John Kerry was a courageous Navy officer in Vietnam, and he has the medals to prove it (three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star for combat) - or at least he did until he came home and gave the medals back to protest the war. More recently, the Massachusetts Democrat voted for the Senate resolution authorizing President Bush to wage war to oust Saddam Hussein, a vote that is costing him politically among antiwar activists in his party.
Pretty good war credentials, right? But if you were listening to Republicans last week, you might have thought Kerry, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, had pulled a Jane Fonda, that he had gone to Baghdad and posed for photos with Iraqi soldiers on an anti-aircraft gun.
What Kerry did was tell a New Hampshire audience that Bush has so alienated important allies that only a new president can repair the damage. "What we need now is not just a regime change in Saddam Hussein and Iraq, but we need a regime change in the United States," the senator said.
He probably wishes he had chosen his words more carefully. In wartime, it's not a good idea to appropriate the commander in chief's rhetoric to criticize him on the campaign trail. Republican leaders and right-wing gasbags on talk radio all but accused him of giving aid and comfort to the enemy. It was a splendid blend of demagoguery and hypocrisy.
Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist said Kerry's "petty, partisan insults launched solely for political gain are highly inappropriate at a time when American men and women are in harm's way." House Majority Leader Tom Delay offered this soundbite: "America before New Hampshire." And this from House Speaker Dennis Hastert: "Senator Kerry's remark, equating regime change in Iraq with regime change in the United States, is not what we need at this time."
Kerry retorted that "I don't need any lessons in patriotism" from the likes of Frist, Delay and Hastert, none of whom has served their country in uniform. But it's not the Republican cheap shots Kerry has to worry about. It's the jabs of antiwar Democrats that sting and hurt. Joe Trippi, the campaign director for former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, the antiwar candidate, called Kerry's "regime change" remarks "flabbergasting." Trippi was quoted in news reports as saying, "How do you say things like that when you voted to give (Bush) a blank check for war?"
The senator's vote for the war resolution is making life difficult for him on the campaign trail. The party's antiwar wing is smitten at the moment by Dean, an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq from the start.
Hey, what about Florida's Bob Graham? He's the only member of Congress in the presidential race to vote against the war resolution. Why aren't antiwar Democrats flocking to him? Graham has been one of his party's most effective critics on the war. Maybe it's because Dean has better soundbites on the war.
Since voting for the war resolution, Kerry has criticized the president for not giving diplomacy more time. Dean has accused Kerry of waffling on the issue, trying to play both sides of the street. Kerry needs to win the New Hampshire primary, since he hails from the neighboring state of Massachusetts. So does Dean, from the neighboring state of Vermont. Both are virtual "favorite sons" in New Hampshire. A poll conducted last week found that Kerry and Dean are tied among likely Democratic voters in New Hampshire.
Dean also appears to have an advantage in Iowa, where antiwar sentiment among Democrats is strong. According to the Boston Globe, Kerry's provocative "regime change" comments may be part of an effort to make peace with antiwar activists. The paper also said the criticism runs counter to a pledge Kerry made March 18, the day before the war began. The senator said at the time he would tone down his criticism of the administration once American troops went into battle.
Kerry entered the presidential race convinced that his Vietnam War record would shield him from the kind of Scud attacks Republicans are known for. No one could portray this bemedaled Vietnam vet as another soft-on-defense liberal. The problem, however, is not his patriotism, which is unquestionable. It's his political courage. On war with Iraq, Kerry has not shown much.
If Republicans really want to question someone's patriotism, they might consider one Nicholas De Genova, an anthropology professor at Columbia University. Here's what he said at a recent antiwar teach-in at Columbia: "The only true heroes are those who find ways that help defeat the U.S. military. I personally would like to see a million Mogadishus."
Eighteen American soldiers were ambushed and killed and 77 were wounded in the Somali capital in 1993. The body of one American was dragged through the dusty streets. Let's see, 18 x 1-million . . .
Apparently he loathes Jews as much as he loathes Americans. At a pro-Palestinian rally last year, the professor said: "The heritage of the victims of the Holocaust belongs to the Palestinian people. The state of Israel has no claim to the heritage of the Holocaust."
Makes you wonder what goes on inside his classroom - and his head.
[Last modified April 6, 2003, 01:16:49]
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