Kerry's '72 Army Comments Mirror Latest


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Nov 2, 3:12 AM (ET)

By JOHN SOLOMON

(AP) John Kerry, Democratic congressional campaigner in
the Fifth District, speaks at a news conference...
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WASHINGTON (AP) - During a Vietnam-era run for Congress three decades ago,
John Kerry said he opposed a volunteer Army because it would be dominated by
the underprivileged, be less accountable and be more prone to "the
perpetuation of war crimes."

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran who turned against the war, made the
observations in answers to a 1972 candidate questionnaire from a
Massachusetts peace group.

After Kerry caused a firestorm this week with what he termed a botched
campaign joke that Republicans said insulted current soldiers, The
Associated Press was alerted to the historical comments by a former law
enforcement official who monitored 1970s anti-war activities

Kerry apologized Wednesday for the 2006 campaign trail gaffe that some took
as suggesting U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq were undereducated. He
contended the remark was aimed at Bush, not the soldiers.

In 1972, as he ran for the House, he was less apologetic in his comments
about the merits of a volunteer army. He declared in the questionnaire that
he opposed the draft but considered a volunteer army "a greater anathema."

"I am convinced a volunteer army would be an army of the poor and the black
and the brown," Kerry wrote. "We must not repeat the travesty of the
inequities present during Vietnam. I also fear having a professional army
that views the perpetuation of war crimes as simply 'doing its job.'

"Equally as important, a volunteer army with our present constitutional
crisis takes accountability away from the president and put the people
further from control over military activities," he wrote.

Kerry's spokesman, David Wade, said Wednesday the historical document needed
to be viewed in the era in which it was written but that it nonetheless
raised a "bedrock question in a time of war when sacrifice should be shared
by all Americans."

"These are the words 34 years ago of a 28-year-old veteran home from a war
gone wrong, wondering who in America will bear the cost of battle and
shoulder the responsibility of military service," Wade said.

Kerry filled out the candidate questionnaire at the request of Massachusetts
Political Action for Peace, an anti-war group that decades later turned over
its historical documents to university researchers.

AP obtained the document from someone who gathered it from archives during
Kerry's unsuccessful 2004 presidential campaign against President Bush.
Republicans in that election relentlessly assailed Kerry's role in the
anti-war movement decades earlier.

Kerry and Bush renewed their rivalry again this week, with the president
accusing Kerry of offending troops. Kerry said he botched the text of a joke
and didn't mean to insult troops.

On Wednesday, Kerry canceled campaign appearance on behalf of Democratic
congressional candidates and issued an apology.

Buckley speaks on public affairs for YPU
By Evangelia Podaras

Contributing Reporter



William F. Buckley Jr. '50 gave what he said will be his final speech on
public affairs Wednesday night in front of the Yale Political Union.

Buckley, who is often credited with shaping the modern U.S. conservative
movement, surprised the members of the audience with the announcement at the
event, the 60th anniversary of his first speech at the YPU. Buckley's
address - the keynote speech at the debate entitled "Resolved: The
Democratic Candidates for November 7th Should Withdraw" - was geared toward
American politics, as he argued for the Democrats to withdraw from the
upcoming election. Audience members said they appreciated Buckley's
witticisms, but several said they had hoped for more specific details in his
speech.

Buckley began his speech by talking about the first time he spoke in front
of the YPU 60 years ago, when he convinced the union to rescind an
invitation for a speech given to the General Secretary of the Communist
Party, William Z. Foster.

Buckley's description of his previous campaign against the Communist leader
led into his central argument that the Democratic party candidates should
withdraw from the election and, more generally, from American politics.

"The Democrats are dominated by greedy, hypocritical thought," he said in
the speech.

He summarized the Democratic party's unfulfilled promises with regard to
proposed tax cuts and discussed the party's inadequate response to the Iraq
war.

"The Democratic platform of two years ago did not even go so far as to call
for pulling back immediately on our missent forces from Iraq," Buckley said.
"And on the broader question of our continued reliance on militarism, the
Democrats did not call for the rejection of the military. No, they actually
called for a stronger military."

Buckley - who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991 - started
his career in the CIA the year after he graduated from Yale. He went on to
found the National Review, write several books and serve as a delegate to
the United Nations in 1973.

Many at the talk said they found Buckley's sense of humor to be his most
memorable quality as a speaker, as it shone through both his speech and his
responses to the questions posed by the audience afterwards.

When asked whether it was better to have a half-right, half-wrong governing
political party, Buckley said jokingly that following his suggestions would
prove the most effective strategy.

"[The best] is to have a policy that is always right . by accepting my
suggestions," he said.

Although most students said they liked the humor in Buckley's speech, others
said he did not actually address the matter at the heart of the debate.

Eric Purington '09 said although Buckley was extremely eloquent and an
impressive public speaker, he wanted to hear more about the actual topic in
question.

"I expected a broader interpretation of everything he has stood for for the
past 60 years," Purington said. "Also, his suggestions weren't really
conceivable."

Geoffrey Shaw '10 said he did not feel that Buckley's points adequately
addressed the question at hand.

"It was funny that he said that the way to correct the Democrats' platform
was to listen to him, but he never really elaborated on his own ideas on how
to change it," he said.

But others said they believed Buckley did justice to his reputation of being
a good speaker in his last address.

"His tongue-in-cheek humor added to the effectiveness of his speech,"
Alexander Gregath '09 said. "He is the master of the underhanded insult, and
he wouldn't be saying the things even in a humorous way if he didn't believe
them."

Buckley hosted the "Firing Line," the award-winning PBS television show,
from 1966 until 1999.

Gilligan wrote:


[snipped a whole bunch crap about Kerry]

Once again, just what seat/position is Kerry running for in this
election?

Cheers
Marty

The stupid seat, but Bush is already sitting in it.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Martin Baxter" wrote in message
...
Gilligan wrote:


[snipped a whole bunch crap about Kerry]

Once again, just what seat/position is Kerry running for in this
election?

Cheers
Marty

"Martin Baxter" wrote in message
...
Gilligan wrote:


[snipped a whole bunch crap about Kerry]

Once again, just what seat/position is Kerry running for in this
election?


Bush isn't running for office either. Shall we apply your criteria to him
too?

"Gilligan" wrote
| Bush isn't running for office either. Shall we apply your criteria to him
| too?


Yahooooo! It's that easy to squash a liberal bug... Keep up the good work.

Cheers,
Ellen

Gilligan wrote:

"Martin Baxter" wrote in message
...
Gilligan wrote:


[snipped a whole bunch crap about Kerry]

Once again, just what seat/position is Kerry running for in this
election?

Bush isn't running for office either. Shall we apply your criteria to him
too?

Ah, but Bush is President, pretty much the defacto head of the
Republican Party, Kerry doesn't even have the nomination yet, apples,
oranges.

Cheers
Marty