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Vietnam Veterans Against the War, the organization Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry helped lead in the early '70s after returning from his four-month tour of duty, decided to take down the U.S. flag that hung above the door of its Washington office after it caused "bad feelings." The minutes of a July 1971 staff meeting at VVAW include the following item under the heading "Washington office."

Retired Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr. has come forward to dispute John Kerry's contention that his first Purple Heart resulted from enemy fire. Schachte, who spoke to columnist Robert Novak, says he was in command of the small boat, a "skimmer," when the incident occurred on Kerry's first combat mission.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Democrats Thursday rolled out their campaign to counter next week's Republican National Convention with a catchphrase taken from President Bush's lexicon and the famous banner hung aboard the USS Lincoln when he declared the end of combat operations in Iraq.

SAN FRANCISCO — "Bourne Supremacy" star Matt Damon (search), "Lost in Translation" actress Scarlett Johansson (search) and other celebrity artists are donating their talents -- not just their cash -- to an online effort to unseat President Bush. The Internet political group MoveOn.org on Tuesday premieres 10 new anti-Bush ads created by award-winning directors and starring popular Hollywood actors. An independent group not connected directly to Democratic candidate John Kerry (search), MoveOn has promised an unconventional approach to the election.

If you're confused and need direction this political season, hold tight, because you can be sure that a rock star will be along shortly to show you the way. Musicians, some loosely defined, are mobilizing big-time this year to oust Bush. A CD, titled "Rock Against Bush, Vol. I," was released earlier this year, purportedly to raise money for organizations which encourage young people to vote. Bands such as Sum 41, Offspring, New Found Glory and Jello Biafra with D.O.A. are included on the compact disc – I believe the latter is also included on the dessert menu.

Presidential candidate John Kerry can count on the support of at least one group of Vietnam Veterans – and they're still in Vietnam. Following Kerry's denunciation of the ad by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, criticizing him for exaggerating his war record, a group of former U.S. soldiers gathered in Hanoi to express their support for Kerry and to call President Bush a "draft dodger" for his service in the Texas Air National Guard during the war. And they were selling T-shirts to tourists to raise money for Kerry's campaign.

WASHINGTON -- The co-author of the best-selling book "Unfit for Command" says today's statement by a Chicago Tribune editor and former swift boat commander does not substantively contradict his findings about John Kerry's Silver Star. William Rood, 61, said he decided to break his silence today about the Feb. 28, 1969, mission because recent reports of Kerry's actions in that battle are incorrect and darken the reputations of veterans who served with Kerry, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune.

In the wake of WorldNetDaily's story yesterday which showed a 48-state victory for President Bush in an America Online straw poll, Democrat John Kerry has experienced a surge, jumping from just 13 electoral votes to 111, while Bush's electoral total has dropped from 525 to 427.

Before heading down to Florida for some campaigning, President Bush nominated Congressman Porter Goss as the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Later, brother Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida, greeted Bush as he headed to the Pensacola Civic Center for a rally, and an 'Ask the President' town hall at Okaloosa-Walton Community College Gymnasium in Niceville, Fla. Arizona Senator John McCain joined the President in Pensacola. Meanwhile, First Lady Laura Bush made a campaign stop of her own at campaign stop at Gruber's Quilt Shop in Waite Park, Minn. Enjoy your daily dose of Dubya!

Under pressure from Democrats, two television stations are reported to have dropped the ad by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that charges John Kerry has lied about his Vietnam war record. WBAY in Green Bay, Wisc., refused to run it, according to Human Events. And WTVG in Toledo, Ohio, dropped the ad after the Kerry campaign used a story in the Boston Globe yesterday to convince the station's management it was false, the Drudge Report said.

WASHINGTON – If John Kerry is elected president and doesn't immediately pull U.S. troops out of Iraq, he could be faced with an unusual situation – anti-war protests by a group modeled after the one he led during the Vietnam War. A new organization, Iraq Veterans Against the War, is just that – an organization inspired by Kerry's own Vietnam Veterans Against the War legacy.

The reasons being given why George W. Bush will not be reelected are the very reasons he will be reelected – and by an impressive margin. This is because his opponents have grossly failed to judge the nature of America and the character of the man, himself – the same way and for the same reasons Ronald Reagan’s opponents grossly misjudged him and the nature of America during his presidency. It’s no accident that many of those now maligning Bush are of the same crowd in the news media who maligned Reagan. They are still making the same self-defeating mistake...

It's not merely that they want to rally 'round our leader - though they do. It's not that they think their man wasn't up to the job - they think he was. But with almost audible sighs of relief, some top people who worked for Al Gore privately tell me they are glad (relieved might be a better word) that George Bush - not Bill Clinton's veep - is in the White House now. The reasons are complex, but the bottom line is not: "I'm glad Bush is in there.’

MAUMEE, Ohio (AP) — President Bush rode across Ohio on Tuesday in a bus emblazoned, "Yes, America can." Turns out the bus was made in Canada. So was the "Real Deal Express" that Democrat John Kerry rode earlier in the year. Both were made by Prevost Car, which is owned by the Swedish Volvo Bus Corp. and Britain's Henly's Group PLC. Its manufacturing facility is in St. Claire, Quebec. Bush campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel defended the president's use of a foreign-made bus and said many of the components on the red-white-and-blue coaches, along with their engines and tires, are American-made....

LEBANON, United States (AFP) - US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) joked that his Democratic rival for the White House, Senator John Kerry (news - web sites), has foreign "mystery men" supporters -- but no real world leaders behind him. Kerry said in March that decision-makers from abroad told him privately they hoped he will defeat the president in the November 2 election, but he has refused to identify them. "He claims to have picked up some important endorsements from foreign leaders," Bush said. "Whoever these mystery men are, they will not be deciding this election." "I'm...

<p>IN 1972, America was in rotten shape. U.S. forces were being pulled out of Vietnam, and it was clear that in the long term, Communist victory was inevitable. Inflation was spiraling out of control, and the wage-and-price controls imposed by the government to stop it weren't working. Cities were wracked by waves of violent crime never before seen.</p>

A daily tracking poll weighing support for President Bush and Sen. John Kerry today shows the Democratic candidate with a 6 percentage point lead, his largest of the year. The poll, released by Rasmussen Reports, has Kerry leading Bush, 48 percent to 42 percent. Bush's showing is the lowest level of support he has received since Kerry emerged as the front-runner for the Democrats. Also, the result marks a 9-point net gain for Kerry since Friday, even though a strong jobs reports released last week was expected to benefit Bush. Bush received some good news on the economic front, with...

President Bush has regained the lead from Sen. John Kerry in the latest IBD/TIPP Poll as the boost the challenger got from the Democratic primaries wears off and the incumbent starts his own campaign in earnest. The nationwide poll of 863 adults taken last Monday through Thursday showed that, among 743 registered voters, Bush leads Kerry 45% to 40%, with 6% going to Independent Ralph Nader.In a two-way race Bush leads Kerry 46% to 43%.A week earlier, Bush trailed Kerry in IBD/TIPP polling by a 44%-41% margin. But the president reclaimed support in his traditional strongholds. now leads Kerry 56%...

The stock market’s impressive year-end rally has more political content than most observers recognize. And the central market message is this: George W. Bush’s reelection stock is climbing rapidly. The investor class likes what it sees in the rebounding economy and is moving strongly into the president’s column. In effect, both the rising economy and the rallying markets are voting for Bush. Investors, and the majority of Americans, also understand that the capture of Saddam Hussein is a huge event — not just a morale booster. It means a significant lift for safety and security as U.S. defense and intelligence...

<p>The significant rise in the number of Americans who name Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as the woman they most admire adds new fuel to hopes — or fears — that she will enter the presidential race.</p> <p>"This only helps to feed the speculation that Hillary might enter the race," Democratic campaign consultant Gale Kaufman said of the new Gallup poll showing, for the sixth time in the last seven years, that Mrs. Clinton is tops among the nation's most-admired women.</p>