Kerry did NOT make his Vietnam War service

[mourningdove92]

the "centerpiece" of his campaign. I am so sick of hearing the r/w talking heads justify the smear vets based on "Well Kerry made it the centerpiece of his campaign". He asked for it. Its his fault.

His service in Vietnam is part and parcel of who and what he is. He never, in my opinion, made it the centerpiece. How do we debunk this. I am sick of hearing it.

[whistle]

It's the KKKarl Rove/George Bush Big Lie at work...

[movonne]

1. Well why wouldn't he make it a centerpiece...the problem is that

bush did not have any Vietnam War Service. So they have to attact him. You don't smear a vet and a brave on at that because he made it part of his campaign.

[bagnana]

2. Bush made it the centerpiece of the campaign

when he dressed up in a flight suit and played war. He put war and his war credentials at the front and center of this campaign, and if you are going to compare the two, well there ain't no comparison.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

3. Bush is the one who has postured as a warrior

Mr. Bush was the one who went on the aircraft carrier, flying a military jet, wearing a military top gun pilot's uniform, to speak to the crew of a returning warship and proclaimed that his ("HIS" mission) mission was accomplished. Why didn't Mr. Bush appear driving a tank, at a land-based military facility? Could it be that he was suggesting that he too was a former pilot and fellow warrior or was it just coincidence that he chose to fly? It was Mr. Bush who called himself a "War President". It has been Mr. Bush posing with military personnel in the background at his speeches, photo-op after photo-op. It's Mr. Bush who has touted his own service as a jet pilot in the National Guard in his bio at the White House website. It's Mr. Bush who has constantly referred to the fact he is our leader in war and to his status as the Commander-In-Chief of an army on the battlefield. It was Mr. Bush who went to the theater of war in a surprise visit over Thanksgiving and served Turkey to the troops. It was Mr. Bush who even collected a war trophy of Saddam Hussein, a symbol every bit as dramatic as if he had captured his sword after a surrender, when he insisted on placing Saddam's pistol on the wall of his office. It was Bush who stated "Bring Them On" as Commander-In-Chief, belligerently taunting his enemy.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

7. No shit

My dad was an Aviation Electronics Chief on the carriers Constellation and Enterprise during the Vietnam war. I got to know the families of several Navy pilots growing up including one who lost their father in the war. His remains were not recovered till late 1999.

That's why I found Bush's carrier landing stunt so damned insulting.

[jean]

11. exactly! bring the fight to bush. Expose bush. Defending Kerry against

baseless charges makes him look weak like there is something to the charges.

[hansolsen]

4. Here is how he can make that experience come alive in this campaign.

Here is what I want John Kery to say in every campaign speech.

QUOTE
Fellow citizens, hear me: I served in Vietnam and experienced the combat of war. I saw people killed and I killed enemy soldiers. I learned some things from that experience that will profoundly effect the orders I will issue as Commander and Chief. I will keep our soldiers safe from the folly of war. I will not send them on combat missions with no clear objective. I will not send them into battle where they cannot tell friend from foe. I will not ask them to fight for people who will not fight for themselves. I will never send American soldiers on a combat mission with rules of engagement where they cannot fire unless fired upon. I will never ask young soldiers to risk their lives because old men in high places cannot admit their mistakes.

I will go to Baghdad myself and I will meet with the leaders of the Iraqi insurgency. I will end this war on Iraq. I will not fire another shot in that war. I will hold an immediate national referendum in Iraq to determine if the Iraqi people want us to stay. If the people of Iraq want us out of there, I will bring the troops home. If a clear majority of Iraqis want us to stay, I will demand they stand along side American troops and prove it. If they refuse or shirk that duty, I will still bring our troops home. If they want us to stay and will stand with us, I will keep American forces there as true peace keepers.

I believe that God helps those who help themselves, and so do I. That principle will guide my policy in iraq. Please give me your vote and your confidence. Please trust that what I learned in the rice fields of South Vietnam is relevant to what must be done now. I ask for your trust.

[Cha]

5. There was a caller on c-span who was

very eloquent about that when he said that we weren't "occuppying a Country when Clinton was running and now we are"..Kerry showcased his service and brought the Generals out to make people realize that he could be a strong leader in times of conflict..(the last part is paraphrasing.)

The freeper types just use that soundbite..they know nothing else.

[radiclib]

6. Didnotdidtoodidnotdidtoodidnotdidtoodidnotdidtoodidnotdidtoo

See where this is going? I've got an idea. How about let's forget about it.

[robbedvoter]

8. Wrong point - even if he did, lies were not warranted in response

The point is content, not if they related to anything. Had the allegation been true, they would have been relevant, whether kerry mentioned his service or not. But being LIES, they were not invited, deserved or merit any coverage. Period.

[athena]

9. It doesn't matter one bit whether Kerry made it the centerpiece or not.

Kerry making his Vietnam service the centerpiece of his campaign does not make it OK for the right wing to spread lies about it. It does not magically make the lies true.

This is once again the right wing trying to shift the focus away from the real issue.

[jean]

10. can you think of a way to turn it back on bush?

Rove is attacking Kerry's strength - his military record. No doubt he is promoting the mantra, 'Kerry made his military service the centerpiece of his campaign.'

Turn it around - how about bush's military record? Why doesn't bush tout his record or his medals? If someone whines that Kerry threw medals away turn it around = what medals did bush earn? What military experiences qualify him to be Commander in Chief? You can segue from talking about Vietnam and how it was a diversion from the Cold War to talking about how the Iraq attack (based on lies) is a diversion from the War on Terror.

I heard a psych guy on the radio today saying the RNC tried to feminize Kerry at their convention, which weakens his image. (girlie men, wage a 'sensitive' war, he got scratched and got a medal - put a band-aid on that sissy)

Rove takes bush's weaknesses and smears Kerry with them - tries to reflect bush failure onto Kerry, like a mirror. Flip-flopper is one example.

How has bush flip flopped? (there are huge lists of bush's ff's online)

Rove has an excellent noise machine - he inputs daily talking points via drudge or whomever else and the stuff just takes off from there - to the right wing radio and shout fest cable shows.

After Dan Rather broke the news of the TANG memos, the Repubs had the forgery smear going full blast.

I'm no Rove, but should we stop defending Kerry against these fake charges and instead attack bush - play offense?!

Shouldn't we stop shutting down when they say Dems are negative and, instead, move forward and take bush down?

Just take it to them - right in their faces. Go to Kerry's site and gather up some talking points and just let them fly next time you hear this crap.

www.johnkerry.com
Look for Rapid Response, Daily Blog for starters. They've got the site organized so you can choose an issue and get Kerry's stance and anti-bush talking points on it.

:dem: