Posted on 08/26/2004 1:06:14 PM PDT by CHARLITE
BORN AGAIN VS.PERFECT Marvin Olasky
August 26, 2004
John Kerry graduated from Yale in 1966. George Bush graduated in 1968. I graduated from said institution in 1971. With the Kerry campaign in full panic mode about the swift boat charges, maybe I can provide some perspective on the environment that has led to the current confusion.
Yale became more strongly antiwar during those five years, but Kerry reflected the campus mood even in 1966 when, as chairman of the Political Union (Yale's most prestigious political debating society), he used his commencement address to criticize America's involvement in Vietnam.
Neither Kerry nor Bush nor I wanted to fight in Vietnam, and we all did what we could in our situations: Naval Reserves (Kerry), Texas Air National Guard (Bush), draft lottery No. 278 (me), which meant immunity from having to serve. In his circumstances, Kerry's choice was smart: Navy or Coast Guard folks were much less likely to see combat service than their counterparts in the Army or Air Force, and the safest Navy spot may have been that of a Naval Reserve officer.
A combination of unlikely circumstances placed Kerry, despite his plans, in a combat situation for three months during 1968 and 1969. How he performed during that period is now a matter of intense dispute. I've gone through the claims and counter-claims, and suspect he was valiant in one incident and a whiner or exaggerator in others.
Is that a crime? No. It takes a rare person to resist the temptation to exaggerate, and instead to underplay heroism. Sure, a great book and movie, "The Right Stuff," show pilot Chuck Yeager with half of his face burned away walking away from a crash uncomplainedly, but Yeager was a living legend because he had such uncommon resolution.
My point, having lived through the 1960s-1970s confusion, is that the era was not one of uncommon resolution, at least not of the patriotic variety. I relished my high draft lottery number. George W. Bush played it smart like John Kerry and found a soft gig. He and I took different rotten paths -- he drank heavily, I became a communist -- but both of us could say the same thing: "When I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible."
The other thing both of us can and do say is that we did not save ourselves: God alone saves sinners (and I can surely add, of whom I was the worst). Being born again, we don't have to justify ourselves. Being saved, we don't have to be saviors.
John Kerry, once-born, has no such spiritual support, nor do most of his top admirers in the heavily secularized Democratic Party. It would be great if he could say: "I was young and vainglorious and often self-absorbed. I exaggerated and lied at times, and since then have thought it necessary not to disavow the fantasies I wove. But I do deserve credit for being there and serving my country in a mixed-up era in which I at times was also mixed-up."
Kerry can't say that because he evidently does not believe that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. He and his handlers portray him as virtually perfect in the past and omniscient in the present. In and of itself, that's also not unusual: it's so hard for a presidential candidate not to get puffed up when laudatory remarks follow him as closely as Secret Service agents. But do we want a president who pretends that he can do no wrong and never has?
What's relevant now is that George Bush did not receive his party's nomination for what he did over three decades ago, but John Kerry did. That's why we need to get to the bottom of what the swift boat vets are saying. The original exaggeration is not the problem. The current cover-up attempt is, because that goes to the heart of what kind of president we could expect John Kerry to be.
Marvin Olasky writes daily commentary on Worldmagblog, a Townhall.com member group.
The author goes to the root.
Kerry had a number of defects then, which he still displays today. The main one is his arrogance. In debates in the Yale Political Union he liked to speak first -- because after all, when Kerry had spoken, what else was there to say?
I, on the other hand, liked to go last. Be prepared for the defects in the other side's argument; take them apart at the last minute. Kerry didn't understand that sort of counterattack strategy then, and still doesn't today.
With just a small amount of self-critical thought, he would have realized the kind of Swift Boat counterattack he could generate. By downplaying his Vietnam bio ("It happened; it's over.") he could have defanged in advance everything that is now happening. But Kerry's arrogance would not let him consider the chess moves, several moves ahead.
In short, Kerry's impending defeat in the election is exactly like two of his Purple Hearts. It is a self-inflicted wound. Only this last time, Kerry's self-inflicted wound is very much in the service of his nation.
Congressman Billybob
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This is the most awesome thing I have read in a long, ong time. I happen to be reading one of Olavsky's books right now on compassion.
John Kerry's vanity is his greatest weakness. Until he faces the lies and exaggerations of his past he will never be an honest man.
Right on target. Fire for Effect.
"He and his handlers portray him as virtually perfect in the past and omniscient in the present."
Ain't that the truth. To listen to the rabid Kerry supporters, the man has never done ANYTHING wrong in his entire life. Every move, every vote, every word he has ever uttered, no matter how self contradictory, was the absolute PERFECT thing to do at the time and we conservatives are just too stupid to understand the beautiful nuances of "I voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it".
Out of the park!
What's relevant now is that George Bush did not receive his party's nomination for what he did over three decades ago, but John Kerry did.
No, your wrong. Kerry got his parties nomination because Dean made that stupid sounding scream and everyone was making fun of him. His party went with the next choice.
Likewise with his latest "witch hunt" of all the Swift Boat Vets (You're either with me, or I'll destroy you); Kerry is obsessed with controlling the outcome of this "personal" attack, even at the expense of winning the presidency.
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