I have to say - who gives a rats behind? I mean - HONESTLY? And i know what y'all are going to say - "What about all the hubbub over Kerry's military record." There is a HUGE difference and here's why.
Let's, for the sake of argument say that all the documents about Bush are true. Is it bad? Yeah - when he was younger and serving in the National Guard he didn't go have a fitness test and broke a direct order. If it was so bad they should have brought him up on UCMJ charges and then he NEVER would have been President. However - that didn't happen. And however the hell many years later, it comes to light - I say a big whoopity doo. George W. Bush has never brought his military record into play as a part of why he is fit to be the Commander in Chief of this nation. And as a military wife on one of the largest military bases, the majority of soldiers like serving under Bush and would rather serve under him then Kerry.
Let's now look at the accusation against Kerry with the same devil's advocasy clause in place. So he forced a 3rd purple heart so he could go home. He then went before the US Congress and made claims that the very soldiers he served with were committing horrible atrocities and that they were "war criminals".
An oversimplification, yes. Illegal, no. Highly dishonorable,
HELL YES! First an officer in charge (OIC) would NEVER leave his soldiers behind unless he was mortally wounded. There are plenty of soldiers who do not agree with why we are in Iraq. One of my friend's husbands is a 2nd Lieutenant and had his leg broken in 2 places during the fighting in Iraq. This qualified him to come home. But he was in the hospital for 5 days in traction and then he was back on the front lines with the soldiers he was in charge of. Why? Because those men were like his family and he wouldn't leave them for anything. Though worried, his wife understood and supported him in that decision.
Quote:
"I talk to a lot of vets, John, and this really isn't about your medals
or how you got them. Like you, I have a Silver Star and a Bronze Star. I
only have two Purple Hearts, though. I turned down the others so that I
could stay with the Marines in my rifle platoon." -Oliver North, Letter to John Kerry, Washington Post
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And then to come home and put those claims to Congress was so morally apprehensible that it makes me ill. Do bad things happen in war?
It is war - not a tea party - what the hell do you think is gonna happen? The soldiers my husband serves with have seen things that no young man or woman their age should EVER have to see. That's war. Does it suck - Hell yes. There were definately things in the Vietnam war that should never have happened. It was one of the first wars of its kind that we fought and a lot of learning was done as to what to do and what not to do. For instance, they no longer leave a unit on the front lines for 18 months in heavy fighting like they did in Vietnam. They rotate the units out so that the soldiers have time to recoop and talk to counselors. It sucks - but it is their job.
Quote:
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When Tim Russert asked about your claim that you and others in Vietnam committed "atrocities," instead of standing by your sworn testimony, you confessed that your words "were a bit over the top." Does that mean you lied under oath? Or does it mean you are a war criminal? You can't have this one both ways, John. Either way, you're not fit to be a prison guard at Abu Ghraib, much less commander in chief. -Oliver North, Letter to John Kerry, Washington Post
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Why is this pertinant to John Kerry's campaign and not to Bush's? Because John Kerry has made his military service one of the primary reasons he says he is qualified to run this country. Bush has acknowledge Kerry's service in the military as being honorable and his discharge to be the same, regardless of the accusation. In response, Kerry is slinging mud and is bringing Bush's service into questions and is making accusations about him as being dishonorable. He can't even pay the same respect to a fellow running mate.
This is just my opinion - but I really don't care about either. I have put the past 30 years behind me and moved on. Just looking at the past 10 years, HELL the past 4 years of their service in the public eye - I am able to make a well informed and well based decision. Military service records be damned.
Rachel