Nathanyl
PO3
Joined: 24 Aug 2004
Posts: 280
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 Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 11:35 pm Post subject: John Kerry’s New Winter Soldier Campaign |
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The Captain’s Quarters blog had an interesting article on the attacks that have occurred against Republican offices across the country. The article got me thinking about what has happened that could have caused this outburst of anger by Democrats. What it reminds me of is the early 70’s and the prevailing attitude toward the Vietnam war. Of course the violence and dissension isn’t anywhere near what it was then but I felt there were enough similarities for a closer look.
In early September the Kerry campaign was in trouble. They were sinking in the polls, Kerry was being attacked for his lack of clarity on Iraq, and the campaign was very disorganized. To counter this the DNC brought in some new blood to try and stop the downslide. As part of the overhaul Kerry had to changed his image in order to take as much of the steam as possible out of the claims that he was a flip flopper. There was really only one choice on the position he should take. He needed to become the anti-war candidate.
I will give Kerry one small point. I believe that this is his real position. He’s by nature an anti-military liberal, with a serious leaning towards being a globalist. He was not comfortable supporting the Iraq war in any sense of the word and it wasn’t until he began to portray himself as he feels that his campaign seemed to gain some direction.
Kerry has had one problem with portraying himself as an anti-war candidate. Most people still support the war. In order for the new strategy to succeed more people had to be persuaded that going to war was wrong or at least that the way it was executed was wrong. These two points have become the building blocks of Kerry’s campaign and every speech he gives makes both of these points.
What we are seeing is the new Winter Soldier campaign. I spent last night and most of this morning comparing Kerry’s present strategy and rhetoric to the strategy he used during the anti-Vietnam movement and came up with some rather unsurprising results.
The main methods of causing dissent during the anti-Vietnam era was through lies about what the real situation in Vietnam was, accusations against the government of lies and war crimes, protests and violence through manipulation of students and other left wing liberals, and highly inflammatory language. We are seeing some of these same tactics being used now. Kerry has accused the president and others in the administration of lying about the war, Kerry has lied about the real situation in Iraq, and as we get closer to the election we are seeing him using more and more inflammatory rhetoric which is beginning to lead to violence by some in his party.
By researching his speeches I have found nine specific points that Kerry is using in the present campaign to argue against the war in Iraq and President Bush. I then compared those points to Kerry's 1971 speech to congress looking for similarities. What I found is that 8 out of 9 of the present talking points are the same as the points he used in 1971. The one exception is that Kerry has blamed the president for our troops not being properly equipped and I couldn't find anything similar from the Vietnam speech. The theme of Kerry’s present campaign has become the same as the theme of his Vietnam anti-war campaign and is beginning to have the same effects. It has taken an already polarized nation and polarized it more, it has inflamed the students and the far left of the Democratic party to the point that we are starting to see violence, and it has sewn the seed of doubt in the minds many people about the Iraq war. Below I’ve listed a comparison between what Kerry said in 1971 and what he is saying now:
2004 Bush isn’t providing leadership
| Quote: | | “And two days ago, President Bush came before you and you received him well, as you should. But I believe he failed the fundamental test of leadership.“ |
1971 There is a lack of leadership
| Quote: | | “We are also here to ask, and we are here to ask vehemently, where are the leaders of our country? Where is the leadership?” |
2004 US leaders don’t care about the troops
| Quote: | | “Two days ago, the President stood right where I’m standing and did not even acknowledge that more than 1,000 men and women have lost their lives in Iraq.” |
1971 US leaders don’t care about the troops
| Quote: | | “Each day to facilitate the process by which the United States washes her hands of Vietnam someone has to give up his life” |
2004 Invading Iraq was a mistake
| Quote: | “The hard truth is that our president has made serious mistakes in taking us to war with Iraq”
“And perhaps worst of all, the mess in Iraq has set us back – way back – in the war on terror.” |
1971 Involvement in Vietnam was a mistake
| Quote: | | “How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?” |
| Quote: | | “Each day to facilitate the process by which the United States washes her hands of Vietnam someone has to give up his life so that the United States doesn't have to admit something that the entire world already knows, so that we can't say that we have made a mistake.” |
2004 We are losing the war on terror
| Quote: | | “Two days ago, the President stood right where I’m standing and did not even acknowledge that more than 1,000 men and women have lost their lives in Iraq. He did not tell you that with each passing day, we’re seeing more chaos, more violence, more indiscriminate killings. He did not tell you that with each passing week, our enemies are getting bolder” |
| Quote: | | “He did not tell you any of this, even though – as the country learned today in the New York Times – his own intelligence officials have warned him for weeks that the mission in Iraq is in serious trouble.” |
| Quote: | | “And perhaps worst of all, the mess in Iraq has set us back – way back – in the war on terror. The simple fact is, when it comes to the war on terror, George W. Bush has taken his eye off the ball. “ |
1971 We are losing in Vietnam
| Quote: | | “the United States doesn't have to admit something that the entire world already knows, so that we can't say that we have made a mistake. Someone has to die so that President Nixon won't be, and these are his words, "the first President to lose a war." |
| Quote: | | 2004 The president has lied about the war |
| Quote: | “And two days ago, President Bush came before you and you received him well, as you should. But I believe he failed the fundamental test of leadership. He failed to tell you the truth. You deserve better. The Commander in Chief must level with the troops and the nation. “
“But in our democracy, which you defend, it is so important to have a truthful conversation about the choices we face in our nation.” |
1971 The government is lying about the war.
| Quote: | | “We watched the United States' falsification of body counts, in fact the glorification of body counts. We listened while month after month we were told the back of the enemy was about to break.” |
| Quote: | | “In their blindness and fear they have tried to deny that we are veterans or that we served in Nam. We do not need their testimony.” |
2004 We have no allies
| Quote: | “He was wrong to rush to war without the allies we needed by our side.”
“And today, because of his wrong choices, America has borne nearly 90% of the casualties, and paid nearly 90% of the bill in Iraq.” |
1971 We have no support from allies
| Quote: | | “We found that all too often American men were dying in those rice paddies for want of support from their allies.” |
2004 Saddam didn’t pose a threat to the US
| Quote: | | “Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator who deserves his own special place in hell. But that was not, in itself, a reason to go to war.” |
1971 Vietnam was not a threat to America
| Quote: | | “In our opinion, and from our experience, there is nothing in South Vietnam which could happen that realistically threatens the United States of America.” |
I have no doubt that Kerry is using the same strategy he used over 30 years ago and is aware that he is doing so. I also have no doubt that he knows the effect it is having on our country and that effect is exaclty what he wants.
The path that Kerry has taken is very dangerous. The stakes in our present war are much to large to be deliberately attempting to polarize the nation the way that is being done now in order to advance a political agenda. Sadly I doubt that John Kerry cares about what he’s doing to our country in his quest for power and I’m afraid the we are going to suffer the effects of his actions no matter who wins.
Sources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27272-2004Sep16.html
New Blood at Heart of Kerry Campaign from the Washington Post
http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/staticpages/index.php?page=20040216191849105
The New Soldier: John Kerry Testimony
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/
John Kerry's Speeches
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2710
Captains Quarters blog
_________________
Bill Hershey
www.worldwar4.net |
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