John Kerry to kick off his Presidental Campaign~~~Live thread

FoxNews

[Dog]

This is a live thread for the Kerry announcement expected shortly. He is using an aircraft carrier as a backdrop.

[texasbluebell]

The only thing I find ironic is the fact that Kerry expressed his shame at participation in the war after he came home and now he wears it as a badge of honor.

Just one of many things that bother me about this man.

[montag813]

Max Cleland being praised.

We savaged the poor guy with our campaign ads for Chambliss which you Georgians may have seen. But that was business, not personal, as Michael Corleone would say.

[Mo1]

The only thing I find ironic is the fact that Kerry expressed his shame at participation in the war after he came home and now he wears it as a badge of honor.

I agree, that is what bothers me

That war was hell and I won't say anything against anyone that served and fought

But the way he is using it for his own political means .. well that bothers me

[montag813]

20 dollars says Kerry's wife swears that his "package" isn't air-brushed in, and that he's ridden Harley's to and from the office for 30 years.

No, Teresa Heinz is more likely to say "John is a closet pro-lifer", or "his schlong is smaller than my husband's was"...etc. She is a total nutcase, liable to say anything. The last major interview she had with Kerry, they argued in front of the reporter, she said she was still "in love" with her (dead) husband and that she still wears their wedding ring.

I DREAM of Kerry on the stump, with FReepers sending out mischief-makers to trip up Teresa and get her to say things which will overshadow everything her husband does.

[Between the Lines]

I wouldn't attack most people's service in Vietnam either, but this guy, JFK(erry), uses it as a prop, so I think it's a fair target. He actually had someone shoot video footage of his exploits there, because he planned to use it in his political career. He was already planning ahead...

Don't get me wrong, I don't like Kerry, but he received a Silver Star, Bronze Star and three awards of the Purple Heart for his service in combat. Not many get three Purple Hearts. He lived it, so he has the right to use it. Regardless of his political view, he has earned the right.

[montag813]

Not many get three Purple Hearts

Weren't two for hangnails?

[Iowamerican]

How many times does Kerry get to announce he's running for president?

57

[ChadGore]

Re: I am certainly not a supporter of Kerry, but I don't think making a mockery of his service in Vietnam is useful or helpful.

The man LEAD an veterans anti-war effort in my country. Certinly that deserves to be explained, does it not ??

IMHO, the larger lesson is "what did we learn from vietname", and karys answer to that question is that the military suchs, and shouldn't be used, whereas most Americans view the lesson of viatname as "Don't let liberals loose a war the military can win"

[TexasNative2000]

hehehehe......

[Mo1]

FOFL!!!! ... That was funny

Well Gephardt is on C-span .. time for the mute botton

[MEG33]

That's what turns people off.He was a vocal leader against the war when he came back,but now uses it as a plus.He obviously served with distinction.He threw someone elses medals across the White House fence to emphasize his disdain without revealing they were not his medals for a very long time.

[kabar]

Kerry is trying to use his war experience as a way to demonstrate that he will be strong on national security issues. It separates him from the rest of the Dems and it is a response to Dubya's proven performance as CIC in the war against terrorism. Unfortunately, his waffling on the Iraq War undercuts the his attempt to be seen as being strong on security.

[ChadGore]

Re: Kerry is trying to use his war experience as a way to demonstrate that he will be strong on national security issues.

FALSE. The democrat party, in my lifetime, lothes all things military.

[Mo1]

Kerry is trying to use his war experience as a way to demonstrate that he will be strong on national security issues. It separates him from the rest of the Dems and it is a response to Dubya's proven performance as CIC in the war against terrorism.

If I thought that was what he was truely doing, I wouldn't say anything

But he uses his service when it suits his needs. Once upon a time he was ashamed of his service .. but now that he is running for President he is proud of his service

That is what bothers me

[kabar]

The man LEAD an veterans anti-war effort in my country. Certinly that deserves to be explained, does it not ??

As a Vietnam veteran who was around at the time, I can understand why there were protests against the war, which becamre more and more unpopular through the late sixties and early seventies. Kerry's participation was obviously motivatted by his political ambitions. He saw it as an opportunity to increase his visibility (including testifying before Congress) and winning points from a disenchanted public. He had the credibility of a war record and being anti-war, something the anti-war movement actively sought. Like Clinton, Kerry was planning a political career from almost the day he entered college. I am always distrustful about people with these political ambitions.

[texasbluebell]

Yes, he lived it (Vietnam), but I find it troubling that some of the people he commanded believe that he put them at risk needlessly, and he was called "reckless" (I think that was the word).

He seems to always have been planning ahead to his political life. I find that a bit of problem, but really no different than some other politicians who live to rule us eventually.

And one of the refreshing things about Ahnuld S. is when he said "I didn't live my whole life to be a governor"...unlike this man JFK(erry).

[texasbluebell]

I am always distrustful about people with these political ambitions.

Exactly.

[Mo1]

As a Vietnam veteran who was around at the time, I can understand why there were protests against the war, which becamre more and more unpopular through the late sixties and early seventies

Protesting against a war I can understand .. spitting on our troops and the way they were treated when they returned home .. That I can never understand and never will

BTW .. thank you for your brave service to our country

[kabar]

FALSE. The democrat party, in my lifetime, lothes all things military

Without knowing your age, the Dems were not always anti-military. Truman, JFK, Johnson, and Carter served honorably in the military (although Johnson's service has some questions, e.g., his award of a Silver Star.) Many of today's Dems, Clinton being the prime example, were part the Vietnam anti-war movement. They are still fighting the caricature of the Dr. Strangelove military filled with generals who were frothing at the mouth to go to war. They learned the wrong lessons from Vietnam.

[kabar]

Protesting against a war I can understand .. spitting on our troops and the way they were treated when they returned home .. That I can never understand and never will

I agree. It was the most difficult part of the War. I blame it on feckless politicians who were afraid to speak out against the treatment of the military who were just instruments in carrying out national policy. We had a draft, which meant that many service personnel were not there willingly. It was easier politically to pander to the anti-war movement. When the US left Vietnam ignominiously in 1975, morale in the military was at an alltime low and the public seemed to blame the military for losing the war--a first for America.

The voluntary military helped restore pride in service and it took Ronald Reagan to provide the resources to build a new force. We have come a long way since those dark days of 1975.