONG KNIVES ARE OUT!
He also skipped over his first marriage.
OK .... WOW!
John eFing just finished up his speech and must be out of breath after racing through it like his pants where on fire from the untruths he offered.
God help us if this eFing liar wins.
I thought it odd for the AP too.
I know... I always look to see who has published things, and I was surprised it was AP...but perhaps this piece will only go on a website.
I was amazed at the brazeness of the speech overall.
1. You call Bush a LIAR, yet no one has been able to produce any evidence of such.
2. His commets about morality/family values and those on the
right with "narrow" set of values. Now I believe that sounded like a finger in the eye of true catholics and religious conservatives. ( only values that everyone agrees on are acceptable in his America.) Therefore if you believe homosexuality is a sin then you are narrow minded. If you believe life begins at conception you are narrow minded and his America will have no place for those who have these beliefs.
3. Health care is a right???
Perhaps the AP has received their direct orders from Hillary's people:
"Time to bring him down and clear the way for me in 08. You know what you have to do. Here is a starter story to run as soon as his acceptance speech is over."
Has anyone looked in Sandy Berger's trousers?
Nice of AP to drop this on the wires.
I saw it on Yahoo earlier too so linked it into the DemCon'04 Live thread. Thanks for posting. :-)
I should have thought to post it on the DemCon04 but was so shocked by the organization behind it, I just went ahead and posted it.
The man is a stinking commie ,,,,,,at best! Worse yet, he planned to use his military experience to get elected in the 70's. When he saw what the anti-war crowd was doing, he switched to being a protester, hoping that would get him elected. We don't need this garbage, let Mass. keep him. (Or Hanoi)
(none).
So Kerry brags about being a nothing hero.
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