Kerry slams 'refusal to serve'

http://www.theaustralian.news.com ^ | 04sep04 = 07 October 2004 rerun reprint ? | AP, AFP old status quo {ghost author}

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Kerry slams 'refusal to serve'
AP, AFP
04sep04

NEW YORK: Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry declared he had taken enough "incoming" yesterday and blasted back at his Republican antagonists by suggesting George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney were draft dodgers.

In his toughest counter-punch of the campaign, the decorated war hero said he was not going to have his military qualifications questioned by "those who refused to serve" in the Vietnam War.

"For the past week, they attacked my patriotism and my fitness to serve as commander in chief ... well, here's my answer," Senator Kerry said in Ohio.

"I'm not going to have my commitment to defend this country questioned by those who refused to serve when they could have and by those who have misled the nation into Iraq.

"Let me tell you in no uncertain terms what makes someone unfit for office and unfit for duty. Misleading our nation into war in Iraq makes you unfit to lead our country.

"Doing nothing while this nation loses millions of jobs makes you unfit to lead this country. Letting 45 million Americans go without health care for four years makes you unfit to lead this country.

"Letting the Saudi royal family control the price of oil for Americans makes you unfit to lead this country."

Mr Bush spent the Vietnam War in the Texas Air National Guard, and had faced accusations that even then he was absent without leave for long periods. Mr Cheney received five deferments and once explained that he had "other priorities".

[Bonaparte]

Hilarious, mp! Is this your work? If so, can you put a less "festive" looking kerry face in there? Afterall, this is a dying swan. It's supposed to be so, so sad...

[matchwood]

I think what Kerry is doing now is self-immolating; he must have learned about that while his Swift boat took a trip to Siagon.

[clee1]

No, I was referring to POTUS #42.

My point was that we had elected a "proud" draft dodger twice. So, even if GW and Cheney "were" draft dodgers, that is still preferable to a cowardly commie like sKerry.

[Bonaparte]

Edwards was lottery-eligible in 1972. His number was 178. Had he not taken a student deferment, he would probably have been inducted in 1973 when he was 19 (or 20).

If Dick Cheney is a "draft dodger," then so is Edwards. But we both know that neither of them was -- unlike Bill Clinton.

[Kadric]

As I stated to a guy at work.

Clinton was power hungry but for the most part he wanted everyone to like him. Kerry is just power hungry and feels it is owed to him.

[Bonaparte]

In further fairness to Edwards, I should add that by 1972 very few lotteried males were being called up. With his number (178), the odds were that he would not go in (contrary to what I said in previous post). I think we were down to only about 24,000 in VN that year (from a 1968 high of more than a half-million). Everybody knew that Nixon was winding things down.

[reformedliberal]

I left school in 1962 to get married. I returned part time in 1968. I was in the School of Art at U-Illinois/Champaign 1961-62. Entrance was by portfolio. We were told we had to maintain a B in studios or we were out of the School of Art "because the world didn't need any more mediocre artists". I returned to UW-Milwaukee. The entire grading system had been revamped. We were told that it was because no one wanted any male to lose a deferment. The women students complained that this had to be offered to women as well. After about 2 months of faculty discussion it was.

This happened. In later years, as professors from various schools wrote about the VN War years, many have said they did this. AFAIK, it did not happen in hard sciences and pre-professional courses. It did happen in Art and Liberal Arts.


Not bunk

What schools did you attend and what courses?

[Lady Heron]

After his unbelievable low class remarks about Cheney's daughter this is a very stupid move. All America is looking for more bad behavior from this man now to see if the cad is the real Kerry or was this something that his team urged him to say that backfired.

It looks like the cad wins. I guess we should say thank you Kerry.

[night reader]

Meltdown in Kerry's core has commenced.

Kerry has a core???

[Bonaparte]

"...the Rice-a-Roni jingle..."

Rumor has it that as he was leaving the church at his first wedding, he dove for cover and screamed "incoming!"

[Bonaparte]

"...the Rice-a-Roni jingle..."

Rumor has it that as he was leaving the church at his first wedding, he dove for cover and screamed "incoming!"

[Bonaparte]

Right. Technically, it's a shell meltdown.

[moonpie57]

"can you put a less "festive" looking kerry face in there? Afterall, this is a dying swan. It's supposed to be so, so sad..."

Yeah, I suppose I could put a more somber face in there. I got tired of looking for the right face and that stupid Stan Laurel face looked funny, so I went with it. Let me look around. And thanks for the compliment. I'm just learning Photo Shop.

[JLO]

I'm just learning Photo Shop.

Well good for you! I've done just done a tich.

Good on ya! Please include me in a ping - when you post, and thanks!

[Bonaparte]

You do really nice work, mp. There's a way to paste pieces of the original face onto the kerry face, but I sure don't know how it's done. I've got Adobe PS but I never use it.

[tracer]

I love your style and approach. And thanks for your service...

[Paul Atreides]

It sounds as if F'n is morphing into an Alwhore/Howling Dean hybrid.

[cmotormac44]

I served 5 years in WW2 and I challange his "medals"---from what I have read he put in for them himself to get his ass out of combat areas---if he has nothing to hide, release the 180--

[Salamander]

http://www.signform180.com/

[moonpie57]

PLEASE...don't let it be over...