Vets For Sale

An article from the New York Post titled Vets For Sale, Ralph Peters takes John Kerry to task for his disgraceful speech in front of the American Legion's National Convention on September 1, 2004.
Ralph Peters is a retired Army officer and a regular Post contributor.
---Larry Everett

"September 2, 2004 -- YESTERDAY, in front of the American Legion's Na tional Convention, John Kerry made his most disgraceful speech since he lied about atrocities to Congress three decades ago. By making promises he doesn't mean and can't keep, he tried to buy the votes of American veterans.

Had he offered each vet a $5 bill and a shot of whisky for their support, his performance could not have been shabbier.

Before getting to a few examples of his breathtaking cynicism, let's put two crucial questions to the junior senator from Massachusetts:

First question: Sen. Kerry, will you admit that you lied to Congress and the American people when you stated that our troops routinely committed atrocities, and that rape, torture and murder were sanctioned by our military chain of command?

Second question: Will you apologize to our Vietnam-era veterans for the lies you told?

This means a direct, no-waffling, public apology. Will you tell our vets, the living and the dead, that you're sorry?

Of course not. John Kerry wants to have it both ways. But he isn't going to get the military vote. Perhaps the best line making its way around veterans' Web sites these days is: "A Kerry defeat would be the welcome-home parade we never had."

Kerry's so shameless that he once again tried to associate himself with John McCain, a true American hero, in his remarks. He almost made it sound as if they'd been in a North Vietnamese prison together. But Kerry's brother-in-arms isn't Sen. McCain. It's the naval hero of Chappaquiddick.

Kerry's speech to the veterans was condescending in other ways, too. It assumed that vets are so stupid they can't do basic math. Kerry claimed he'd reduce the deficit, while expanding the military and buying every weapons system in sight, increasing veterans' benefits, bringing health care to all Americans and, of course, creating millions of new jobs that pay phenomenally well.

Would you mind explaining how, senator?

Specific promises Kerry made were outright nonsense. He claimed he'd double the size of our special operations forces. Sounds great. But to do so would rob regular line units of critically needed, experienced NCOs and officers, fatally compromise the high standards of our special operators and take at least a decade — unless he means to ruin special ops entirely.

And Kerry's going to increase our ground forces by 40,000 troops. Good idea. But he's not going to send them to Iraq, you understand.

Having it both ways again.

Kerry said we should never go to war without a plan to win the peace. Agreed. But where was he 18 months ago, when such a criticism could have made a difference?

Back then, he was voting for the war. Before he opposed it. Before supporting it again. Now he's against it again. Although he supports our troops, of course.

Does Kerry have no shame at all? No spine, whatsoever? Is it possible to be nothing but a bundle of pure ambition, with no shred of ethics? Is Kerry so hungry for office that he'll change any position to buy a vote?

If President Bush shocks the Republican Convention tonight by coming out in favor of gay marriage, Kerry will immediately back a constitutional amendment to outlaw it.

Even on their worst day — and they've had some bad ones — the Bushies actually believe in a few things.

Kerry's the guy who, at the beginning of August, stated that we need to withdraw troops from Germany and South Korea. Then, as soon as President Bush announced a plan to do so, Kerry thundered against the idea. Confronted with his own remarks — made only two weeks earlier — he claimed that, well, yes, he thought we should withdraw troops, only not the way the president proposed to do it.

The guy is an eel in a vat of olive oil.

Yesterday, John Kerry tried to pander to America's heroes, conveniently forgetting that he'd trashed them for political gain, then shortchanged them throughout his Senate career. Suddenly, Kerry was the man who had fought for benefits for his fellow Vietnam vets, the man who felt their pain (Kerry makes Bill Clinton look like a paragon of integrity).

The only veterans' benefit young John Kerry fought for was the right of vets to be spit upon in public."