Military Pundit: Four Months in 'Nam Does Not a President Make
by Chad Groening
August 10, 2004
(AgapePress) - A military watchdog says Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is basing his campaign solely on what he did more than three decades ago. The conservative pundit says that's not enough.
John Kerry regularly touts his military record on the campaign trail -- a record has been at the center of controversy in recent weeks, particularly regarding his short tour of service in Vietnam and the fact that during those four months he garnered a pocketful of combat medals: a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. All of them, according to the candidate's website, were the result of "leadership, courage, and sacrifice" demonstrated as commander of a Swift boat.
But the claims behind those awards have been questioned by many Vietnam veterans who served alongside Kerry -- among them the groups Swift Boat Vets for Truth and the Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry. The latter group also points out the candidate does not like to talk much about his activities after returning from Southeast Asia, which included "rubbing shoulders" with anti-war activist Jane Fonda and heading up the group Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
Elaine Donnelly is president of the Center for Military Readiness (CMR), an independent group that monitors personnel policies in the military. Despite the controversy surrounding Kerry's military decorations, Donnelly says Kerry cannot base his qualification to be president on a mere four-month tour of duty in Vietnam.
"I think many people certainly gave up a lot more than he did in Vietnam," she says, "and to base your entire campaign on something that happened more than three decades ago -- that's just not enough."
Donnelly believes Kerry's anti-military voting record in the Senate proves that actions speak louder than words. "This is a man who has repeatedly voted against weapon systems needed by the armed forces," she notes, adding that Kerry voted against the $87 billion in funding needed for American troops once they were deployed to Iraq.
According to the CMR leader, military veterans who are considering casting a vote for Kerry might also want to take note of another aspect of the senator's voting record: his support for homosexuals in the military. "He voted for open homosexuality in the military with no restrictions whatsoever," Donnelly says. "I would think that many of the veterans who think, 'Well, he's one of us,' should take this particular social issue into consideration."
Why would Kerry support homosexuals in the military? Donnelly offers one possibility: "Because he is a liberal -- he is not a conservative just because he served in Vietnam."
