This page was last updated on September 5, 2004.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Ever since the Democratic National Convention, television has been littered with smear ads and testimonies about John Kerry’s time in Vietnam.

“Is it a coincidence that this is the only thing the Bush administration wants to talk about?  The answer is absolutely not.  They would much rather talk about this than things like the war, the economy, Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts, health care, the staggering debt, or how the country is divided now more than ever.”

[RWC] Earth to Mr. Krupa.  Kerry made his Vietnam service a central part of his campaign at the DNC.  Actually, he did this from the beginning.  John Edwards said, “If you have any question about what John Kerry’s made of, just spend three minutes with the men who served with him.”  Now that “men who served with” John Kerry are speaking up and providing documentation, folks like Mr. Krupa call it a smear.

Further, it’s not the Bush campaign questioning parts of Kerry’s service and post war antiwar activities.  It is Kerry’s extended “Band of Brothers” from his Vietnam days, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

“John Kerry’s war record is the only argument the Bush campaign thinks they can win on, and that’s not even a given.

“It’s true that the more we talk about Vietnam, the less the issues that matter get looked at.

“However, every time Kerry’s war record is brought up, we get reminded that he actually served.  That’s something George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Rush Limbaugh cannot say.”

[RWC] Mr. Krupa, you don’t know how many servicemen and servicewomen in the National Guard and Reserves you piss off when you claim Guard service is not serving.

I defy Mr. Krupa to show us an instance in which the Bush campaign mentioned Kerry’s service when it wasn’t answering a question from the press and to compliment Kerry’s service.

For which office is Rush Limbaugh running?

“If you question his valor and medals, you question every medal ever received.  Instead of wasting our time speculating over exactly what happened in Vietnam, let’s decide this election on the current state of our country and the plans for its future.”

[RWC] It’s BS to claim, “If you question his valor and medals, you question every medal ever received.”  If veterans present at an incident have questions and provide supporting evidence, why should that evidence not be reviewed?  Was Mr. Krupa so indignant when guys like Michael Moore and DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe made baseless claims about President Bush’s National Guard service?

If John Kerry wanted the election decided “on the current state of our country and the plans for its future,” why did he make his Vietnam service such a big part of his campaign?  Remember Kerry’s first words in his DNC acceptance speech?  Kerry said, “I’m John Kerry and I’m reporting for duty.”  A person cannot run on his military service – or any single issue – and then claim it’s off limits for analysis or critique.

© 2004 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.