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Kerry's Testimony
Los Angeles Times ^ | August 26, 2004

Posted on 08/26/2004 4:48:17 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

.......Many of those who condemn Kerry for opposing the Vietnam War are too young to have been politically aware during that period. The rest are fighting very old battles. But the fact is that the argument over Vietnam was settled long ago, and a majority of Americans decided that Kerry was right.

Members of the Swift boat group and like-minded Americans are free to try to re-litigate the basic Vietnam question. They say, from the comfortable perspective of 2004, that the antiwar movement emboldened the enemy and thus lengthened the war. That's their premise: We could have won the war by 1971 if not for Kerry and his ilk. Of course, after continuing the war for three more years, we still didn't win it. So even accepting the dubious premises of these Hindsight Hawks, blame for the lives lost after Kerry's testimony goes primarily to the leaders in Washington who kept the war going needlessly.

But most Americans came to accept Kerry's view that the war was ill advised and unwinnable at any reasonable cost. Only when that happened did the war end, and the antiwar movement made it happen sooner. If that historical judgment is correct, which we think it clearly is, then Kerry saved the lives of many more Americans in his antiwar role than he did as a Navy officer.

Kerry's testimony in April 1971 was eloquent, persuasive and damning. Consistent with his cautious instincts, Kerry never joined the extremist America-haters who hoped for a North Vietnamese victory, but instead he patiently explained to senators why the war was a disaster.

Undoubtedly, Kerry was overwrought when he declared that atrocities by American soldiers were ubiquitous. They weren't. But it is ignorant fantasy to suppose that the United States emerged from Vietnam unblemished by horrible misdeeds................

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: antiwar; fulbrightcommittee; kerry; kerrytestimony; sbvt; swiftboat; veterans; vietnam
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To: dawn53

Or "overwrought".

After watching the replays of Kerry's testimony, I am struck by how calm, cool and collected he is. He was not *overwrought*. By way of contrast, the past week he HAS been *overwrought*.

Isn't lying to Congress a felony? Perjury?

One more thing: Vietnam was never *settled*. No majority ever agreed about Vietnam. Vietnam was something we all tacitly agreed to not discuss. That is why it festered. History is written by the winners and the left won on that issue. Now the vets are demanding and getting a return match.


21 posted on 08/26/2004 5:07:42 AM PDT by reformedliberal ("John, YOU were the wrong one, here". Bob Dole)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Many of those who condemn Kerry for opposing the Vietnam War are too young to have been politically aware during that period.

Hitler was long dead before I was politcaly aware. I suppose now my negative opinions of him are invalid.

22 posted on 08/26/2004 5:10:11 AM PDT by tbpiper
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Thanks CW for sharing this;SO important. . .

"What you were really against was not war at all, but American "imperialism" and American capitalism. What you truly hated was America's democracy, which you knew to be a "sham" because it was controlled by money in the end. That's why you wanted to "Bring the Troops Home," as your slogan said. Because if America's troops came home, America would lose and the Communists would win. And the progressive future would be one step closer."

One more lie here; these people hate Democracy because it is the one thing that stands in the way of their own greed for their totally self-serving empowerment. They want to be KING; not president. They need serfs; not a free and empowered and 'happy' population.

Everything these people purport to be is a LIE. . .their idiology; their motives; their goals. . .who and what they are. . .is a lie.

The real sham; promise heaven and give em hell Marxism; as it was in the begining; and still is. . .

23 posted on 08/26/2004 5:13:34 AM PDT by cricket (Don't Lose Your Head. . .Vote Republican)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

I can't even bring myself to click on the link to finish reading this piece of crap.


24 posted on 08/26/2004 5:16:54 AM PDT by stylin_geek (Koffi: 0, G.W. Bush: (I lost count))
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

As a public service, why doesn't the LA Times and the rest of the media publish exactly what Kerry said in his testimony? All we ever hear is the last man to die quote. Let the people judge if what Kerry said is merely "overwrought."


25 posted on 08/26/2004 5:17:31 AM PDT by NYCVirago
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
That is it! The mainstream stinking liberal press is the enemy. We most move very aggressively at the aholes. when this campaign is over win or lose we go after them! We have been giving tax breaks and responding to big business issues all over the place. Very wealthy Republicans have been given the edge over middle class Republicans. Big business gets the breaks over middle sized and small business. And then these dirty scum suckers treat us like this! Our reps in congress need to lay it on the line with big business that they will be held responsible for the big business owned establishment media. Sometimes I think that it would be good for someone like kerry to get either to show the public what phonies they are or if they do hurt the Establishment, why the liberal press is everyones enemy.
26 posted on 08/26/2004 5:18:17 AM PDT by bilhosty
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
"the argument over Vietnam was settled long ago, and a majority of Americans decided that Kerry was right"

...well...uh...if not exactly a majority of Americans, then...uh...a majority of everybody (the author of this screed) knows...and that's anybody that's anybody...I mean, nobody else counts! You know what I mean? I mean just everybody thinks Kerry was right! (The author of this screed) just doesn't know anybody that's not for Kerry! For goodness sake!

27 posted on 08/26/2004 5:31:52 AM PDT by Savage Beast (9/11 was never repeated--thanks to President Bush!)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Many of those who condemn Kerry for opposing the Vietnam War are too young to have been politically aware during that period. The rest are fighting very old battles. But the fact is that the argument over Vietnam was settled long ago, and a majority of Americans decided that Kerry was right.

The writer fails to mention that communist sympathizers like John Kerry and the media of that era were birds of a feather. Job #1 for them was to mislead the American public while trashing our Armed Forces. Sound familiar? It's deja vu all over again.

28 posted on 08/26/2004 5:32:29 AM PDT by auboy (MSM's creed: see no truth, hear no truth, speak no truth.)
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To: Savage Beast

What you said!

Bump!


29 posted on 08/26/2004 5:33:03 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: cricket

This is why they're shrill like the wicked witch of the west, they're seeing all their beautiful communist designs shrinking.


30 posted on 08/26/2004 5:35:02 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Uh, Bush was *overwrought* about Iraq. Are you on his side NOW, LASlimes...?
31 posted on 08/26/2004 5:35:43 AM PDT by atomicpossum (If there are two Americas, John Edwards isn't qualified to lead either of them.©)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

There can be no debate on Kerry's estimate of casualities if ths U.S.pulled out of Vietnam. Near the end of the 1971 debate between Kerry and John O'Neill on the Dick Cavett Show,Kerry predicted no more than 4,000 to 5,000 casualities if we left Vietnam. John O'Neill predicted a bloodbath. Kerry estimated only 2,000 to 3,000 deaths in front of the Fulbright Committee. I have recently seen estimates of 2.5 million deaths during that period. Kerry's estimate has to be the WORST prediction in the history of mankind! Wrong on Vietnam,wrong on the Contras,wrong on the Cold War,wrong on Kuwait,and wrong for not supporting our troops in the War on Terror. And yet Kerry kees saying "I can do it better....".


32 posted on 08/26/2004 5:36:49 AM PDT by Bob from De
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Kerry's testimony in April 1971 was eloquent, persuasive and damning.

And factually devoid, and slanderous hearsay, and a good propaganda tool, and treasonous, and..... Well, y'all get the picture.
33 posted on 08/26/2004 5:38:07 AM PDT by wasp69 (The Recipe For A Great Story: Pinch Of Cope, A Touch Of Fact, A Big Helping Of Imagination)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Kerry's testimony in April 1971 was eloquent, persuasive and damning.

The writer left out the part that Kerry's testimony was a complete fabrication.

34 posted on 08/26/2004 5:38:38 AM PDT by Cboldt
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To: Adder

Re: Post #10. You took the words right out of my mouth. Agree 100%.


35 posted on 08/26/2004 5:39:09 AM PDT by randita
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To: TheGeezer
Don't forget, these people think that future generations will accept whatever's printed in one of the "newspapers of record" to be the truth. It's just one more of their delusions.

Heaven help the American people if they're stupid enough to let these people determine their destiny.

36 posted on 08/26/2004 5:39:53 AM PDT by Savage Beast (9/11 was never repeated--thanks to President Bush!)
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To: NYCVirago
As a public service, why doesn't the LA Times and the rest of the media publish exactly what Kerry said in his testimony? All we ever hear is the last man to die quote. Let the people judge if what Kerry said is merely "overwrought."

25 posted on 08/26/2004 5:17:31 AM PDT by NYCVirago [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

-----------------------------------------

NEWSFLASH: CSPAN will air in its Entirety John F'nn Kerry's testimony in April of 71 before congress at 8:00 tonight. Get the Popcorn ready, and make sure you have your DVD Burner ready to go!

37 posted on 08/26/2004 5:39:56 AM PDT by Area51 (RINO Hunter, Big Time)
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To: Paloma_55

Your #14. Spot on!


38 posted on 08/26/2004 5:45:22 AM PDT by auboy (MSM's creed: see no truth, hear no truth, speak no truth.)
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To: Bob from De
........And yet Kerry keeps saying "I can do it better....".

Kerry wants to bring us in line with the rest of the world. He does not want a strong U.S. He wants a socialist world and to do that he has to weaken our military as a force in the world. The man is dangerous beyond words.

39 posted on 08/26/2004 5:48:48 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Minor correction: "Kerry's testimony in April 1971 was eloquent, persuasive, and damning. But it was also phony and fabricated."
40 posted on 08/26/2004 5:52:43 AM PDT by NonValueAdded (When it came to Intelligence, Kerry was absent)
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