Impressive was the initial reaction John Kerry to the “AWOL” accusation against Bush as ‘over the top” and he wasn’t about to “go there.” But when the Republican chairman, Gillespie launched a tirade against Kerry’s voting record and lobby discrepancies, the senator was reminded of Dukakis’ mistaken strategy of rising above the cheap shots. In addition, his memory clicked on “character assassination” that the Republicans had perfected during the Clinton years, and Karl Rove’s attack on McCain during the last primaries, along with his masterminding the despicable campaign against Max Cleland, a Vietnam amputee, in his bid for re-election in Georgia.
Kerry obviously reasoned — since the “good guy” national impression of Bush with born-again integrity, enabling him to finagle a war of choice as in the guise of “imminent danger,” particularly as he had been elevated to the plane of FDR as a wartime president — he had better fight back and was further fueled by Bush on “Meet the Press.”
That Bush would even consider appearing before Russert is either sheer gutsy or wariness that he is in trouble. It was apparent that the president is not only vulnerable to motives for the war, but to fuzzy memory with regard to his mysterious months in the national guard when he was in Alabama campaigning in behalf of a senator and later morphed into an early discharge to enter the Business School of Harvard.
On “Hardball” it was apparent that ex-Senator Max Cleland had also bent Kerry’s ear. In this interview Cleland was angry that Bush in “Meet the Press” had equated the honor of the national guard during Vietnam — known then for its honorable draft dodging — with those in the guard now fighting in Iraq. The national guard today, because there is no draft, is on 24 hour notice, very different from the Nam days. Cleland was also disgusted with Bush’s reply to what he thought of the Vietnam War, with the bland statement that he supported the government at the time — hinting, apparently, that the people should also be supportive of the current war.
Having nobly or heroically performed in a war does not in itself give rise to integrity of character. Bush’s father was heroic in WWII; yet as vice president his character was questioned over the Iran-Contra Affair [ arms for hostages] and as president pardoning those involved; nevertheless, he escaped unscathed. Granted it took guts just to get into a jet, let alone flying one, but Bush W is not Rab from “Jag”; for he soon lost interest — in fairness, he did serve over five years — and went to bigger and safer endeavors. Unquestionably strings were pulled to get him this privilege; still, he was not alone as in that time there were many others — for one, Clinton hiding behind scholarly studies. However, that is not the point: the issue is that the records of his last year of duty is incoherent, and thus reflects on his character. Cleland referred this to the eighteen minute tape of the Nixon days.
Kerry’s strategy to deflate Bush’s character is but a preemptive strike on Karl Rove cautioning him that “I am no Michael Dukakis.”
Copyright © 2004 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: February 10, 2004.