From US News & World Report: “War over war crimes – A new ad takes Kerry to task over what he said in 1971, but the truth is complicated”
Until a few weeks ago, John Brenner, department commander for Pennsylvania's Veterans of Foreign Wars, was leaning toward George W. Bush.That’s good!
Then he caught wind of a TV ad launched by an anti-John Kerry group accusing the Democratic candidate of lying to get medals in the Vietnam War. "I don't want to see them question anybody's record," says Brenner, 61, a Vietnam vet. "Especially if they got a Purple Heart and . . . shrapnel in their leg."Uh-oh…
But last week, Brenner saw a second ad from the anti-Kerry outfit--Swift Boat Veterans for Truth--which blasted Kerry for telling a Senate committee in 1971 that U.S. forces had committed atrocities in Vietnam. This time, Brenner's anger turned to Kerry and other antiwar protesters, who, he says, prolonged Vietnam and made it "hard on troops that were still over there."Better dispatch the trial lawyers!
2 comments:
Putting aside the time spent finding him, I find it interesting Mr. Brenner has no recollection of the protests by Kerry upon his return from from Vietnam and needed an ad about it to factor the issue into his decision making.
Brenner's awareness of the story also does a bit explaining about the chronology of Swiftvets getting their dander up, organizing and responding to the Kerry candidacy.
Just a thought, but I suspect that many Vietnam vets didn't connect Senator Kerry to the John Kerry of the VVAW until the Swift Vets 2nd ad. Seeing that ad with Kerry ripping the Vietnam soldier as war criminals smashes through Kerry's attempts to hide that past from the general public (he doesn't mind if the far left recalls that part of him). I also think that many people still confused John Kerry with former Senator Bob Kerrey, the Medal of Honor winner. So it was easy for John Kerry to play up his war "hero" status. But the Swift Vet ads plus the intense attention that comes with the general election makes it impossible for him to benefit from that confusion anymore.
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