Senator Kerry draws on '71 Vietnam testimony in asking current vets to speak

[babylonsister]

http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/04/21/kerry-draws-on-71-vietnam-testimony-in-asking-current-vets-to-speak/

Kerry draws on '71 Vietnam testimony in asking current vets to speak
@ 11:43 am by Michael O'Brien


Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) is drawing on his own background as a Vietnam War protester in inviting veterans of the war in Afghanistan to testify in front of the committee this week.

"One of the lessons that I learned a long time ago and lived out here was that it's important to listen to the troops, it's important to listen to the folks who are implementing these policies and putting their lives at risk," Kerry told National Public Radio in an interview. "And they often have perspective that isn't adequately heard."

Kerry's 1971 testimony, which called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam, was controversially used in ads during the 2004 presidential campaign to damage Kerry's efforts.

"So I think it's very important to have that kind of a hearing, and I guess that's sort of one of the lessons from the past, if you will," Kerry added.

[babylonsister]

1. So, why would Kerry encourage this?

:shrug:

[politicasista]

2. Good question

:shrug: :hi:

[babylonsister]

3. Phew! I'm not talking to myself anymore!

:hi: It's puzzling to me. What if the soldiers pan the whole idea when Kerry supports it?

I wonder if that would change his mind. :shrug:

[politicasista]

4. No, you got company

:hi: :grouphug:

I too and wondering how this will pan out. :shrug:

[bertman]

8. Why would Kerry encourage this? A number of possibilities:

first, hearing what the grunts have to say could be instructive. It may not be earth-shattering, but it could be enlightening and help all of us to understand something more about what's going on over there.

Second, if there is a lot of counterproductive stuff going on that we are not hearing about through the corporate media, this might be a good way to take it public.

Third, the guys and gals on the ground are usually the last ones to have any say about what happens in the military hierarchy. Just as Kerry and the Vietnam vets who testified to Congress in '71 presented a side of the war that many Americans did not know about--despite the media coverage of that war--I'm willing to bet that there are plenty of Afghanistan War vets who could help shape public opinion about whether this war is a quagmire or not. (It's important to remember that DU is not representative of the public at large, so our knowledge of these things far exceeds that of the TV-watching public)

Fourth, an honest assessment of the situation by those who are fighting there might be the kind of psychological jolt that America needs in order to force President Obama to reconsider the wisdom of "upping the ante" in Afghanistan.

I'm sure there are more reasons but I can't think of them now.

Oh yes, one more: I remember the feeling of catharsis I had when I watched Kerry and the Winter Soldiers tell their stories of the horrors of Vietnam. I had been back for two years and had only spoken to a couple of other vets about what I had seen there, so seeing others speak openly about what we Americans were doing in the name of the U.S.A. was an unbelievable relief. I think that helped a lot of vets open up and talk about things they never would have. Also, it helped a lot of people get off the fence and start opposing the war.


And, on edit, our collective attention has been drawn to the domestic crises that are consuming the talking heads. When Bush was in power the IVAW and other groups tried to get us to start thinking about Iraq. With attention focused elsewhere, maybe this is Kerry's way of getting this back on the front page. If anyone knows the true cost of what's going on in Afghanistan and Iraq, it's John Kerry. I don't think his conscience will allow him to let this be pushed aside or swept under the rug.

[babylonsister]

9. Thanks for that, bertman.

All those are really valid considerations. I'm glad Kerry is calling for this, just wondered at his motivation. You cleared that up nicely. :hi:

[politicasista]

12. Yep. Thanks

:)

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

5. speaking of Kerry - what the

F?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/apr/21/john-kerry-senate-us-newspapers

Former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry will hold a series of hearings in Washington next month to examine the future of the struggling US newspaper industry.

The hearings by the Senate commerce committee, of which Massachusetts senator Kerry is a member, begin on 6 May, and will examine how the dire financial state of many leading newspaper titles in the US has left them fighting for their survival.





A series? How much will that cost? Seriously. Maybe windsurfing would clear his mind a bit. :shrug:

[babylonsister]

6. Why should it cost anything? And why is that what you're concerned

about? The newspaper industry is dying on the vine, it's huge, and Kerry heads the commerce committee. I believe that's otherwise known as doing his job.

[politicasista]

7. Yep. True

Nice rebuttal. :applause:

[ProSense]

10. "Maybe windsurfing would clear his mind a bit."

Was your question really a serious one or just another chance to spew RW BS?

[politicasista]

11. **crickets**

Good one. :applause: