By Kevin Ewalt
Senior Page Editor ’04

The Democratic nomination for president is all but official now, and it looks like John Kerry will be the nominee. And with many political scientists and pollsters claiming this fall’s election to be the election for “NASCAR Dads,” John Kerry is tirelessly wondering what “it is Republicans who didn’t serve in Vietnam have against those of us who did.”

John Kerry went as far as writing an open letter to President Bush stating, “Over the last week, you and your campaign have initiated a widespread attack on my service in Vietnam, my decision to speak out to end that war, and my commitment to the defense of this nation.” He later wrote, “Just today Saxby Chambliss was carrying out this attack for you.”
Did anyone know John Kerry served in Vietnam?

Yes, apparently the haughty, French looking, Massachusetts Democrat was responding to remarks made by Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss who said “[Kerry’s] 32-year voting record to cut defense programs and defense systems” is what the people of Georgia would look at when deciding who to vote for.

Chambliss did exaggerate a little, as Kerry was first sent to Congress in 1985. But since he was discharged from service in 1969, Kerry has made it a point to speak out, when he can, to all things involving the military. Since Vietnam, Kerry, on principle, has gone against the United States military with such passion that he even has supported communists in Nicaragua. In regard to Reagan’s foreign policy regarding communist rebels and communist dictators in South America, the Democratic frontrunner said, “I see an enormous haughtiness in the United States trying to tell them what to do.” Nicaragua held its first free election in 1990, despite Kerry’s best efforts to stop it.

What voting record was Chambliss talking about? According to the Washington Post, Kerry has opposed spending and development on the latest weapons that would help keep America’s servicemen safe, which include: the B-1 bomber, the B-2, the F-15, the F-14A, the F-14D, the AH-64 Apache helicopter, the AV-8B Harrier jet, the Patriot missile, the Aegis air-defense cruiser as well as Bradley Fighting vehicles and a whole other assortment of conventional weapons.
Kerry’s biggest weakness is his 19 year Senate career, which has left him with a long voting record. However, if Republicans cite the numerous occasions Kerry has voted to gut defense spending as proof of him being weak on national security, Kerry’s camp, as well as other prominent Democrats, lash out in outrage and wonder how people could question Kerry’s patriotism. The only problem is that Republicans are not questioning this man’s patriotism; they are rather questioning his voting record. Although Republicans could question his patriotism since Kerry has spoken out against the troops who fought in Vietnam, he “threw away his medals” he received in service (but miraculously trumps around his three Purple Hearts), and has admitted to committing war crimes.

Kerry also sought to disrupt many Vietnam homecomings during the war with Hanoi Jane (Fonda) whose patriotism everyone knows is non-existent. (According to the Wall Street Journal, he lobbied many prominent New York politicians to cancel any sort of government sposored rendez-vous.) Be that as it may, Republicans are more interested in Kerry’s voting record, and that is one of the campaign strategies they will use in the next few months.

Kerry has so far dodged questions about his voting record during the Democratic primary, which comes to no surprise, since partisan Democrats who vote in primaries usually agree with the voting record of an establishment Democrat. But come this November, the general population of voters is going to be a lot less forgiving when it comes to changing the subject.