Note to kerry, better start telling the truth or you may be struck by lightening.
Posted on 08/25/2004 1:23:00 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
PHILADELPHIA - Democrat John Kerry defended his Vietnam War record Tuesday night from accusations that he didn't deserve his medals and invited voters to judge his 1970s anti-war activism as an indication of the "kind of president I'm going to be."
Kerry, speaking at a fund-raiser that the campaign said raised $1.7 million for the Democratic Party, said criticism of his decorated service in Vietnam has "become so petty it's almost pathetic in a way."
Kerry defended his anti-war activism as "an act of conscience."
"You can judge my character, incidentally, by that," he said. "Because when the time for moral crisis existed in this country, I wasn't taking care of myself, I was taking care of public policy. You may not have agreed with me, but I stood up and was counted and that's the kind of president I'm going to be."
Kerry also struck back at people who criticize him for trying to glorify only four months of service in Vietnam.
"I was there longer than that, number one," he said. "Number two, I served two tours. Number three, they thought enough of my service to make me aide to an admiral."
Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, introducing Kerry at the fund-raiser, said by watching the group's ads, "you'd think this was a 1962 or a 1976 presidential election."
"If you want this election to be decided on the Vietnam War, then I ask you one question: Who served this country better during the Vietnam War, John Kerry or George Bush?" Rendell said.
Bush served stateside in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam war, and did not see combat. Democrats have questioned whether he always showed up for duty.
During a speech earlier Tuesday at Cooper Union in New York, Kerry sought to turn the campaign debate to issues on which he thinks he can win - and away from questions about his Vietnam service. He also tried to paint Bush as the candidate who has been dishonest.
"My duty, as I understand it, is to be a president and commander in chief who finds the truth and tells the truth instead of misleading the American people," Kerry said to 850 invited supporters in the city where Republicans will nominate Bush for re-election next week. "My duty is to be a president who tells the truth instead of hiding behind front groups, saying anything and doing anything to avoid the real issues that matter like jobs, health care and the war in Iraq."
Kerry spoke a day after Bush criticized attack ads run by outside groups - known as 527s because of an IRS code provision - including the commercials being aired by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Kerry has said the veterans group is a front for the president's re-election campaign. The Bush campaign denies any coordination.
Kerry's campaign will go on the air in Nevada, New Mexico and Pennsylvania on Wednesday with a commercial responding to a new ad there by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
"The Bush campaign and its allies have turned to the tactics of fear and smear because they can't talk about jobs, health care, energy independence and rebuilding our alliances," Kerry said.
Bush spokesman Steve Schmidt said Kerry's attempt to declare himself a victim of negative ads is "stunning hypocrisy." He said, "His campaign has hid behind and benefited from $63 million in attack ads by shadowy 527 groups."
"I was there longer than that, number one," he said. "Number two, I served two tours. Number three, they thought enough of my service to make me aide to an admiral."
More parsing of the truth (and lies) - period.
Yes. Cruising around Australia and spending about 5 weeks off Vietnam while W. was training in a jet fighter.
Bump!
Note to kerry, better start telling the truth or you may be struck by lightening.
If we judge Kerry by his '70s' activism, we should assume a Kerry administration will listen attentively to those with whom he agrees without any verification of their information or background, like he did with his hearings on Vietnam atrocities. Based on Kerry's anti-war activism, George Soros would have a field day in a Kerry administration.
Exactly! They just want him to plant his butt in the Oval Office and let them do all the work.
And who was elected president in 1962, Rendell?
Too funny...The Dems can't even keep their election history straight.
Only to get pummelled by body blows from the blogsphere. The MSM is facing a choice this election - tell at least part of the story, or stand by yet another Dem liar and have what is left of their credibility completely obliterated. I am sensing from at least part of the MSM a hesitation to go the latter route, for a candidate that they are now realizing simply isn't fit for the office and who holds no core views worthy of supporting, who is in it only for his own ego and his own power (sound familiar?)
What the MSM is now doing is exploring just how much lying they can get away with, after their initial formulatic damage control was savaged.
It's disgusting, isn't it? It must be nice to have the media do your dirty work for you. I noticed that Dole told Kerry in their phone conversation about how Kerry had the media on his side, but oddly enough, the comment never made any of the stories about the phone conversation!
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