Kerry Kottontail
John Forbes Kerry loves his initials, JFK. In his mind it puts him right alongside John Fitzgerald Kennedy. But some would say his initials stand for "Just For Kerry." "Just For Kerry" sums up exactly the essence of the man. Herewith is an inside look at how that explains his motivations & manipulations in his quest for the presidency & of his thought processes toward that end.
Kerry's presidential ambitions go way back to at least his days at Yale University. His desire to be President was known to his classmates. He & his family hobnobbed with the rich & political. As a teenager he knew the real JFK personally. Undoubtedly this had an influence on his political ambitions. His European childhood schooling along with his life amongst the powerful taught him how to attain what he wanted. For a young boy who also had an overblown sense of self, this was the perfect education. He went to Yale University & immediately got involved with the politics of the campus, becoming president of the Democratic Club. As a student, he was draft deferred from Vietnam. Ever the politician, he sensed the winds of discord over the war & spoke out against it at his graduation. Ah, but that nasty draft board was at his heels.
The notion that Kerry initially volunteered for Vietnam is malarky. If he was so eager, he would have joined the Army or Marines for a guaranteed trip. And how odd it is that he is portrayed as rushing off to Vietnam while at the same time speaking out against the war. John Kerry never wanted to go to Vietnam, as many his age felt. He lost his deferment at graduation. He asked the draft board for an extended deferment so he could study in Europe. It was denied. He was in effect a failed draft dodger. What to do, what to do? Because of his family's influence he could have easily joined the National Guard. But, ever the politician, he joined the Navy. This accomplished a few goals. He effectively avoided Vietnam, he built up a military resume for future political desires & it put him in league with the real JFK as a Navy man. Kerry wound up on a frigate that crossed the Pacific to drop off supplies at Vietnam & then returned to California. He spent 7 months in California. Ever the politician, he realized a frigate was not in league with the real JFK's exploits as a PT boat commander, especially if a political future was a consideration. Something a tad more adventuresome was needed to enhance his political resume. When he discovered the existence of Swift Boats & their mission he found his link to the real JFK. So he volunteered for Swift Boat duty in Vietnam. But with a caveat.
Kerry is on record as saying that he thought Swift Boat duty was the safest duty in Vietnam. And it was. Swift Boats patrolled the coastline of Vietnam from the ocean where there was no combat. Ever the politician, Kerry knew this gave him a great addition to his political resume - he could say he was in Vietnam, but was safe enough away from it. Much to Kerry's surprise & panic, I'm sure, this all changed 2 weeks after he arrived. Admiral Nimitz redefined the Swift Boat missions & placed them into the river deltas. The safest job now became a dangerous one. This gave Kerry apoplexy - if he was killed this would ruin his dreams of being president. Ever the politician & to save his rear end from harm, he managed to find an obscure regulation whereby a triple purple heart winner could ask for relief from combat duty & go stateside. This set Kerry on his quest for medals as soon as possible. Don't believe that Kerry got his 3 purple hearts & then was told, "by the way - now ya can go home, kid." No. Kerry by design worked to get those medals from the start.
Kerry managed to get those 3 medals in record time - within 4 months of arriving in Vietnam. He also managed to pick up a Bronze Star & Silver Star. How he got those Purple Hearts & whether he deserved them is contentious indeed. But all 3 wounds were superficial with only one requiring disinfectant & a band-aid. He spent no time in a hospital or under a doctors' care. In fact, his commander has said that he's had worse wounds from a rose bush thorn. When you hear the words "Purple Heart" this is not what you envision as the wounds of a soldier. (There has been some suspicion that he might have self-inflicted at least one of those superficial wounds. If true, the man is extremely manipulative to the point of being sick in the mind.) Many soldiers in combat received more serious wounds & shook it off & went back to their job. No medals for them. It didn't even occur to them to ask for them. But Kerry had his agenda & connived & manipulated the bureaucracy to his own ends.
Kerry's Bronze Star & Silver Star are contentious also. Bronze Stars amongst the officer class were given out like candy. Kerry, as an officer, knew this. Ever the politician, he went for one. And grabbed a Silver Star to boot. Another page for the political resume. Though why he alone & none of his enlisted crew received medals is a mystery. But Kerry had his out - stateside, baby! He left his crew behind. A loyal officer wouldn't. And many officers didn't. But Kerry had bigger plans & he really didn't care if he left those suckers behind - or "band of brothers" as he now calls them. Kerry is only loyal to himself. He managed to put a quick 4 months in 'Nam & grabbed some medals. His calculated "safe" Navy service suddenly became wildly successful toward his future.
Kerry left 'Nam & requested a cushy assignment as an Admiral's aide in Brooklyn. While there, Kerry, off-duty at least, flew anti-war speakers to rallies. After a short stint there he requested & was granted early release in 1969 from active duty so that he could run for a Congressional seat. He was discharged 6 months early. Notice Kerry's mindset. From day one, anything & everything that furthered his political ambitions was to be used. He used the Navy as a stepping stone, the similarities with the real JFK as a stepping stone, the time in 'Nam as a stepping stone, the fortuitous medals as a stepping stone, the 3-time wounded regulation to get out of 'Nam as a stepping stone, the early discharge to run for office as a stepping stone. Kerry even brought his movie camera & film to 'Nam , a la the real JFK, to document his exploits as a stepping stone, knowing they would prove useful in the future.
Kerry's driving thirst for elected office demonstrates that he couldn't wait to get out of the Navy & run for office, even though he had zero experience or political base - he was as qualified to run as Joe the hotdog stand guy. He didn't even think to run for mayor or councilman or even state legislator to at least get experience - it was Congress or bust. Chutzpah at its best. But after 3 months of campaigning in 1970 for a Congressional seat another Democrat was given the nomination.
Kerry got more actively involved in the anti-war movement in his first run for Congress under that banner. Kerry's anti-war sympathies came not out of concern for the Vietnam War, although he would have you believe it. No. Ever the politician, he sensed that a political shift toward protest would further his ambitions for political office in liberal Massachusetts. After all, he lost his bid for Congress to a more rabid anti-war advocate. Ever the politician, Kerry joined Vietnam Veterans Against the War. This group became his "useful tool" to further Kerry's ambitions. He would exploit this group to further advance his political goals, he would grab a leadership position as a springboard for his agenda, which was an elected Kerry. Though some in the organization considered him arrogant & opportunistic, he projected a more clean cut image then the rag-tag image they had. He reached celebrity status, if not quite political status, when in April 1971 he testified before Congress.
"I Committed Atrocities"
It what has since become a rallying point for those against Kerry, John Kerry in Senate testimony viciously trashed the U.S. servicemen in Vietnam. He gave out a laundry list of atrocities they committed & claimed this was the rule, not the exception, in Vietnam. But this was all hyperbole & lies & Kerry knew it. As to Kerry's statement that he personally committed atrocities too, which so outrages veterans , if you listen carefully to what he said, Kerry parsed his words enough that it sounds like he committed atrocities, but he didn't. It was all b.s. & showmanship. (If I'm wrong & he did commit atrocities, then how in the hell can he receive even one vote? Are the voters
that ignorant? What the hell is wrong with the American voter? And why is the media not ripping him for it? My God, look at what they did with the prison scandal in Iraq - &
they were abuses, not atrocities.) Kerry even claimed the 165 men with him were Viet Vets & decorated ones at that. It turned out this was all a lie. It is reprehensible that Kerry trashed the soldiers using lies to further his goals. But Kerry was riding the anti-war wave & using it to further his ambitions. Kerry reached his goal of becoming leader of the group. A short while later they staged a public event of throwing their combat medals into a trash bin. Kerry said he threw his medals also. But Kerry was not that dumb. He kept his because, again, ever the politician, he knew they could prove useful in the future. But the "useful fools" who did throw their medals away fit in with his goals.
A 250,000 person protest demonstration that week propelled him into the media limelight. He met with more & more political & Hollywood personages. He was in effect building a contact list which would help him when he ran again for office. Soon after he was on "60 minutes." Even Richard Nixon took note of Kerry's notoriety. His political star was rising quickly & he traveled the country making anti-war speeches. Kerry had become a national figure. This is exactly where Kerry always dreamed to be. This was his ticket to elective office, thanks to exploitation of an anti-war group that he cared little about or little about its cause. Kerry left the group months later. They gave him what he wanted. It was time to go for the gold - Congress.
In 1972 Kerry began shopping Massachusetts for a Congressional District that he could run in. His many address changes attests to that fact. Mr. Opportunist strikes again. He cared not about representing a certain local people as much as he cared for self-promotion into Congress. It didn't matter who or what he represented, as long as he got elected. He finally found a district to run in & suffered an ego bashing primary loss. Kerry soon found another district to run in. He got the party nomination but lost in the general election after blowing a huge lead.
Kerry went on to law school & became a prosecutor, which was a natural road to elective office. However, friends were astonished at his move, as a prosecutor was the establishment - defense lawyers were where the anti-establishment crowd went. But Kerry knew what side the bread was buttered on & his professed beliefs would not stand in the way of political opportunity. Thus closes this chapter on John Kerry's road to the presidency.
John Kerry is an overly ambitious & calculating person. Beware of the breed. Overly ambitious people are self-serving, self-focused, self-consuming egoists. They are self-promoters in the extreme. They will say anything, do anything to further their ambitions. They are opportunists who will twist & distort facts & outright lie. They will rewrite their history & manipulate people & events to further "self." They will profess loyalty when in fact the only loyalty they have is to themselves. If you look at Kerry in this light it should become obvious that Kerry, the elitist & rich, blueblooded white man, cares not about the poor or downtrodden or the sufferings of the middle class. Kerry cares only about Kerry., thus the "Just For Kerry" monikor. This will become more obvious as his political & personal life are further examined.
Forget everything else about Kerry - his manipulations, his horrible Senate attendance, his 19 years in the Senate with few legislative accomplishments initiated by him, his notorious flip-flops, his parsing of statements he made, his sudden embracing of "values" & patriotism & the military, his extreme liberal record & his $1,000 haircuts. Aside from these, it is astonishing that anyone would vote for him after he thoroughly trashed the Vietnam servicemen with charges of war crimes & atrocities which he knew to be false, but yet used to further his own political ambitions. And it is incredible that anyone would vote for a potential Commander-in-Chief who admitted that he himself committed war crimes & atrocities. Am I missing something with this picture?! But, no one said Americans have to be smart or informed. The irony of a Commander-in-Chief with a war crimes past. Go figure.
Kerry's Shipmates Speak Out
Vietnam Vets Against Kerry
....from sea to shining sea