Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Okay...thats it, Kerry now "officially" has my vote

irateplatypus · 09-07-2004, 03:33 PM

as a disclaimer, i think we should take a step back from this issue and all of its myriad wrinkles and re-examine how much you think it should effect the election. i frequently hear of people dismissing this issue as ancillary to the real issues... yet voters on both sides are clearly agitated by it. with the war on terror, education, economical concerns, gay marriage and stem cell research on the docket for the more pertinent issues... i think we should all take a page from our own books and refuse to be effected by the posturing on this issue.

do you think john kerry honestly thinks that his short service in vietnam makes him qualified to be commander in chief by itself? do you honestly think the GOP campaign thinks the swiftvets allegations (whether completely true or not) completely disqualify a seasoned senator from being able to fill the Presidential office? i'm confident the answer to both questions is "no". i'm often just as guilty, but both sides have us dancing to this sensational tune while there are so many more useful things to base our vote on. that being said... a poster politely asked for my input on this development and this is my response.

there is a line we must walk between pragmatism and justice. for myself, i consider the likelihood of kerry engaging in dishonest self-promotion in his war record to be strong. even so, i'm willing to forgive senator kerry for these indiscretions for the health of our republic. this means that i believe that the pentagon investigation, while it may shed genuine light on the truth, should not continue till either the end of the election (if bush wins) or after kerry's term (should he win). i value the truth and vindication of the veteran's testimony should it ever arrise... but i think the cost of immediate justice if the facts go against kerry's word is too high for our country to pay right now.

bottomline: i'm not opposed to a thorough investigation into kerry's past, but i think it should take place at a time free from political considerations. if kerry is lying about key events he will receive his due measure of scorn, but this way the country will not have to pay the price for either party's lies.

what would i like to see happen? i'm doubting the President personally initiated the investigation, but he certainly has the power to stop it. he should tell the pentagon to halt it until the political process plays itself out. similarly, i believe kerry should tone down his rhetoric about his vietnam days. he isn't beyond suspicion and the issue isn't near the level of relevance found elsewhere.

09-07-2004, 03:33 PM	#26 (permalink)
irateplatypus can't help but laugh Location: dar al-harb	as a disclaimer, i think we should take a step back from this issue and all of its myriad wrinkles and re-examine how much you think it should effect the election. i frequently hear of people dismissing this issue as ancillary to the real issues... yet voters on both sides are clearly agitated by it. with the war on terror, education, economical concerns, gay marriage and stem cell research on the docket for the more pertinent issues... i think we should all take a page from our own books and refuse to be effected by the posturing on this issue. do you think john kerry honestly thinks that his short service in vietnam makes him qualified to be commander in chief by itself? do you honestly think the GOP campaign thinks the swiftvets allegations (whether completely true or not) completely disqualify a seasoned senator from being able to fill the Presidential office? i'm confident the answer to both questions is "no". i'm often just as guilty, but both sides have us dancing to this sensational tune while there are so many more useful things to base our vote on. that being said... a poster politely asked for my input on this development and this is my response. there is a line we must walk between pragmatism and justice. for myself, i consider the likelihood of kerry engaging in dishonest self-promotion in his war record to be strong. even so, i'm willing to forgive senator kerry for these indiscretions for the health of our republic. this means that i believe that the pentagon investigation, while it may shed genuine light on the truth, should not continue till either the end of the election (if bush wins) or after kerry's term (should he win). i value the truth and vindication of the veteran's testimony should it ever arrise... but i think the cost of immediate justice if the facts go against kerry's word is too high for our country to pay right now. bottomline: i'm not opposed to a thorough investigation into kerry's past, but i think it should take place at a time free from political considerations. if kerry is lying about key events he will receive his due measure of scorn, but this way the country will not have to pay the price for either party's lies. what would i like to see happen? i'm doubting the President personally initiated the investigation, but he certainly has the power to stop it. he should tell the pentagon to halt it until the political process plays itself out. similarly, i believe kerry should tone down his rhetoric about his vietnam days. he isn't beyond suspicion and the issue isn't near the level of relevance found elsewhere. __________________ If you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves. ~ Winston Churchill Last edited by irateplatypus; 09-07-2004 at 03:35 PM..