I'm not registered as either republican or democrat and recently I've tried to read up on the factual accounts and not mere opinions and arguments about the Kerry swiftboat controversy before formulating my own opinion. While I'm not wholly satisfied with every policy and strategy adopted by Bush, I try to be fair and look at the context of the post-9/11 reality that serves as the backdrop to all his actions and policies. I abhor the actions of those among my friends and coworkers who have actually admitted that they will vote democrat this fall regardless of which democrat is running. They're admitting to voting AGAINST Bush and not voting FOR another candidate, which seems a bit irresponsible and irrational to me.
Before long I found myself rather intrigued by Kerry and his Vietnam credentials. After all, his main campaign theme so far has been his many medals and his sacrifice in Vietnam. Forgive me for being uninformed but, for a long time (since before the presidential primaries), all this talk about Kerry's record in Vietnam and his many medals made me automatically assume that he was in combat for a substantial period of time. After all, if he amassed about half a dozen medals, the average person would assume he spent a significant period of time earning that recognition.
I was frankly shocked to find out recently that he served in combat for about 4 months. I was sure they meant 4 years and perhaps with at least 2 of those 4 years spent being tortured at the Hanoi Hilton or recuperating at a hospital after surgery. So when I ascertained with my own research that he really served only 4 months, I began to look at his Vietnam service more closely.
At about the same time I began to hear about how he had fudged on the subject of whose medals he threw over the fence in the early 70s--and whether they were HIS medals vs. HIS ribbons or OTHER VETS' ribbons/medals. I think most people on this forum know what his answers were, which he offered on various talk shows, including Meet the Press with Tim Russert. And I also think that most reasonable people, regardless of their political persuasions, will have to agree that Kerry has been less than truthful about this medal/ribbon-throwing episode.
I became more suspicious about the veracity of Kerry's own assertions and senate testimony when Kerry's own campaign people recently tried to do damage control over the now-debunked Christmas in Cambodia incident, which Kerry said was "seared into his memory." Kerry and his campaign staff are now saying that he might have been confused as to the date and as to whether he really was in Cambodia--basically, about something that he asserted was "seared into his memory." That's downright embarrassing.
Believe me, I really wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I could no longer do so unconditionally--even though I really wanted us to have a viable alternative to Bush. And then more recently, I began to see various Swiftboat Veteran ads on TV. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. My only thought was: Mr. Kerry, please sue these people for slander and libel to prove that none of these horrific allegations is true. It's been almost a month and he has done no such thing, other than express his indignation at the smear tactics employed by Bush and the Swiftboat Veterans, but I have yet to be able to see any incontrovertible proof that Bush had anything to do with either organizing the Swiftboat group or helping them spread "lies" about Kerry. (Besides, if those "lies" are not lies but the truth, what difference does it make if the republicans encouraged the Swiftboat vets to come forward, even assuming that the republicans did any such thing.)
Anyway, I thought I owed it to myself to do further research and take the time to read the book, rather than just go on what the press has been saying about the book. I'm really glad I did. I received the book a couple of days ago and went through it in almost record time. I simply couldn't put it down. If even half of the allegations in the book are true, I'm amazed at how Kerry and his campaign folks even have the gall to run for president. He should be lucky he's not a pariah. However, if any of the major allegations (filing falsified reports to obtain medals, serving as the Vietcong's advocate in the U.S. as well as in Paris, and smearing Vietnam vets and MIAs/POWs with false allegations of war crimes, etc.) is unsubstantiated, why won't he simply sue them? At the very least, why won't he simply fill out a form so the Navy can release his records to resolve all this mess once and for all? I simply don't get it. Even if he is not a litigious person by nature, he surely must realize that his run for the presidency is important to America and to himself enough to warrant suing to clear his good name. His not suing and his not releasing his complete service records leave me only one inescapable conclusion....
In closing, I'd like to say that, while I'm far from being 100% satisfied with Bush's performance, I cannot in good conscience vote a disingenuous, self-serving opportunist such as Kerry into the White House just because I don't like Bush. My vote--and that of all Americans--is way too sacred and important to waste on someone who has shown contempt and lack of support for our brave and self-sacrificing men and women on the front lines.
I hope I'm wrong about Kerry. I hope he'll release his records to set all this straight once and for all. But until he does, I now have a brand new--and negative--regard for him. And it makes me very sad. I feel like I've been had by Kerry. But at the same time I'm relieved that I took the time to read this book BEFORE the election and not AFTER. Thank you very much for allowing me to share these words with you.
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