John Kerry Just Earned My Vote, 30 Years Ago

I just finished listening to a re-broadcast of Midday, hosted by my main man, Gary Eichten, on Minnesota Public Radio.

The topic today was the whole John Kerry vs. Swiftboat Vets for Truth nonsense. The highlight of the show was the first half, when Gary replayed, in its entirety, John Kerry's testimony to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations back in 1971. This speech left an impression on me because

1. It showed a side of John Kerry we don't get to see often: a articulate, well-spoken, impassioned and PRINCIPLED veteran.

2. All the bullshit about Kerry criticizing fellow vets for war crimes has been completely taken out of context. If you read/hear the speech, it is clear he is criticizing the Nixon administration for putting soldiers in positions where they see and are vulnerable enough to commit these crimes. He is sympathetic to the soldiers at every turn of his speech.

3. He didn't sound like a Kennedy in terms of his accent. But now, in 2004, he sure sounds like he's trying to invoke the nuances of JFK's speech in his own dialect. I guess what's good for the goose is good for the gander. If Bush can take on the cadence of a good ol' boy, John F. Kerry can take on the speech pattern of another JFK.

But bottom-line is Kerry has a lot of potential. If he can find the priniciples and the spine that lead him to make that speech in 1971, he can be a hell of a candidate in 2004.

Until then, since I can't say "Kerry in '71!!" I'll have to settle for Kerry in '04!

Click here for a transcript of the 1971 speech.