I respectfully disagree with your stand on the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" ad. Since it seems as though every other sentence out of John Kerry's mouth has to do with his Vietnam service record, I believe that it is very fair to challenge that service record - if for no other reason than President Bush's military records have been challenged as well.
Also to compare the record of Kerry to that of Sen. John McCain is totally unfair. Being wounded in war is, indeed, a terrible thing but to compare that to 51/2 years in a Hanoi prison is no comparison. I objected to the criticism of McCain during the last Bush campaign as well.
I, too, object strongly to the unregulated soft money activity, but has Kerry objected to all the MoveOn.org ads slamming Bush for most everything?
We need to concentrate on today's issues, not yesterday's. We need to get past this and spend time on the critical issues that are happening in today's world, not 30 years ago.
-- Michael King, St. Petersburg
Slanderous accusations
Re: An ugly attack.
Your excellent editorial appeared just as I was thinking how unfortunate it is that Sen. John Kerry cannot dignify the cheap, vicious attack on his Vietnam War combat service with a response, and wondering also why the media have been strangely quiet about this issue.
As someone who had an experience similar to Kerry's during the World War II battle for Leyte, for which I was awarded a Purple Heart and a Soldiers Medal (for saving lives, comparable to the Silver Star), I guarantee that a 20-something-year-old nonprofessional soldier in command of troops in combat doesn't think about medals, only getting the mission accomplished with as few casualties as possible. I had no clue that I had been recommended for these decorations until ordered to appear at an awards presentation ceremony several weeks later.
The accusation that Kerry "lied to get his Bronze Star," made by a carefully chosen, richly financed group of politically opposed vets a generation after the fact, is, as Sen. John McCain said, "dishonest and dishonorable."
We know politics can be a dirty business, but these slanderous accusations against John Kerry are beyond the pale. They should be brought to court where their partisan venality can be exhibited for all to see.
-- Joseph H. Francis, St. Petersburg
Look into the records
Re: An ugly attack.
I was appalled by your outrage about the accusations leveled at John Kerry's military service in Vietnam. Rather than researching the material to determine its merit, you immediately used the tactic of attacking the accusers. Did you do the same when President Bush was accused of skipping National Guard service? I think not.
You are also concerned because a Republican in Texas contributed funds to produce the ad. Do you have equal concerns about the tens of millions of dollars that George Soros is funneling to 527 groups that are producing distorted and misleading ads to bash President Bush?
I personally believe that events of more than 30 years ago should have little bearing on selecting the next leader of the country. However, John Kerry has made his military service in Vietnam the centerpiece of his campaign. He should offer some explanation of the charges against him and release all pertinent records of his service in Vietnam. For instance, why did he leave his crew in Vietnam after serving just over four months?
Simply saying that the accusations have no merit is a very poor journalistic approach. Do your job: Look into the records and draw conclusions from the facts, not simply a partisan view.
-- Joe Wareham, Tierra Verde
Attacks on Kerry are shameful
As you noted in your editorial An ugly attack, it seems commonplace for this president to condone "political filth," as has been done in the attacks on John Kerry.
He did it against John McCain in his party's nominating campaign in 2000, and had McCain won the nomination, it would have been a landslide victory for him.
As a veteran of World War II, in a family tree of 28 veterans, with four Purple Hearts and one who was killed in action since World War I, I cast my first vote in 1948 for Harry Truman. I have never voted party lines, and when I cast my 15th straight presidential vote in November it certainly won't be for the worst president and the worst commander in chief of my lifetime.
All veterans who would dignify the attacks on Kerry's military record, just as was done on McCain's in 2000, by a political candidate and a bunch of malcontents who never even served alongside these two, should be ashamed of themselves.
Wonder what John F. Kennedy, known for his PT boat heroics, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, our masterful commander in chief and great president would say to all of you if they were alive today.
-- Bruno L. Kearns, New Port Richey
Let them be heard
Re: An ugly attack.
"Whether John Kerry is the better presidential candidate is up to debate. His service in Vietnam is not," said the editorial.
You can't be serious. Kerry's service in Vietnam is the centerpiece of his campaign, and he has invoked his military credentials at every turn of his run for president, despite the fact it's ancient history. All one had to do was tune in for his acceptance speech at the DNC to see how important his time in Vietnam is to his campaign. Surrounded by a handful of his "band of brothers," Kerry informed this country, "I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty." The fact is, Kerry's lackluster career has left him little else to run on.
And I find it very disturbing that other swift boat commanders and an admiral have chosen to actively oppose Kerry. Perhaps, instead of lambasting those who oppose your candidate, you should dig a little deeper and find out exactly what he's all about. If being a swift boat commander is of such great importance, and qualifies a person to run this country, maybe they all deserve the opportunity to be heard!
-- Thomas Clark, St. Petersburg
Bush should condemn ad
As a life-long registered Republican, I am appalled by President Bush's failure to strongly condemn the recent ad put forth by the group "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." Sen. John McCain is absolutely right to call it disgusting and dishonorable. The president's failure to address the issue directly is a stain on his own character and implies that he condones character assassination as a political tool.
Perhaps he himself is not responsible for the ad, but you can be sure his political cronies were. They are masters at controlling their troops. As party CEO, the president has an obligation to speak out.
Like many folks these days I am getting really tired of the negative focus of political discourse. Tell me what you are going to do tomorrow, not what you failed to do 30 and 40 years ago. President Bush, of all people, should understand this.
Mr. President, you owe John Kerry, John McCain and the rest of the nation an apology for not immediately denouncing this negative and personal attack. I hope you show the character and courage to do so.
-- David Henderson, St. Petersburg
Kerry merits closer scrutiny
Your Aug. 9 editorial dismisses the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" ad out of hand and assassinates the honor and integrity of those who sponsor it, calling them dishonest and indecent. One of your reasons is that these men did not serve on the boat with Sen. John Kerry. They include at least 12 other swift boat officers who served with him in Coastal Division 11. They were his peers, men who commanded other swift boats in his division. Many of these men were also recipients of Purple Hearts and other medals for valor in combat. They served with honor. The derogatory descriptions in your editorial are indicative to me of extreme bias or lack of good investigative reporting to get the facts. They have a story and deserve to be heard if it is in fact the truth.
There are many indicators regarding Kerry's service in Vietnam that beg for closer investigation and scrutiny. Particularly since this man could be our next president. I encourage the Times to assign some of its legendary and award-winning investigative reporters to this story and thoroughly and fairly vet it.
-- Gary E. Brown, St. Petersburg
Not seeking honest dialogue
The scurrilous attack on John Kerry's combat record in Vietnam, by a group calling itself the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth," serves notice to all that George Bush's Republican right is not interested in an honest dialogue about the effective governance of this country since 2000, and for the future. After all, if your record is indefensible, what alternative do you have but a personal attack on your opponent?
These low-brow accusations lead me to ask: Who better to know what John Kerry really did in the "fog and friction" of combat than the men who served aboard his gunboat, or the Green Beret he rescued? Would the "Swift Boat Veterans" have us believe that these brave men are all liars? Or, by extension, are we to believe that the facts of the matter were fabricated somewhere in the chain of command through which Kerry's recommendations for decoration were processed? As a retired military officer and veteran of air operations in Southeast Asia, I am repulsed by such suggestions.
By the way, I find it interesting that Sen. John McCain - like Kerry, a legitimate war hero - has condemned the smear and is calling on President Bush to do the same, something the White House is refusing to do. Why am I not surprised?
-- David L. Booker, Dade City
A pundit's poor pummeling
Re: Kerry's convention efforts were wasted, Aug. 6.
Columnist Charles Krauthammer follows the time-honored tradition of right-wing pundits: Set up a false scarecrow and then pummel it with invective. Dishonesty helps.
Krauthammer falsely accuses Bill Clinton of arguing for John Kerry because of an alleged "centrality of military service" as a prerequisite for service as president. That is untrue. Clinton commended Kerry for saying "send me" in repeated calls for military and public service.
Krauthammer also has it wrong when he implies that Abraham Lincoln had no military service prior to becoming president and commander in chief. Lincoln served three months during the Black Hawk War of 1832.
Your right-wing columnist has earned the opprobrium Sen. John McCain has rightfully directed at the "dishonest and dishonorable" ad which "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" are peddling. For shame!
-- Joe Connor, Redington Shores
Unimpressive numbers
Re: Business leaders for Kerry, Aug. 5.
One cannot help but wonder what this article does for the John Kerry campaign. Wow! Two hundred "business leaders"! You could probably find 200 business leaders in Pinellas County, who support George Bush. Maybe even 200 union members. Maybe even 200 Democrats. Your article was not very newsworthy.
-- John Mitchell, St. Petersburg
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