Posted on 08/26/2004 5:20:09 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
WACO, Texas -- James Rassmann, his yellow tie off after a long morning Wednesday, eased his 6-foot, 260-pound frame into a red booth at the Dairy Queen next to his friend Max Cleland.
Rassmann, dressed in a Navy blazer and khakis, munched on a burger while Cleland, the former U.S. senator from Georgia, ate two chili dogs and sipped a cherry soda.
The two decorated Vietnam War veterans relaxed into easy conversation while a handful of campaign aides to Sen. John Kerry buzzed around them, chatting on cell phones and checking their BlackBerries to see how the networks were carrying the event they'd staged Wednesday afternoon in nearby Crawford.
They had barely declared the joint appearance of Rassmann and Cleland at President Bush's summer ranch a success before a press aide was trying to book Rassmann onto Bill O'Reilly's network talk show.
Since a series of controversial ads attacking Kerry's war record exploded into the headlines last week, Rassmann, an Oregon retiree, has emerged front-and-center to defend the man he credits with saving his life on March 13, 1969.
Rassmann, who spends most days nurturing orchids at his coastal Florence home, has come out of his quiet retirement to stump for Kerry around the country. These days, Rassmann, 56, has become an instantly recognizable figure on the Democrat's campaign trail, where he patiently gives interviews to reporters and tells the story of his rescue that day on the Bay Hap River 35 years ago -- an event that has become central to Kerry's presidential campaign.
To be sure, Rassmann has been a regular campaign fixture since January when he showed up in Iowa to campaign for his old war buddy. But in recent days, Rassmann has gone from offering warm tributes to his friend's leadership qualities to angrily refuting charges that Kerry didn't deserve a Bronze Star for fishing him out of the river.
Rassmann has been interviewed by so many reporters that he's lost count. And he's noticed that lately their questions center squarely on what happened on the Bay Hap River: How does he know the crew was under enemy fire that day? How can he be sure that the fog of war has not clouded his memories?
Even his 24-year-old son, Jeff, asked him last Sunday -- for the first time -- to recount all of the details of that day.
To Cleland, who lost three limbs in the war, Rassmann is an unlikely figure to find at the heart of a bitter political fight.
"This guy happens to be the centerpiece of John Kerry's credibility during war," Cleland said. "Can you imagine a mild-mannered orchid grower from Oregon has become the centerpiece of a campaign? My God."
Personal expenses adding up
Rassmann said he feels a responsibility to talk to voters about Kerry, though his efforts have come at some personal cost: He figures he's spent close to $5,000 on food, incidental expenses and new clothes for the campaign trail. He receives $30 a day from the campaign, but he said that's not enough to cover most of his expenses on the road.
Rassmann spent part of last week in Iowa, meeting with Democrats and undecided voters in VFW halls, diners and libraries. On Monday, a crew from "NBC Nightly News" arrived in Florence and camped out in his living room. On Tuesday, he headed to Eugene to give interviews, via satellite, with television stations in Michigan, West Virginia and New Mexico. The New York Times called him to arrange an interview at his home.
As Rassmann headed home Tuesday along Oregon 126, his cell phone rang.
It was the Kerry campaign in Washington, D.C. They wanted him to fly to Texas that night and travel to Bush's Crawford ranch the next morning with Cleland to deliver a letter signed by nine U.S. senators asking the president to denounce the attack ad sponsored by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Veterans in the group are angry over Kerry's anti-war position upon his return home, and they accuse him of lying about his war record.
Rassmann quickly agreed. Instead of going home, he headed for Wal-Mart, where he picked up toothpaste, a toothbrush, underwear and a travel bag. Then he headed to the Men's Wearhouse, where he grabbed a couple shirts and ties.
By late Wednesday morning, Rassmann was in Waco, copies of The New York Times and The Dallas Morning News slipped under one arm. He headed to the president's ranch with Geronimo Rodriguez Jr. -- the 35-year-old Texas director for the Kerry-Edwards campaign.
The plan was for Rodriguez, an Austin attorney and son of migrant farm workers, to deliver Rassmann to a U.S. Secret Service roadblock several miles from the president's ranch, where the veterans would hand the letter to a member of the president's security detail.
As part of a seven-car caravan carrying Kerry advisers, Cleland and his staff, Rodriguez made one stop before heading into Crawford: He had the letter from the senators, but he needed an envelope to put it in. So the group made a quick detour to a Shell station so Rodriguez could duck inside to pick up a box of white envelopes.
When Rodriguez made another quick stop to nail down last-minute details of the trip to the ranch, a woman walked up to Rassmann.
"Have I seen you on TV?" she asked. Rassmann nodded.
"It's an honor," she said.
"Thank you," Rassmann said.
Security staff intervenes
The route from Waco to Crawford cuts through small dusty towns where the Texas flag -- and Bush-Cheney campaign signs -- are prominent fixtures. In tiny Crawford, a large sign on the local bank declares: "Bush Country."
Rassmann, 1,682 miles from his home on the Oregon coast, stood in the unrelenting heat of the central Texas sun, a crush of reporters and camera crews surrounding him. Rassmann and Cleland's efforts to hand over the letter to a member of the president's security staff had been spurned. They then held a news conference at the Crawford Middle School, which during Bush's summer stay has been converted to a press center for the White House press corps.
Accompanied by Texas veterans, and Rassmann, an angry Cleland lashed out at Bush for ignoring their pleas to speak out against the Swift boat ads.
"This country can do better than this," Cleland said. "It's not really about this election. This is about the soul of our country. If the president of the United States does not stick up for veterans when they come home from war, who will he stick up for?"
With campaign reporters scurrying away to file their stories, Rassmann and Cleland headed for lunch.
The two men, who met in January in Iowa, have gotten to know each other while campaigning for Kerry. Cleland ribbed Rassmann about his enthusiasm for orchids.
"I've tried to stay as far away from him as I possibly could," Cleland said, laughing. "But the campaign keeps throwing us together."
Then Cleland turned serious about the role his friend has in the campaign.
"He was thrown into the Delta 35 years ago and now he's thrown into the drink again," Cleland said. "Now it's sink or swim time."
Noelle Crombie: 503-276-7184; noellecrombie@news.oregonian.com
Rassmann is doing it for the money. He's a Democrat mercenary, taking the Kerry campaign's filthy lucre, and parroting lines approved by Kerry's advisors:
[David] Alston spoke only briefly with National Review Online, saying all interviews must be approved by the Kerry campaign... (Kerry’s Brief Brotherhood - Byron York/NRO)
There is nothing to tying the vague 'VC the wonder dog' story to the Rassman rescue story. I think that VC's sad story was totally fabricaated. At least the Rassman rescue story has an element or two if truth to it.
His friend?? More accurately: 'his fellow campaign worker and kerry shill' Max Cleland.
IMHO, props or people get really boring as campaign fixtures.
It's all about character, time we say so.
another interesting line is why Rassmann "retired" early from the LAPD...hmmm...?
And he/she won't eat much.
"Rassmann, dressed in a Navy blazer and khakis, munched on a burger while Cleland, the former U.S. senator from Georgia, ate two chili dogs and sipped a cherry soda."
Face of the Democrat Party. Kinda says it all doesn't it.
LIES, more Lies and dam LIES!
Form what was actually reported (on FNC) is that so-called 'letter' was from SIX Democratic Congressmen. SIX RATS - period!
No offence to those fighting the "Battle of the Bulge" but these two look more like poster boys for Dairy Queen than that queen that's running for president.
Did Cleland really say this? OMG. This is classic. The dimwits REALLY must think most Americans are stupid.
Unless, of course, Cleland slipped and was talking about Kerry.
Rassmann, Kerry and the Orchid Business <-- Rassmann Motivation?
You missed the version that Kerry had in his press release when Rassmann showed up in Iowa. IN that version, Rassmann was in a different boat, behind Kerry's.
Nine, actually ... The letter was signed by Sens. Daniel Inouye, Tom Carper, Jon Corzine, Tom Harkin, Fritz Hollings, Frank Lautenberg, Jack Reed, Bill Nelson, and Jeff Bingaman.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1199199/posts <-- CNN Source
Wow, so that's at least 3 versions, the "walking to get an M60" version, the "chocolate chip cookie version" and the "other boat version".
If Rassman's appearance today is any guide, I tend to favor the "chocolate chip cookie version". Does any version have Rassman eating a whole box of cookies and washing it down with a half gallon of whole milk?
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