Kerry began to tank the very day he DID respond. Everyone in the campaign told him to keep his mouth shut. MSM was going to ignore it all the way to November.
And that's why I'll be incredulous if Kerry heeds Clinton's advice to stay mum from now on about Vietnam. This has become such a sore spot for him that I get the feeling if he did try to suppress saying something, it'd only be worse for him--he'd go nuts, totally (and hopefully during a public moment when cameras are rolling).
He's in a pickle--even if he keeps quiet about it, the Swiftees aren't done with him, not by a longshot. If he ignores them, the damage will go on. And if he addresses them, he prolongs it. Love it!