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Dole tears into Kerry
Topic Started: Aug 23 2004, 02:17 PM (155 Views)
Admiralbill_gomec
UberAdmiral
Maybe it is the Viagra, but former presidential candidate Bob Dole pulled no punches when discussing John Kerry yesterday:

http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/29319.htm

This part was interesting:

"Maybe he should apologize to all the other 2.5 million veterans who served," Dole said. "He wasn't the only one in Vietnam."

Dole — whose right arm is limp from wounds suffered as an infantry officer on the front lines in Italy more than a half-century ago — lambasted Kerry as undeserving of the Purple Hearts.

"And as far as I know, he's never spent one day in the hospital," Dole said.

"I don't think he draws any disability pay. He doesn't have any disability. And boasting about three Purple Hearts when you think of some of the people who really got shot up in Vietnam."

Dole, a former Kansas senator, said Kerry brought the attack ads on by hyping his Vietnam service.

"I said months ago, 'John, don't go too far,' " Dole said. "And I think he's got himself into this wicket now where he can't extricate himself because not every one of these people can be Republican liars."

Kerry spokesman Chad Clanton said, "It's unfortunate that Sen. Dole is making statements that official U.S. Navy records prove false. This is partisan politics, not the truth."


Actually, Mr. Clanton is wrong. Kerry has not produced all of his Navy records, especially his medical records. Sign Form 180!
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Dwayne
Profanity deleted by Hoss
Sen. Dole is right on the money, and while we're mentioning Robert Dole, let's talk about how Leftists treated Mr. Dole in 1996.

Quote:
 
And so the truth about Dole's war record is considerably less than awe-inspiring. Yet the myth endures, and with the candidate running on the contrast between his and Clinton's military record, his campaign isn't eager to give a more accurate account. Dole, at the behest of his handlers, is less reticent about his service than in the past, but he mainly speaks about his wound and rehabilitation. He has passed up several opportunities to correct the exaggerated versions in biographies, and in the case of his self-wounding has even approved a sanitized account in which his maladroitly hurled grenade goes unnoted. Journalists continue to portray him as a hero, winner of two Bronze Stars. Joe Klein, for example, writes in Newseek that Dole knows "what guns do. He also knows what politicians do, which is rarely anything quite so dramatic as leading an army into battle." Such attempts to make political capital out of Dole's war service go beyond the respect due him for the role he played as a soldier with the 10th Mountain Division.

Read this article by Robert B. Ellis which ran in The Nation magazine.
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Minuet
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Fleet Admiral Assistant wRench, Chief Supper Officer
^^^ So it was wrong for leftists to treat Mr. Dole that way in 1996 but correct for rightists to treat Mr. Kerry that way now???

Just so you don't misunderstand me - I think the leftists were wrong then and the rightists are wrong now. See my comments in Wichita's thread "Maybe Americans have always been nuts" for further details on my POV.
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Dwayne
Profanity deleted by Hoss
:ZZZZZ:

wa ... wa ... what?

Was someone talking to me?

Oh, it was you.

The point is, Leftist, Liberals and democrats have in the past had such disdain for those on the right that served in the military that now they cannot be surprised when the man who was one of the people that literally lead the Left down that path of disdain is now having his own military record scrutinized.

In other words, they are hypocrites on the same level as those other Leftists that sought to champion womens rights and providing a non-harassing work environment, yet looked the other way to such harassment when it suited them.

Once a standard has been set and accepted, you cannot fault the other side for taking advantage of that standard.
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Minuet
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Fleet Admiral Assistant wRench, Chief Supper Officer
Dwayne
Aug 23 2004, 04:27 PM
Once a standard has been set and accepted, you cannot fault the other side for taking advantage of that standard.

Actually, yes I can.

The other side could turn the other cheek and try to raise the level of debate. In the end that might help them more. As it stands IMO both sides look like personalities are more important then results.
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Dwayne
Profanity deleted by Hoss
:ZZZZZ:
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Admiralbill_gomec
UberAdmiral
Minuet
Aug 23 2004, 02:34 PM
Dwayne
Aug 23 2004, 04:27 PM
Once a standard has been set and accepted, you cannot fault the other side for taking advantage of that standard.

Actually, yes I can.

The other side could turn the other cheek and try to raise the level of debate. In the end that might help them more. As it stands IMO both sides look like personalities are more important then results.

To be honest, the presidential race has been a personality contest (or even a beauty contest) for decades.
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benetil
Unregistered

After Bob Dole's rather momentous loss to Bill Clinton, I saw the retired Senator on Larry King's program. Larry King highlighted the humorous side, the generous side of Bob Dole's humanity. I was left with a warm admiration of Bob Dole that has remained for about 10 years. I was also left thinking that Bob Dole was probably a better person than Bill Clinton and probably would have been a fairly good president. And I finally understood why he (Dole) always referred to himself in the third person.

I've wondered why Bob Dole joined the attack on John Kerry? Maybe he feels very strongly about the Purple Heart issue? Maybe there's history between him (Dole) and his former "partner in crime" (Kerry) from their US Senate days together?

I don't think Bob Dole added any credence to the attack on John Kerry's service in Vietnam. John Kerry did more by actually going to Vietnam than most privileged students did in that era (including our current President). I understand that Republicans desperately want to "poison" the issue that John Kerry would love to use to enhance his (Kerry's) image. I don't see denigrating John Kerry's military service record as a winning issue for Republicans.
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Wichita
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The Adminstrator wRench
Personal Response

I am sorry that his comments took the "attack" form if that is what happened (I haven't heard his comments personally). I do, however, think he has something valuable to say.

Even those who say they plan to vote for Kerry have said that they wish he had spent more time on his Senate record and future issues than what he spent on discussing Vietnam. Having done that, he cannot simply dismiss his post war activities.

He can stand by what he said (and as of Sunday night, his campaign said that he did). He can tell all the veterans and their families that they all misunderstood what he said but telling people they're stupid rarely wins votes.

The fact is that 2.5 million men and women served in Vietnam. All of them had/have families and a good number of them are still angry at his past. He may not understand "why" or he may not think they have a right to be angry at him, but they are.

Had Kerry not "bet" the campaign on his Vietnam service, he may have been able to put it in the past, but since he didn't do that, he will have to face it one way or another. I think Dole may have been trying to say that he could still win with some type of apology now. If not, those voters will reject him in November as many of them feel Kerry rejected them in 1971.

End of Personal Response
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Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
I have a hard time trusting anyone who speaks of themselves in the third person.
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Admiralbill_gomec
UberAdmiral
Admiralbill_GOMEC trusts Bob Dole. Admiralbill_GOMEC thinks that Bob Dole is a nice guy. :lol:
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Wichita
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The Adminstrator wRench
^^^

Personal Response

:rotfl: :rotfl:


And in a strange turn of events, Jon Stewart of The Daily Show agrees with you. He has spoken very highly of Dole on occasion.

End of Personal Response
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