U.S. warrior wins respect - Communists back former soldier Kerry in his bid for U.S. presidency

Globe and Mail (Canada) ^ | June 22, 2004 | Marina Jiminez

[Shermy]

TRA VINH, VIETNAM -- In the spartan banquet room of the Coolong Hotel, the Communist Party apparatchiks all agree on one thing: Democratic Senator John Kerry is the best candidate for U.S. president.

Mr. Kerry, who served in Vietnam but later became an opponent of the war, is seen in the rural Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh as a brave warrior, a man to be respected "soldier to soldier."

"That George Bush is so arrogant. Mr. Kerry is better for Vietnam," says Tran Hoan Kim, the Communist Party's provincial chairman and a former Viet Cong guerrilla fighter during what was known here as the "American" war. "Kerry came here and fought, but then he went back to the U.S. and campaigned against the war. Not all the U.S. veterans agreed with the war."

Here in the Mekong Delta, 200 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) Mr. Kerry saw the most action during his 1968-69 tour. While Mr. Bush avoided active duty, Mr. Kerry commanded two patrol boats on the delta's web of inland waterways. After leaving the U.S. Navy, he became a fierce critic of the war, objecting to its rationale in testimony to the U.S. Senate foreign relations committee.

Vietnam has been a central theme in Mr. Kerry's presidential campaign, which features glowing testimony from veterans and ads that show a war-era Mr. Kerry in fatigues.

In Trah Vinh, John Kerry the warrior and peace activist is "very respected" -- as much as any American politician can be.

"We hope he wins the election. He is a good man but not a hero. The only real hero is Uncle Ho," says Tra Vinh Governor Tran Van Ven. He is referring to Ho Chi Minh, the revolutionary leader whose bearded philosopher image can still be seen on billboards throughout Vietnam.

Mr. Ven, Mr. Kim and several Communist Party officials tucked into a feast of fried eel, barbecued shrimp and spicy coconut soup, and urged their Canadian guests to empty their beer glasses -- again and again. "Yo [drink up]," Mr. Kim ordered, a smile on his face. "We only trust people who get drunk. They never lie."

In the traffic-clogged streets of Ho Chi Minh City, there is much talk of the U.S. election, and of the war in Iraq. An unofficial survey of Honda motorcycle taxi drivers near Reunification Park and patrons visiting the War Remnants Museum revealed an affinity for Mr. Kerry as well as Bill Clinton, who made an historic visit here in 2000.

"Bush is a warmonger. John Kerry fought here, and so he is more realistic about war," said Le Minh Tien, a former South Vietnam Army naval officer who lost the sight of one eye during a battle in 1970.

With the United States in the midst of another controversial war, many here draw comparisons between the injustice of the "American" war and the decision to invade Iraq, to which Vietnam objected last year.

Mr. Tien said Mr. Bush has lost face because of U.S. claims of weapons of mass destruction and links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, and because of the abuse of prisoners.

Another Vietnamese war veteran visiting the museum added: "The war in Iraq is being fought for very different reasons than the war in Vietnam, but the Americans have underestimated the Muslim people just as they underestimated the Vietnamese."

In fact, Mr. Kerry himself has been a qualified supporter of the war in Iraq. While he has opposed setting a deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, he has called for a United Nations commissioner to oversee political development in Baghdad. He has also attacked the competence of the current administration, saying he would never ask the U.S. military to "fight a war without a plan to win the peace."

Back in Tra Vinh, the Governor believes Washington will lose the peace in Iraq because of a failure to understand an alien culture.

The "U.S. will find it very difficult to get out of Iraq. They're pretending to promote their idea of human rights, but the standards for human rights are not the same in every country," Mr. Ven said.

In Vietnam, for example, the government opened up the economy in the mid-1980s, but the Politburo has shown no signs of tolerating dissent or relaxing political controls.

"Some countries need a strong central government to protect human rights," Mr. Ven said. "Expatriate Vietnamese who think we need democratic reform should come back here and talk to me, and they will understand."

The party officials around the table grunted in agreement, raising their glasses once again. "Yo, dong chi [Down the hatch, comrade]!" Mr. Ven said.

No one dared to disagree.

[The_Victor]

There there's an endorsement that speaks volumes.

[kabar]

Hell, we know the Vietamese Communists' opinion of John Kerry. He is in the Hall of Heroes in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon.)

[Owl558]

Only leftists can see betrayal of one's country and causing the deaths of one's fellow soldiers as a virtue.

Remember, socialists LOVE mass murder!

[EdReform]

BTTT

[headsonpikes]

No one can doubt that many, many foreign leaders support JF'nK, including those of France, the Light of the World.

Who do Americans think they are to vote for George Bush?!?

No wonder you Yanks are seen as arrogant!

[MeekOneGOP]

My thanks to Traumer, Arrowhead1952 and Conspiracy Guy for the concept of the above pic

[68skylark]

[solo gringo]

Kerry is what my dad used to call a knot head.

[joesnuffy]

"That George Bush is so arrogant. Mr. Kerry is better for Vietnam," says Tran Hoan Kim, the Communist Party's provincial chairman and a former Viet Cong guerrilla fighter during what was known here as the "American" war.

What a glowing tribute from a communist party member....terrorists & communists agree John F Kerry will take good care of them if elected President of the USA

And George Bush would not be good for communists and muslim terrorists...and our enemies wish him defeated in Nov...

And the most pathetic thing of all is that many Americans agree with them...including Bob Kerrey....

imo

[Seadog Bytes]

RE: "I must be feeling better...I'm getting real ornery."

"...The steel of his sword rang eagerly as he pulled his companion from his scabbard in the swift motion of the Master Swordsman. His sword was singing, thirsty to meet those creatures, screaming at the outrage of their apparition."
http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/cooljerk/story2.html

...Good Hunting, Brave Sir!

[drpix]

No surprise! He stood with them then and they stand with him now.

[PsyOp]

“Conservatism, we are told, is out-of-date. The charge is preposterous and we ought boldly to say so. The laws of God, and of nature, have no dateline. The principles on which the Conservative political position is based have been established by a process that has nothing to do with the social, economic and political landscape that changes from decade to decade and from century to century. These principles are derived from the nature of man, and from the truths that God has revealed about His creation. Circumstances do change. So do the problems that are shaped by circumstances. But the principles that govern the solution of the problems do not. To suggest that the Conservative philosophy is out of date is akin to saying that the Golden Rule, or the Ten Commandments or Aristotle's Politics are out of date. The Conservative approach is noth ing more or less than an attempt to apply the wisdom and experience and the revealed truths of the past to the problems of today.” – Barry Goldwater, The Conscience Of A Conservative, 1960.

Barry Goldwater, The Conscience Of A Conservative.

[AnimalLover]

P I N G

[RichInOC]

I look forward to Kerry-Edwards promoting this endorsement in their ads very, very soon.

[AnimalLover]

U.S. warrior wins respect - Communists back former soldier Kerry in his bid for U.S. presidency


Look who else appears to be pro Kerry!

Kerry's Secret Ties to China

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/9/2/181538.shtml

[Tailgunner Joe]

bttt

[Just mythoughts]

bookmarked