Text 1548, 122 rader
Skriven 2004-08-30 07:49:00 av FRANK SCHEIDT (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av GARY MOORE
Ärende: SWIFT BOATERS IGNORE BUSH
=================================
-=> Quoting Gary Moore to Frank Scheidt <=-

 GM> Vietnam wasn't bad enough the first time around.
 
 FS> And John Kerry thought he'd be considered a hero, Bush a coward

 GM> Amazing, isn't it?  The Democratic Party apparently thought it was
 GM> going to ride the controversy over Bush's missing time in the National
 GM> Guard right into the White House with John Kerry at the controls of
 GM> their swift boat.  

Actually there's no real evidence that GWB *did* miss any time 
during his tour of duty in the Texas Air National Guard.  

 GM> Lost, now, because of their posturing and the
 GM> response from some very bitter, and often dishonest veterans,

I'm certain some of the vets involved here -- on *both* sides of 
the controversy -- are dishonest.  I have no way of know which is 
which.  However one thing is apparent, one group has a great deal 
of anger directed at Kerry.  

 GM> is any
 GM> worthwhile, in-depth discussion of America's future and what the
 GM> candidates might do about health care, unemployment, education,the
 GM> economy, national security, databases and privacy issues, the continued
 GM> influx of people from Mexico and other countries to the south,plans for
 GM> any continued involvement in Iraq, etc.  And that's a BIG ETCETERA.

True, those issues *are* important and should be addressed.  
Kerry's decision to drag the nearly-forgotten Vietnam War into 
the election discussion has muddied the waters completely.

 GM> I'm not impressed with the tactics or candidate of either of the two
 GM> major parties. 

Political campaigns are *never* nice, clean, clear-cut events, 
discussing issues, though all candidates will always claim that's 
what they want.

 FS> ... heh heh heh ... now Kerry is fighting for his political life!

 GM> He's running for the office of President.  He'll win, or he'll lose.
 GM> There's not much more you can see beyond that, Frank.

How about *higher* office -- say Moderator of a FidoNet echo?
 
 FS> And it's all because *he* wanted to drag the Vietnam War into 
 FS> this presidential campaign!!

 GM> I don't know who's idea it was to play up his involvement in
 GM> Vietnam,but he was there.  And he protested the war during and
 GM> afterwards,like may others of his generation did.  And for those
 GM> reasons, he appeals to some.  Maybe you haven't noticed, but this
 GM> country continues to be split almost in half when it comes to putting
 GM> our sons and daughters in harm's way.  

Actually it's the very rare parent who wants to see his offspring 
enter *any* dangerous situation.  However when a war must be 
fought -- as the so-called "War on Terrorism" must be -- it's 
best that the young do the fighting.  They are both more agile 
and less reluctant to do the needed dangerous things.

 GM> Many people didn't buy the
 GM> reasons for the U.S. being in Vietnam.  You may have even heard of a
 GM> book or two by people such as Robert McNamara, who second-guessed
 GM> involvement in that war.  

*I*, at first, thought the Vietnam War was justified but soon 
changed my mind and, since I no-longer could see any national 
interest there, thought it should be abandoned.  Now "won", but 
simply abandoned.  After all, if we had really wanted to we could 
have put the power of the nation behind the effort and could have 
defeated the Vietnamese fairly easily -- though not without a lot 
of casualties.

 GM> The same type of controversy swirls around
 GM> the U.S. involvement in Iraq.  

The critical difference, though, is this:  We have a great 
national interest in the Iraq war.

 GM> The problem with the continued focus on
 GM> Vietnam is that it takes us into the past and away from the more
 GM> pressing issues of the present and any impending events of the future. 

Agreed!

 GM> The Swift Boat Vets,the Republicans and Democrats alike who continue to
 GM> focus on Vietnam,the validity of military claims, and allegations about
 GM> Purple Hearts,during this campaign for President are doing no one a
 GM> great service when the more important matters of the present and
 GM> future are being neglected.  There were 35 years to address
 GM> questionable claims about Purple Hearts, and there will be many more
 GM> years after the election to resolve any questions, but _NOW_ the
 GM> citizens of this country should be hearing a discussion of issues,
 GM> debates about domestic and foreign policy,and the candidates' plans for
 GM> the future of the country. 

Kerry's handlers have done this nation a great disservice by 
having him make his Vietnam War service the prime issue in the 
election campaign.

 GM> President Bush has asked that the commercials by these groups stop.
 GM> Kerry has asked that they stop.  These groups aren't doing this country
 GM> a favor by steering the national discourse away from an exploration of
 GM> THE POSSIBILITIES and into a quagmire of smears and allegations about a
 GM> war that ended - for many of us - more than 30 years ago.

Since neither Kerry nor Bush can stop those groups that means 
that there is a *tremendous* amount of formerly bottled-up anger 
involved.

 GM> The "Swift Boat Vets" are missing that part of the picture.

True ...

... "I'm a professional snoop." ÄÄ Calvin

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