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| Avery's
Campaign Journal After thinking it over, deciding ‘yes,’ then ‘no,’ then ‘maybe,’ then ‘yes,’ John Kerry finally fought back Thursday against campaign allegations that he exaggerated his combat record in Vietnam, accusing President Bush of using a Republican front group “to do his dirty work” and challenging Bush to debate their wartime service records. “Well, if he wants to have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: Bring it on... I think, no, I’m sure of it… Pretty sure, anyway,” said the Democratic presidential candidate to the sound of hundreds snoring. As Kerry denounced the criticism as “lies about my record,” aides privately acknowledged that they and their boss had been too slow and stupid to recognize the damage being done to his political standing. Kerry (sigh, here we go again…) won three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and Silver Star for Vietnam War combat. Bush allegedly served drinks and frat-boy laughs stateside in the Texas Air National Guard. Both men say the other served honorably, but their supporters are pouring tens of thousands of dollars into television ads and other rather nasty tactics to insist otherwise. MoveOn.org, a liberal group funded by Kerry supporters, is airing an ad accusing Bush of using family connections to avoid the Vietnam War. It also accuses the president of not being the party animal he claims he once was. “I drank with George Bush,” one of the party boys says in the ad, “and after two pink gins he’d start crying and pass out. He says he was a party animal, I say he’s a liar.” Kerry advisers said they had heard from several Democratic politicians that voters were starting to ask questions about the candidate’s war record. The politicians urged him to fight back. Internally, there was an initial reluctance from senior advisers for Kerry to respond — because:
As for the candidate himself, this was personal, aides said. He had heard the group was raising money for more ads, and was tired of his integrity being assaulted. “Thirty years ago, official Navy reports documented my service in Vietnam and awarded me the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts,” Kerry said –- again! “Thirty years ago, this was the plain truth. It still is. And I still carry the shrapnel in my leg from a wound in Vietnam. Where I fought thirty years ago and was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and, of course, my three, count ‘em, three, Purple Hearts.” “Out of desperation, the Bush campaign has picked the wrong fight with the wrong veteran,” said Jim Jordan, former Kerry campaign manager who now runs an outside group airing ads against Bush. “Today’s the start of the mother of all backlashes. Somebody get John Kerry a pen, he’s got a nasty letter to write!” Aug 19 / 2004 |
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