I think it could be deeper than that. This could well come down to leftists, "hard leftists and proud of it" and the vets and the rest who aren't proud they were duped (as you say). What resonates with many of us who came of age after Viet Nam are the parallels between the current war and its protesters and Kerry's lying before the Senate and meeting with Communists. Lying about medals is a Clinton like manipulation but providing aid and comfort to the enemy, lying before the people of this country at the expense of our military and turning our ideals and values (however wrongheaded the situation) to make us the enemy of freedom is unforgivable. And it most certainly is not a 30+ year old irrelevancy for a country at war.
The media has reluctantly covered Kerry's service exaggerations but the meat of this matter, for many of us, is what came after. They of course don't want to go there. They are largely made up of those whose world-view was shaped by Viet Nam. These are the same people who yelled quagmire one hour after we attacked the Taliban, these are the same people who find more truth in an atrocity or failure in Iraq than a success.
John Kerry has had almost his entire adult life to come to grips with his anti-war activities. His record shows us that he never did, he did not come to value our military strength, he did not come to denounce anti-American forces, he did not come to apologize for the harm he inflicted.
I think it could be deeper than that. This could well come down to leftists, "hard leftists and proud of it" and the vets and the rest who aren't proud they were duped (as you say). What resonates with many of us who came of age after Viet Nam are the parallels between the current war and its protesters and Kerry's lying before the Senate and meeting with Communists. Lying about medals is a Clinton like manipulation but providing aid and comfort to the enemy, lying before the people of this country at the expense of our military and turning our ideals and values (however wrongheaded the situation) to make us the enemy of freedom is unforgivable. And it most certainly is not a 30+ year old irrelevancy for a country at war.
"</b?The media has reluctantly covered Kerry's service exaggerations but the meat of this matter, for many of us, is what came after. They of course don't want to go there. They are largely made up of those whose world-view was shaped by Viet Nam. These are the same people who yelled quagmire one hour after we attacked the Taliban, these are the same people who find more truth in an atrocity or failure in Iraq than a success.
John Kerry has had almost his entire adult life to come to grips with his anti-war activities. His record shows us that he never did, he did not come to value our military strength, he did not come to denounce anti-American forces, he did not come to apologize for the harm he inflicted.