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Bob Dole and John McCain are two men revered by
veterans. Either one would
have made a great American president.
Veterans rallied to their cause when they ran.
Dole ran against Bill Clinton when Clinton sought reelection,
after first defeating another honored veteran, George Herbert Walker
Bush. Too much of a
gentleman to play dirty politics, Dole did not slam Clinton for
remaining in Europe during the Vietnam War, hiding behind a student
deferment. After his years in the senate and, most
definitely, his scars from military service, Bob Dole had everything it
took to be president. Everything,
except a sense of humor. If
he had campaigned with as much personality as he appeared on Saturday
Night Live and the Viagra ads, he would have won. John McCain was on the high road to winning the
Republican nomination for president four years ago. The Bush campaign smeared mud on everything from his
character to his military service, even letting some floating the idea
that he collaborated with the Viet Cong while he was a prisoner.
The Bush bankroll crushed his chances. Dole and McCain are great Americans, icons to
any political party and to their country.
That’s what makes it hard to understand why they accept the
same mudsling tactics and butcher’s knife against a fellow veteran. To his credit, McCain did ask attacks against
John Kerry’s war record be stopped.
He didn’t say it loud enough as the slander continued and he
campaigned with President George W. Bush. Now, Bob Dole wants to know how much blood Kerry
shed for three Purple Hearts. Come
on, Sen. Dole. How much
blood does it take? This is
a question of the military integrity that certified the medals, not
Kerry. You, of all people
Sen. Dole, know the horror of war and that no one goes out looking for a
Purple Heart. It comes the
hard way. The military doesn’t give medals lightly.
They are verified. For you and your boat buddies who question the military
records on Kerry’s service, you are discrediting not Kerry but the
American military system. Has
anyone thought of that? Everybody is trying to trash John Kerry’s
service to his country, based on floating accusations and gossip. Nobody has taken a close look at the conduct during the
Vietnam War of President Bush or Dick Cheney.
If Bill Clinton was a draft dodger, going to school in Europe for
a draft deferment, what were the actions of Dubya Bush and Cheney. The president joined the National Guard.
That’s honorable service.
He could have been called to active duty.
But, at the same time, if he wanted to show his patriotism he
could have volunteered for active duty.
Al Gore did. John Kerry did. The Bush campaign has performed a magnificent
task of taking a certain weakness of the Bush-Cheney team and turning it
against the opposition. Instead
of having to defend their lack of active duty during Vietnam, they
promote the issue that Kerry was a traitor even after he served with
valor. Even Cheney, who has never even wore a uniform
or heard a shot fired in anger and had five draft deferments for
schooling, has thrown in his opinion that Kerry is unfit to be president
because he is too weak. No
one who went to Vietnam was weak. The Bush camp has made their whole campaign one
centered on Kerry’s military service. The question of Bush invading Iraq on faulty
evidence that fit into the plans is ignored.
The staggering national deficit is brushed aside as unimportant.
Tax breaks that reward the wealthiest segments of the population
and give pennies to the working class are cited as something to be proud
of. A Medicare bill giving
the pharmacies access to the national treasury is called a victory for
the poor, when prices escalate to new heights. With 18-million jobs lost and companies hiring people in
India are given tax breaks, the campaign keeps saying, “Prosperity is
just around the corner.” Seems to me a fellow named Herbert Hoover said
the same thing. Back to Sen. Bob Dole, especially.
No one ever asked you how many drops of blood you shed on the
battlefield. Loyalty to any
political party should come second to being an American. Get on with the questions that are important in
the election. Accept that
John Kerry served on active duty in Vietnam.
Accept that George W. Bush served with the National Guard in this
country. Now, who will make
the better president for the next four years? We know what the world was like before the
inauguration of the Bush-Cheney team.
We know what has happened since they took office.
In all honesty, it is time to be objective and ask ourselves if
they will give America more of the same or make an improvement. We must decide if a team of John Kerry and John
Edwards can make the world a better place than we live in now.
Can they restore America’s reputation and trust in the family
of nations? Can they stop
the flood of jobs overseas and the hemorrhaging of our precious assets? These are the questions to be asking, Sen. Dole,
not how many drops of blood were shed on the battlefield. It’s more important to be an American than a Republican or
Democrat.
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