I saw Fahrenheit 911. And read the reports of the Senate intelligence committee and the 911 hearings. Not since Nixon and Vietnam has America been deceived so completely by it's president.
Yeah, Bill Clinton lied about Whitewater and Monica, and he probably did inhale, but no one died from those fibaroonies. I was stunned by the multiple revelations of President Bush's disregard for civilians here and abroad, and our deployed combat troops. But the story goes even further, and could involve some of our local boys.
There are at least twelve men from this area serving in the military in the Middle East. All volunteers. They, and every man and woman with them, are someone's Hometown Heroes, risking their lives to fight a war a long way from home. A war with a very questionable genesis.
Our Commander-in-Chief has no military service. He may not even have attended training with the Alabama National Guard. George W isn't the first president to lack such experience. We hailed to sixteen such chiefs, but Bush is only the second in the last 60 years (Clinton is his company, if that makes you feel better).
Vice-fundraiser Dick Cheney received five deferments that allowed him to avoid duty in Vietnam.
While we should honor our soldiers for just going to war, you would think that we would find additional praise for those who are wounded in battle, or receive commendations for their valor. That would make them heroes in the highest sense, like we remember Davy Crockett, Alvin York, Audie Murphy, and a multitude of characters played by John Wayne. USA! USA! USA! Right?
Not if you serve your country, and then run for office against Bush and Cheney. Even our modern-day real-life war heroes are targets for their campaign propaganda.
As the election has swung into full smear, the Republicans have shamefully attacked the military record of John Kerry. Kerry was a volunteer, and spent four years in the Navy, five months in Vietnam combat. In those five months he was awarded five medals. Silver Star. Bronze Star. Three Purple Hearts. And he saw the war up close and personal, earning him the right to oppose it after his hitch was up, as did tens of thousands of other vets. And tens of millions of citizens. History has proved that the Vietnam-era protestors were right.
Now, thirty years later, Bush-Cheney have questioned the circumstances of one of those Purple Hearts. There is no doubt that Kerry has his failings. Any candidate is open to criticism for his politics or programs. But it is an insult to every person who fought in combat that a president tries to cheapen a record of valor earned three decades ago, solely for his own personal gain.
How desperate must a man be to imply that a war hero, decorated five times, perhaps only deserved four ?
GOP lackey Rep. Sam Johnson of Texas (ever heard of him?) blasted Kerry on the House floor, calling him "Hanoi John". For those who didn't live through the 60's, or don't remember doing so, this is a reference to Jane Fonda, who earned the nickname "Hanoi Jane" by visiting North Vietnam, and speaking out in favor of that communist government. Rep. Randy Cunningham of California (who?) chimed in "We do not need a Jane Fonda as commander-in-chief".
Unfortunately, this type of attack on war heroes has been a recurring theme in the W years. In the 2000 presidential primary, Bush operatives attempted to smear a fellow Republican, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who was a prisoner of war for more than five years in Hanoi. (Yes, the same John McCain who Bush now features in his own campaign ads).
And, in 2002, the target was Georgia Senator Max Cleland, an Army volunteer in Vietnam, who, literally, gave his right arm for his country, as well as both legs, in a grenade attack. These men were Hometown Heroes long before they were senators.
Bush has no Purple Hearts to contest, and certainly no Silver or Bronze Stars. And he never spent even a day in battle, or a night of terror in a foxhole. Yet he so easily disparages and dismisses those true heroes who fought, and sacrificed, for their country.
If you are a veteran, you understand the importance of a leader who understands what you went through. When our Hometown Heroes return, some may choose to speak out against the war, as did the men in Fahrenheit 911 . As did many Vietnam vets. Maybe one of our boys will even run for office someday. What will you think when his bravery and accomplishments are questioned for someone else's political gain? Questioned by a man who never volunteered, never served, never suffered.
President Bush's credibility is plummeting. He is stuck with an unpopular war in an election year. A war of his own doing, as he misled America into avenging his father's unsuccessful attempt to bring down Saddam Hussein. And at what cost? Over 1000 dead on our side alone. If John Edwards is really the ambulance chaser the Republicans portray him to be, Bush has given him plenty of ambulances - and hearses - to pursue.
It is ironic that both the president's supporters, and his critics, seek to revive the spectre of Vietnam to highlight their campaign issues. Let's hope that whoever wins in November is able to bring our Hometown Heroes back safely to the lifelong respect they deserve, no matter what their politics.
The more that is revealed of our president's actions, the less attractive he becomes. George W. Bush may still turn out to be the people's choice for president, but he will never be the better man.