Posted on 08/23/2004 2:03:39 PM PDT by kattracks
Presidential candidate John Kerry telephoned former Sen. Bob Dole Monday morning to complain about Dole's demand a day earlier that he apologize to Vietnam veterans for protesting the war, the one-time Republican presidential candidate revealed Monday afternoon."John Kerry called me this morning, which surprised me," Dole told radio host Sean Hannity. "He said he was very disappointed, we'd been friends. I said John, we're still friends, but [the Swiftvets] have first amendment rights, just as your people have first amendment rights.
Dole told Kerry, "I'm not trying to stir anything up, but I don't believe everyone of these people who have talked about what happened are Republican liars.
"And very frankly, Bush is my guy, and I'm tired of people on your side calling him everything from a coward to a traitor to everything - a deserter."
Dole said he urged Kerry, "Why don't you call George Bush today and say, 'Mr. President, let's stop all this stuff about the National Guard and Vietnam - and let's talk about the issues."
Dole said Kerry responded, "I haven't spent one dime attacking President Bush."
But the Republican war hero shot back, "You don't have to. You've got all the so-called mainstream media, plus you've got MoveOn.org. and all these other groups that have spent millions and millions of dollars trying to tarnish Bush's image."
"Don't tell me you don't know what some of these people are doing," he told Kerry.
"Everybody like quiet heroes," Dole added, saying he told Kerry, "John, everybody knows you were in Vietnam and the less you say about it, the better."
Dole said he tried to end the tense conversation cordially by telling Kerry, "I wish you good luck, up to a point."
And he told Wolf that Kerry made sure Dole knows that "there was blood" from his two Purple Hearts. Dole didn't back down about his illegitimate PH's.
He's got more testosterone than the current Senate Republicans combined.
Sen. John Kerry in Hanoi seated under a bust of Communist Vietnam's deceased
leader, Ho Chi Minh, while talking with North Vietnam leaders.
Kerry labeled POW/MIA families who wanted to know about their loved ones as
"professional malcontents, conspiracy mongers, con artists, and dime-store
Rambos" who were only involved in the POW/MIA issue for money.
How do you ask a citizen to be the last person to vote for this mistake?
That is what happens when you practice being P.C. YOU LOSE...
Dole always was pretty good with humor. I wish he would take advantage of his new found fame and access to air time to ridicule sKerry about his Christmas in Cambodia fantasy. This turning point in sKerry's life turns out to be a whopping lie. It must suck to be running for president of the U.S. and realize that the turning point of your life was a "False Memory", or just a plain make believe fantasy.
Kerry probably called to put Dole in his place, but the exact opposite happened.
"I haven't spent one dime attacking George Bush"
That is one truthful thing John Kerry has uttered this entire year. He hasn't spent one dime of his own money on anything. He has spent his wife's millions in supporting himself in his fat cat lifestyle. He has spent the bank money from the loan on the house his wife gave to him to save his dying campaign. He has used all the stupid Dimwit Bush Haters who contributed to his flip flopping campaign. He is mooching of the contributors to Moveon to further enhance the sinking ship. Yep, he hasn't spent a dime.
Best part is, the guy's way older, and his war wound is bigger than Kerry's! Who's he gonna cry to now?
"Mummy, the older vet with the serious injury is picking on me....."
Bwahahaha!
Kerry is no hero. PERIOD.
Someone put some Viagra in his Viagra.
I'm beginning to think that Diane Chambers, on Cheers, was based on John Kerry.
"I think this goes way beyond this particular issue to show just how thin skinned Kerry is."
Agreed, it tends to go with my image of kerry as a very small, mean, arrogant, vain and aloof man.
He really cannot take criticism, and this could be his undoing in the debate. It is too bad bush apparently doesn't want to release HIS military records either (via form 180 or whatever it is kerry is called upon to sign) because it would be great to pin that on kerry. I bet his records show substantial revision since he got into the senate.
"where was this Dole when he was running for president??"
Dole has always been like this. Where have all you folks been? He's a hoot, and has been for years!
Michael Moore and Barbra Streisand will collaborate on
their next movie "A Doofus is Born" starring John F. Kerry.
I agree with that, but when running for president he was a stiff, then as soon as he loses he was on saturday night live and was FUNNY. Whom ever was running his campaign was awful, let Dole be Dole and he could have won.
Check my member status if you like. As far as the "hope you enjoy yourself," well my Jesuit education must not be what I thought it was because I don't have the slightest idea what you mean.
As for Dole in "96 there was no one the Republicans could have run who would have beaten Clinton that year with Perot still in the race. And maybe Dole remembered how a wiseguy attitude in the face of Mr. Nice in Walter Mondale didn't do the Republicans any good in "76. As for being on TV together, the "Father" of the modern American Conservative movement, Sen. Barry Goldwater, saw fit to travel and share the same venues in debate as Sen, George McGovern, the most left leaning presidential candidare of a major party. Maybe they all take Mr. Jefferson's idea very literally about being "just friends and brave enemies"
"Bob just finished with CNN. Told them the same thing as reported above."
I assume the GOP has asked dole to come back into public light to discuss this kerry stuff since no one can talk about 'you weren't in vietnam' with him given his service record in wwii, and because the LOGICAL person to come out about kerry, McCain, is defending him.
I wonder if McCain's reasoning is that he doesn't want to have his words turned back on him in a future presidential bid....my understanding is that in vietnam, McCain's father was an admiral and he was apparently treated somewhat better than normal pow's as a result (obviously unlike kerry, McCain WAS a POW for a long time after he was shot down. I dont' see any real questions about his actual service. Do his back problems date from this?). Does anyone know more about this? If it is true it could certainly be used against him if he were to come out now and ask kerry to, say, sign a form 180.
"Now that the president has condemned the attack ads the question is will the attack ads (by right wing nut jobs) continue? "
This is a good cop/bad cop routine. Bush cannot afford to do anything BUT praise kerry's military record.
Did bush sign a form 180?
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