segunda-feira, agosto 23, 2004
Democrats worry about runaway focus on John Kerry's Vietnam War service
By BETH GORHAM
WASHINGTON(CP) - Everybody's talking about the wrong war.
Instead of debating Iraq, the U.S. election campaign has been focused for more than a week on John Kerry's service record in Vietnam 35 years ago and his antiwar activism when he got home. It has become a pitched TV advertising battle and a bitter war of words between Democrats and Republicans that has usurped any serious discussion about jobs, terrorism, health care and other issues that matter to Americans.
And recent opinion polls suggested the focus has hurt Kerry's standing with veterans and independents critical to the outcome of the Nov. 2 vote.
Kerry, perhaps, had little choice but to come out swinging last week. He's running two of his own TV ads in key battleground states to counter one from a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that says he lied about his Vietnam service and betrayed his comrades at home by accusing them of war atrocities.
President George W. Bush, himself attacked in countless commercials funded by outside groups, denounced the anti-Kerry ad Monday when he said only official parties and campaigns should be allowed to run them.
"That ad and every other ad" has no place in the election, said Bush, who was at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. "This kind of unregulated soft money is wrong for the process."
"I think Senator Kerry served admirably and he ought to be proud of his record," said Bush. "But the question is, who (is) best to lead the country in the war on terror?"
Democrats were unimpressed.
"The moment of truth came and went and the president still couldn't bring himself to do the right thing," said Kerry's running mate John Edwards.
"Instead of hiding behind a front group, George Bush needs to take responsibility and demand that ad come off the air."
Each side is accusing the other of directing negative ads behind the scenes to smear their candidates.
Democrats say the Swift Boat group has backing from key Republican fundraisers while Republicans counter that anti-Bush ads from liberal groups like Moveon.org are orchestrated by Democrats.
Kerry's vigorous defence of his record, which clearly blames Bush and has been labelled libellous by the president's campaign, is coming at a cost, at least in the short term. It's hijacking Kerry's message on the issues from the front pages and the top of newscasts.
Instead, U.S. journalists have been reviewing in minute detail conflicting reports of Kerry's service in Vietnam, where he earned a Bronze Star, Silver Star and three Purple Hearts.
Men who served with Kerry are divided, for instance, about whether he was under enemy fire when he pulled another soldier from a river in March 1969.
Others are angry that Kerry's 1971 antiwar testimony before a Senate committee accused them of systemic war crimes like raping women, cutting off heads, randomly shooting at civilians, blowing up bodies and razing villages.
A loyal "band of brothers" who served on Kerry's boat in Vietnam were featured at the Democratic national convention last month and the Massachusetts senator has been counting on his hero status to help prove he's the right man to lead Americans.
Analyst David Gergen, who advised four presidents, called the kerfuffle an "extraordinary diversion" and a disservice to the country.
"This controversy is almost raging out of control," Gergen told CNN.
A recent CBS poll suggested Kerry's support has fallen nine percentage points among veterans and six points among independents since the battle over his Vietnam service began dominating the news.
But he was still slightly ahead of Bush overall. The two men have been running neck-and-neck for five months.
Even former Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, who was harshly critical of Kerry in an interview Sunday, said he's "probably ahead."
"I'd say right now Kerry has the edge," Dole told CNN. "Even though they didn't get a bounce at the convention, you know, people got to know John Kerry. I think most people liked what they saw."
"There's a little backlash now because of all the Vietnam thing. But he's probably ahead."
WASHINGTON(CP) - Everybody's talking about the wrong war.
Instead of debating Iraq, the U.S. election campaign has been focused for more than a week on John Kerry's service record in Vietnam 35 years ago and his antiwar activism when he got home. It has become a pitched TV advertising battle and a bitter war of words between Democrats and Republicans that has usurped any serious discussion about jobs, terrorism, health care and other issues that matter to Americans.
And recent opinion polls suggested the focus has hurt Kerry's standing with veterans and independents critical to the outcome of the Nov. 2 vote.
Kerry, perhaps, had little choice but to come out swinging last week. He's running two of his own TV ads in key battleground states to counter one from a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that says he lied about his Vietnam service and betrayed his comrades at home by accusing them of war atrocities.
President George W. Bush, himself attacked in countless commercials funded by outside groups, denounced the anti-Kerry ad Monday when he said only official parties and campaigns should be allowed to run them.
"That ad and every other ad" has no place in the election, said Bush, who was at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. "This kind of unregulated soft money is wrong for the process."
"I think Senator Kerry served admirably and he ought to be proud of his record," said Bush. "But the question is, who (is) best to lead the country in the war on terror?"
Democrats were unimpressed.
"The moment of truth came and went and the president still couldn't bring himself to do the right thing," said Kerry's running mate John Edwards.
"Instead of hiding behind a front group, George Bush needs to take responsibility and demand that ad come off the air."
Each side is accusing the other of directing negative ads behind the scenes to smear their candidates.
Democrats say the Swift Boat group has backing from key Republican fundraisers while Republicans counter that anti-Bush ads from liberal groups like Moveon.org are orchestrated by Democrats.
Kerry's vigorous defence of his record, which clearly blames Bush and has been labelled libellous by the president's campaign, is coming at a cost, at least in the short term. It's hijacking Kerry's message on the issues from the front pages and the top of newscasts.
Instead, U.S. journalists have been reviewing in minute detail conflicting reports of Kerry's service in Vietnam, where he earned a Bronze Star, Silver Star and three Purple Hearts.
Men who served with Kerry are divided, for instance, about whether he was under enemy fire when he pulled another soldier from a river in March 1969.
Others are angry that Kerry's 1971 antiwar testimony before a Senate committee accused them of systemic war crimes like raping women, cutting off heads, randomly shooting at civilians, blowing up bodies and razing villages.
A loyal "band of brothers" who served on Kerry's boat in Vietnam were featured at the Democratic national convention last month and the Massachusetts senator has been counting on his hero status to help prove he's the right man to lead Americans.
Analyst David Gergen, who advised four presidents, called the kerfuffle an "extraordinary diversion" and a disservice to the country.
"This controversy is almost raging out of control," Gergen told CNN.
A recent CBS poll suggested Kerry's support has fallen nine percentage points among veterans and six points among independents since the battle over his Vietnam service began dominating the news.
But he was still slightly ahead of Bush overall. The two men have been running neck-and-neck for five months.
Even former Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, who was harshly critical of Kerry in an interview Sunday, said he's "probably ahead."
"I'd say right now Kerry has the edge," Dole told CNN. "Even though they didn't get a bounce at the convention, you know, people got to know John Kerry. I think most people liked what they saw."
"There's a little backlash now because of all the Vietnam thing. But he's probably ahead."
# posted by Rui Ferreira @ 5:44 da tarde 
