"I am saddened by the fact that Vietnam has yet again been inserted into the campaign, and that it has been inserted in what I feel to be the worst possible way...
What saddens me most is that Democrats, above all those who shared the agonies of that generation, should now be refighting the many conflicts of Vietnam in order to win the current political conflict of a presidential primary.
The race for the White House should be about leadership, and leadership requires that one help heal the wounds of Vietnam, not reopen them; that one help identify the positive things that we learned about ourselves and about our nation, not play to the divisions and differences of that crucible of our generation.
We do not need to divide America over who served and how...
I would like to make a simple and straightforward appeal, an appeal from my heart, as well as from my head. To all those currently pursuing the presidency in both parties, I would plead that they simply look at America...
We do not need more division. We certainly do not need something as complex and emotional as Vietnam reduced to simple campaign rhetoric. "
- Sen. John Kerry, in a speech delivered on the Senate floor Feb. 27, 1992, after Democratic presidential candidate and Vietnam War veteran, Sen. Bob Kerrey, criticized Bill Clinton for his lack of service during the war.
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