Bush & Cheney didn't have any medals to throw away

I've said it before, I'll say it again: The Bush-Cheney campaign is run by a bunch of idiots. Why else would they persist in challenging John Kerry's war record?

In a well-orchestrated operation, Spin Queen Karen Hughes first lit into Kerry for allegedly throwing away his medals in a protest against the war (Kerry insists it was only his ribbons). Vice-President Dick Cheney followed, accusing Kerry of lacking the "judgment" necessary to be commander in chief. And Bush TV ads attack Kerry for voting against the Apache helicopter – which Cheney himself tried to kill as secretary of defense.

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How dare George Bush and Dick Cheney, two draft dodgers, attack the military record of a certified war hero? But this isn't the first time. In fact, this has become a pattern for Bush and Cheney. Because neither of them served in Vietnam, they can't stand running against anyone who did. So they set out to destroy him.

In 2000, they accused war hero John McCain of spending too much time as a Vietnam POW. Then they accused Vietnam vet Al Gore of not serving on the front lines. In 2002, they accused Max Cleland – who lost three out of four limbs in Vietnam – of being soft on defense. And now they try to paint John Kerry – winner of three Purple Hearts, the Silver Star and the Bronze Star – as some kind of commie pinko anti-war wimp.

That kind of smear campaign is an insult to every brave man and woman who, unlike Bush and Cheney, ever put on the uniform and went to war. It's OK to disagree with Kerry on any issue – tax cuts, health care, abortion, jobs, environment. But don't deny or denigrate his service to his country.

Here's what's so stupid about the Bush-Cheney strategy: The more they attack John Kerry's war record, the more they invite attention to their own lack of service. Yes, John Kerry came back from Vietnam and led opposition to the war. But he earned that right. Yes, John Kerry took off his uniform and threw his medals (or ribbons) away. But at least he won those medals under fire. Bush and Cheney didn't throw any medals away, because they never earned any.

Since the White House demands comparison, consider the evidence: When the swift boat he was leading up the Mekong River came under fire, John Kerry ordered the boat to shore, jumped out, ran down and killed one Vietcong, then led a patrol that killed 10 others.

Later, when a mine blew up alongside his boat, a wounded and bleeding Kerry ordered the boat to speed several hundred yards under enemy fire so he could rescue James Rassman, who had been blown overboard by the explosion. His commanding officer wrote: "In a combat environment often requiring independent, decisive action, Lt. j.g. Kerry was unsurpassed."

Compare that record to Dick Cheney's. He didn't volunteer for Vietnam because, he says, he had "other priorities at the time." He got one deferment as a student. When students were drafted, he got a second deferment by getting married. When married men were drafted, he got a third deferment because his wife was expecting a baby. Anything to avoid going to Vietnam!

And since the White House demands it, compare Kerry's record to George Bush's. He admits he went into the Air National Guard to avoid going to Vietnam. He learned to fly in Texas, then was transferred to a Senate campaign in Alabama, where there is no record he ever showed up for guard duty.

And he got out of the Guard eight months early to go to Harvard Business School. His commanding officers wrote that they couldn't evaluate his last year in the Guard because: "Lt. Bush has not been observed at this unit during the time of this report."

What a contrast. While John Kerry was putting his life on the line in Vietnam, Dick Cheney was chugging beers in college and George Bush was licking stamps in Alabama. And they dare attack Kerry's record? In military ranks, they don't deserve to stand on the same stage as John Kerry.

So, as defined by the White House, the 2004 campaign boils down to this: Which candidate, George Bush or John Kerry, would make the stronger commander in chief? The choice is clear. One man volunteered for combat. One man chickened out.