What he was "supposed" to say, I can buy that as the slam against Bush that Kerry alleges, but not what he did say. I think you are dead-on in your estimation that it was a slip about his true feelings on the military, and that makes him all the more reprehensible.
But really, I question his even making that particular comment about Bush. Their records at Yale were quite similar, with Kerry doing slightly worse overall...and yet he still thinks he could lead the country in a better manner?
He wasn't implying Bush was stupid, but that he didn't do his homework. Their grades are irrelevant. Kerry is a doofus, yes, but he wasn't slamming the military, even subconsciously.
Oh, I don't know about that. He has a long-standing (since 1971) pattern of insulting the troops. The most recent one I heard about was just a few months ago, when he said that our troops, "should not be breaking down doors in the middle of the night and terrorizing women and small children" or something like that. (He then added, "Let the Iraqis do that.")
Well, our troops shouldn't be doing that. Whether we want to accept it or not, some of them are not acting very honorably. Pointing that out is not insulting the troops.My military friends and family do not find it insulting. However, they DO find the atrocious behavior of a few yokels who do wear the uniform quite insulting.
I never thought I would say this, but I think that we need a new draft: some type of national service for everyone that would include military service. I'm concerned about the gap between those in the military and the rest of the country and the implications for our foreign policy when the people who make it and live with it don't have to fight in the wars, or don't have people they care about fighting in the wars.
Thanks for your comments. Clearly, the military is not for everyone. But some kind of service (peace corps, urban cleanup, military, literacy tutoring) should be universal.
I remember a show from ~ 1970 "Same Mud, Same Blood" about how powerful the effects of an integrated military in Vietnam was in shaping personal views on race - nothing breaks down us/them barriers than spending a year together in close company.
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But really, I question his even making that particular comment about Bush. Their records at Yale were quite similar, with Kerry doing slightly worse overall...and yet he still thinks he could lead the country in a better manner?
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I never thought I would say this, but I think that we need a new draft: some type of national service for everyone that would include military service. I'm concerned about the gap between those in the military and the rest of the country and the implications for our foreign policy when the people who make it and live with it don't have to fight in the wars, or don't have people they care about fighting in the wars.
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I remember a show from ~ 1970 "Same Mud, Same Blood" about how powerful the effects of an integrated military in Vietnam was in shaping personal views on race - nothing breaks down us/them barriers than spending a year together in close company.
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