At some point Kerry will have to face the elephant in the room.

[Southern Patriot]

He missed a fantastic opportunity today at the American Legion.

The elephant is Kerry's anti-war activities after Vietnam.

Kerry must seek reconciliation with the vets. He must face squarely and acknowledge his writings and activities in the anti-war movement. He must take ownership of his position then and justify it, explain it and make the reasonable disgruntled vets understand.

Vietnam has been a festering wound for 35 years. He would do a public service by explaining the situation to the several generations who have come of age since Vietnam. He should certainly lance that wound for the Vietnam generation.

You can be sure that many of the vets in the Foreign Legion audience today know of this excerpt from Kerry's anti-war book, "The New Soldier."

"And so a New Soldier has returned to America, to a nation torn apart by the killing we were asked to do. But, unlike veterans of other wars and some of this one, the New Soldier does not accept the old myths. We will not quickly join those who march on Veteran's Day waving small flags, calling to memory those thousands who died for the "greater glory of the United States"." "We will not readily join the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars...." "We will not uphold traditions which decorously memorialize that which was base and grim"

Kerry's speech today should have been a call to heal old wounds and to move forward. It would have been a difficult speech. He might have gotten a negative reaction. But, ultimately, he needs face this issue. The Repubs are NOT going to let it go away. Some people will continue to hate Kerry. Many more will give him credit for facing the issue squarely.

[volosong]

1. Don't Tell Me Kerry Blew Another Opportunity

Christ Almighty, I thought that he was going to attack it head on today.

Now for sure, it will never go away. Forget about the White House because without a major turnaround it isn't going to happen.

[KittyWampus]

20. He Most Certainly DID Talk About His Activities After Viet Nam

original poster must not have listened.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

2. His legislative record on veterans speaks for itself.

[Blayde Starrfyre]

3. Nope. Can't do that.

Republicans would jump on that as "KERRY FLIP-FLOPPED!!! KERRY FLIP-FLOPPED!!!!"

[DemNoir]

4. Yeah ok

Nice try.

[JI7]

5. just what i was thinking

[annxburns]

6. I'm sorry but the "Elephant in the Room"

is not Vietnam but Iraq. And that is what Dems have to pound.

These chickenhawks never learned the lessons of Vietnam because they didn't go through it.

Now what do we see -

1000 dead soldiers
8000 serious injuries
Tens of thousands of civilian deaths
A failed chain of command leading to abuses like the Iraq prison scandal
No exit strategy
We were told an easy victory but no end is sight.

And for what?

No WMDs
No link to 9/11
and our invasion has made more terrorists not less.

Those are real issues. Kerry repeating what other vets told him they did 30+ years ago is not.

[AP]

8. There's an elephant in the DU room, and it has nothing to do with Kerry.

[JI7]

10. hahhaha, isn't that the truth

[henslee]

22. Man, phony posts reek like a ripe Freedom cheese.

Looks like its desperation time.

[Southern Patriot]

12. I agree with all of your statements but Kerry must neutralize this issue.

NM

[WI_DEM]

7. Kerry's speech today to AL was excellent

He doesn't have anything to apologize for what he did after the war. He served and then came home and tried to stop others from being killed in a unwinnable and misguided war.

[Southern Patriot]

13. I didn't say "apologize." * nm

nm

[LTR]

9. I think he did well today

This speech set the tone for the Fall stretch of the campaign. I'm sure the VVAW issue will be discussed soon. This one was on topic, and it was a great speech.

I'm sure most veterans who have seen the stuff Kerry has understand why Kerry did what he did. He didn't rat on his fellow soldiers - the soldiers he mentioned in his Senate testimony admitted their actions to him, and encouraged him to deliver the message. Kerry did not name names.

[speedoo]

11. Sorry, but I think you've been watching too many Swiftliar ads.

As another posted pointed out, the elephant in the room is indeed Iraq, not Vietnam.

1,000 soldiers dying in an unnecessary war that dumbya has colossally mismanged is what people will be thinking about on Nov. 3, not Vietnam.

[dogtag]

18. Every repug talking head

that I've seen today has baited Kerry to apologize. This is obviously a BIG talking point and it's everywhere. Please don't bite on this one. It would be the kiss of death.

The only thing he needs to say is that when he appeared before the Senate it was because he felt that enough young men had died and he tried to stop the bloodshed. End of friggen story. He has NOTHING to apologize for. 300 men per week were dying at the time. What's so hard to understand?

[Southern Patriot]

19. I agree that Kerry must be MUCH more aggressive in

condemning the conduct of the Iraq War/Peace--- and much more emphatic about how his administration would differ from another four years of Bush in "winning the peace in Iraq".

But, he can't ignore the underlying issue of his opposition to the War in Vietnam. It's damaging by itself and it's an incendiary cultural issue for many people.

He's made his Vietnam experience the centerpiece of his introduction to the American people. He must illusrate his philosophical consistency throughout his career--- from volunteering to protesting to reconciling the USA with Vietnam.

[apnu]

14. This is crap!

Tons of veterans protested Viet Nam. Tons of veterans are still pissed off at our government for screwing them in a barrel not once (sending them there), but twice (when they got home)

This whole 'veterans hating Kerry for his protesting' thing is a bunch of bunko FUD.

IMO, Kerry should stand up and say 'Yeah, I fookin' spoke out on the war. The war was really fooked up when I was there!'

He should take pride in the fact that he volunteered for the war, volunteered for one of the most dangerous jobs in the war, and came home and said "This shit is whacked dude, and it's gotta stop!"

What is wrong with our culture where someone can get involved in something then realize later it was a bad idea and speak out against it? That's utter crap! That means every AA, NA, (and all the other recovery groups out there) are suddenly invalidated by that logic. Take Viet Nam out of the argument, and install drinking and you get this: "Oh, you drank too much and NOW you say its dumb to drink? What are you a hypocrite?!?!"

I'm not taking this out on you specifically, I'm just PO'd at this stupid thing.

The GOP won't let it go away, yes, so embrace the anti-war portion of his past. Hell, everybody who protested the Iraq War will be voting for him, a very large portion of the Democratic Party is anti-war. Hell, the nation is polling right now that Iraq sucks and it was a dumb idea.

Failure to do so, IMO, is letting the GOP dictate what kind of character JK shows the nation. And that's crap too!

[michigandem2]

15. I don't think that testimony was BAD

there are SOME people who feel it was brave to come forward against the government that sent them to war the way they did...and he was speaking FOR many soldiers that DID actually do that stuff...

I dont' get this place sometimes

[Southern Patriot]

26. Personally, I thought that his testimony was great.

I opposed the war and fortunately was just a little too young to be drafted. His efforts probably kept me from being drafted.

BUT, a lot of people at the time disagreed with opposition to the war. They thought that opponents like Kerry were at least malcontents if not out-and-out traitors. These people are stirring up the old divisions--- mischaracterizing Kerry and the ant-war movement to many who weren't even born during Vietnam.

[mondo joe]

16. No, Kerry just needs to assert his position clearly and concisely.

He just needs to say he did his duty when called, both in the war and in opposition to it, that he ALWAYS supported the soldiers though he opposed the leadership.

[Southern Patriot]

23. Fine. But he needs to address the issue.

I'm neither a professional politician nor a Repub shill.

My approach might be a tactical mistake. But I don't think so.

I think people want someone who takes firm, clearcut positions.

Bush appeals to people that way. It's just that his positions are clearly and emphatically stupid.

[unfrigginreal]

17. Baloney!

But all the GOP strategists that were on after Kerry's speech today agree with you.

[Southern Patriot]

21. Yeah, Whatever. ***

***

[Democat]

24. If Kerry appologizes after the GOP tells him to, why would we want him?

Democrats don't want a weak leader who will bow to every Republican demand, no matter how fucking stupid.

I haven't heard the speech yet, so I don't know how good it was, but if Kerry does everything the GOP tells him to do, why would I support him?

If we want Bush, we could just vote for Bush.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

25. I guess you're gullible enough to believe the media whores & Swiftliar Ads

I think you're mistaken in your analysis.

[Trajan]

27. This thread stinks ....

The elephant in the room .... is this thread .....

[Southern Patriot]

28. Cute cats.

No I don't buy the SwiftLiars line o' crap. I DO live in the south which reflects concerns of a lot of independent.