Kerry's Military Record II

"The Right's focus is gradually settling on Kerry's anti-war record as their point of attack. This is particularly peculiar since Vietnam is generally agreed upon to have been a mistake; our politicians lied to us, the war was bad for our people and economy, we achieved none of our objectives and suffered a huge blow to the national ego. But rather than defend the war or impugn his service we're seeing is the Right attempt to blur dissent and treason. Kerry's crime wasn't speaking out against a war he knew firsthand to be mistaken, it was to oppose a war effort when our troops were on the ground (well, actually it was to run against a Republican president, but that's neither here nor there).

This worldview necessitates an acceptance of any conflict where troops have entered battle, it's a malevolent manipulation of the rally-round-the-flag effect that occurs upon war's beginning and it suggests troop deployment as a strategy for ending debate and beginning battle atop questions and misgivings. We went through this last year but it's particularly instructive to watch them apply it retroactively to a conflict widely acknowledged to be misguided. The audacity required to attack a decorated veteran because, after having spent time in the field and seeing the problems firsthand, he attempted to stop the war from needlessly taking the lives of even more soldiers is as telling about their seriousness in supporting the troops as it is about their strategy for this election..."

by Ezra Klein

Well said!