Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Kerry on Vietnam
During the Democratic presidential primaries of 1992, former Sen. Bob Kerrey, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, similarly criticized fellow candidate Bill Clinton for his student deferments.
On Feb. 27, 1992, Kerry took to the Senate floor to lament that "Vietnam has yet again been inserted into the campaign," and that Democrats "should now be refighting the many conflicts of Vietnam in order to win the current political conflict."
That speech deserves to be broadly quoted in light of Kerry's decision, as presidential candidate, to make Vietnam the foundation of his campaign.
"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 have personally always believed that many served in many different ways.
"While those who served are owed special recognition, that recognition should not come at the expense of others, nor does it require that others be victimized or criticized or said to have settled for a lesser standard."
On Feb. 27, 1992, Kerry took to the Senate floor to lament that "Vietnam has yet again been inserted into the campaign," and that Democrats "should now be refighting the many conflicts of Vietnam in order to win the current political conflict."
That speech deserves to be broadly quoted in light of Kerry's decision, as presidential candidate, to make Vietnam the foundation of his campaign.
"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 have personally always believed that many served in many different ways.
"While those who served are owed special recognition, that recognition should not come at the expense of others, nor does it require that others be victimized or criticized or said to have settled for a lesser standard."
