Kerry Demands Bush Prove Guard Service

[CShine]

WHEELING, W.Va. - John Kerry, a decorated Navy veteran criticized by Republicans for his anti-war activities during the Vietnam era, lashed out at President Bush on Monday for failing to prove whether he fulfilled his commitment to the National Guard during the same period.

Conservative critics have questioned whether Kerry deserved his three Purple Hearts for battle wounds, an issue the Democratic presidential candidate sought to put to rest last week by releasing his military records. On Sunday, a top Bush adviser criticized Kerry for leading anti-war protests after he returned from the battlefield.

"If George Bush wants to ask me questions about that through his surrogates, he owes America an explanation about whether or not he showed up for duty in the National Guard. Prove it. That's what we ought to have," Kerry told NBC News in an interview. "I'm not going to stand around and let them play games."

Kerry's direct criticism of Bush's Guard record reflected an aggressive strategy to challenge the president. It came as Vice President Dick Cheney used a speech in Missouri to question Kerry's fitness to be commander in chief, and the Bush campaign launched a $10 million television ad campaign criticizing Kerry's Senate votes on weapons systems.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&e=3&u=/ap/kerry_medals

[skooooo]

1. LMAO! Who said Kerry wasn't aggressive enough!!

:headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:

[maddezmom]

10. JK was just waiting for the appropriate time

and the TIME is NOW!!! Way to go John Kerry...give those chickenhawks hell. BTW, where are Cheney's records...oh yeah that's right..... :)

[skooooo]

14. Exactly....because if he reacts too early....

...or seems cranky about things that people do not agree with him on, it would just hurt him. Everyone is tired of talking about Vietnam, imo.

[madmax]

23. I agree

He'd appear too thin skinned and whinney but, now they opened the door for questions regarding dubya, cheney and the rest of those chickenhawks, LOL!

Kick ASS, John :loveya:

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. And the Librul "CNN, Faux, and MSGOP" are saying that....

Kerry is "dishonorable"!

[stepnw1f]

7. dishonorable?! WTF!!!!

[Ediacara]

3. SWEET

Although look to Team Bush to ignore this...

[blueseas]

4. Love it

:D

[Amaya]

5. It about time!

Make the little rat squirm! :bounce: :bounce:

[Catfight]

6. Still missing the big point...why does bush have cheney do all his

questioning, talking and testimony? Hello Kerry...wake up dude...if bush wants to ask questions, he needs to answer them first, starting with, "why does he and cheney have to testify together?" It'll shut bush up for awhile...trust me! This is a diversion from the bad press bush could be getting.

[skooooo]

16. One point at a time....patience patience...

This is like a chess game, not a volleyball match, imo.

[librechik]

8. Hey, some kid just yelled that the emperor has no clothes!!!

Yikes! Go Kerry! and take the media with you!

Damn, I'm afraid that this might mean even less coverage for Kerry than he's already (not) getting.

Then I think, hey this could be exciting television! How can they resist?

Then I think Fix is in for Bush. Forget it.

Then I think Maybe they're effin with the wrong liberal senator...

then I think oh get over it. Diebold.

Then I think Lawsuits and criminal action against Wally Odell.

Then I think damn, it's going to be a long election season.

[Tellurian]

9. And the Beauty of it All, is there is proof out there Bush was AWOL...

someone gleaned it from the FOIA long ago!...

[TruthSeerUmm]

11. That's pretty gutsy of Kerry

Bush uses ABC news as proxy to create medalgate and Kerry returns fire directly back at Bush personally. This could turn into a pretty good braw! I'm getting the popcorn now...

[PROGRESSIVE1]

13. If Kerry is successful at turning the tables on Busholini, how much...

do you want to bet that the "librul" media will drop this story?

[travisleit01]

20. Welcome to DU, TruthSeerUmm!!

:bounce::hi::bounce:

[central scrutinizer]

12. perfect

call * out - he has been hiding behind his surrogates like Karen Hughes. He won't even testify by himself.

[ewagner]

15. Alluded to above but a good idea

Kerry should be jumping all over Bush* for not being man enough to make accusations himself. He should say that he's sending the "hired help" (that should really piss Cheney off!!!) out to do his dirty work for him. He should say that he's hiding behind Karen Hughes skirt by sending her out to make her Bulls**t charges.

The election si between Bush* and Kerry ... not Bush's hired help. Where's the"strong leadership?" Where's the "steady leadership?"

translation: Bush* is a whimp!!!!!!

[Mike Niendorff]

35. ^^^ READ THIS POST

This is exactly, precisely, spot-on, 110-percent-and-then-some what Kerry should be doing. And the way ewagner has phrased it is absolutely brilliant. Take a direct shot at that bullshit "macho/touchguy" image they keep trying to manufacture. Take a direct shot at their equally-false "steady leader" image. Turn Bush's own behavior into Exhibit A for the opposition. *That* is how you take down a media-coddled fraud like Bush. I can't recommend this post highly enough.


MDN

[kimchi]

17. Way to go!

Give 'em hell, Kerry!

[0007]

18. Oh boy, Kerry getting nasty with this little two-bit phony AWOL

clown.

[AussieInCA]

19. chimpy awol during vietnam, awol from office august 2001 and april 2003

bring it on!

[Rex]

21. They should have left Kerry's war record out of it.

Foolish Repukes. Sometimes I forget how stupid the majority if GOPers are.

[sniffa]

22. smart move - it's monday

a week of a media frenzy wouLd be nice.

[yelladawg]

25. Time to educate bush about combat

bush has just entered into a free fire zone. It's time to lock and load.

Trust me bush, Vietnam Vets will bring it on.

[Durandal]

24. Its funny...

... how Bush keeps questioning and criticizing Kerry about his service record, but then he does nothing to try and prove *he* served. Says something.

[maddezmom]

28. yeah like bush* doesn't have a record

unless you count his DWI. :shrug:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

26. Kerry should say something simple and to the point, like

"What about my record. It shows that I volunteered for combat duty and served my country, and was wounded and decorated in that service. George Bush's record doesn't even show clearly when and if he was present for duty. I'm happy to talk about my record, but it's even more important that we examine the record of the man who is asking us to send him back to the White House."

The chickenhawk theme becomes even easier to hit if Wes Clark is the Veep candidate.

[Catfight]

29. I don't get the Wes Clark appeal, he doesn't do it for me.

In fact, if Wes Clark was nominated as VP, I think it would be a really uninspiring ticket. Wes Clark puts me to sleep.

[havocmom]

27. Pluck the Chicken Hawks!

and check this out at moveon:
http://www.moveon.org/pac/warrecord/

[Lindacooks]

30. Go, Senator Kerry!!

We're all behind you, supporting you as you take down the fascist chimp. If Rove thinks he can make hay out of this issue, he is sadly mistaken.

[koopie57]

31. I like how Kerry is campaigning

This is going to be a long six months and I think he is just seeing what they throw at him, waits until everyone is sick of it and then he steps up and nips it in the bud and that is that. People then feel relieved that the yammering about the same old thing is over with and who shut them up, John Kerry did. And also, I think there are some things he would like to address at the debates when he can confront little george bush and people can witness the little boy kings reaction which may be a temper tantrum complete with foot stomping and unka dick unka dick. I think he has a plan and is following it and so far I think he is doing a good job. The poles don't matter right now, IMHO, and to waste any energy on them is not worth it. I think he knows he has to conserve his strength so he can turn it on at the end.

[opihimoimoi]

33. Kerry ought question the Bush about his Texas record while he at it.

Molly Ivens described Bush's tenure there as horrid. Tax cuts for the rich led to putting Texas in red ink. Ann Richards had a surplus going until Bush came along and screwed up the budget. Schools there are lagging due to lack of funds, etc etc. The State is in a mess due to Bush and his minions.

Everywhere this guy goes he is a failure. He was given a spot on a board(I believe it was Carlyle) and about 18 months later they asked him to leave.....He was not contributing enough I guess. A slacker is what we got guys. A slacker who didn't warn us of the Osama threat because he was asleep at the wheel. Result, we take a major hit and his boys all flew private jets.... Them suckers knew it was coming and yet, no warning to the General Public. WTF is that?

[Spazito]

32. I think the Kerry campaign have Rove's number....

and know what he is going to try and then they let the bush attack dogs, knowing that they will go too far, and then they hammer them back. It is all in the timing. I think I remember Wes Clark saying that if the bush gang raised this issue, it would come back and bite them in their asses and it has.

[symbolman]

34. I'm offering FREE flash movies for Kerry to use

Here are some of the ones Involving the military (as a Veteran I'm pissed as hell) --


"ARMY OF ONE"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/onearmy.html
or VIEW the 30 second TV ad
here: http://www.bushin30seconds.org/view/11_small.shtml

"Murder By Numbers"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/murderby.html


"ChickenHawk - Hall of Shame"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/chickenhawks.html

"Triumph of the Wimp"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/triwimp.html

"Pentagoon"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/pentagoon2.html

"Warnography"
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/warnography.html

and here's the link to the rest of them:

http://www.takebackthemedia.com/freekerry.htm

[despairing optimist]

36. Gee, don't those guys have mirrors?

I guess they don't use them or they don't see what anyone sane would see. How they can make such accusations about Kerry when they themselves did everything they could to evade military service is beyond me. Where are the questioners of Cheney's fitness to be vice-president, or should we just delete the hyphen for honesty's sake?