Quotes about John Kerry...

[Stal]

You know, the more and more I hear about Kerry, it's amazing how much I can detest the man more and more. I just got these in e-mail. I'm going to share them with you all and those of the same mind as I can might be able to use them to some extent. I'm not looking for a debate. I'm simply posting the quotes.

These quotes come from the people that served with John Kerry during the Vietnam War. Something Kerry totes about that he served in like a great medal.

Swift Boat Quotes about John Kerry


"We resent very deeply the false war crimes charges he made coming
back from Vietnam in 1971 and repeated in the book 'Tour of Duty.' We think
those cast an aspersion on all those living and dead, from our unit and
other units in Vietnam. We think that he knew he was lying when he made the
charges, and we think that they're unsupportable. We intend to bring the
truth about that to the American people We believe, based on our
experience with him, that he is totally unfit to be the
Commander-in-Chief." -- John O'Neill, spokesman, Swift Boat Veterans for
Truth



"I do not believe John Kerry is fit to be Commander-in-Chief of the
armed forces of the United States. This is not a political issue. It is a
matter of his judgment, truthfulness, reliability, loyalty and trust -- all
absolute tenets of command. His biography, 'Tour of Duty,' by Douglas
Brinkley, is replete with gross exaggerations, distortions of fact,
contradictions and slanderous lies. His contempt for the military and
authority is evident by even a most casual review of this biography. He
arrived in-country with a strong anti-Vietnam War bias and a self-serving
determination to build a foundation for his political future. He was
aggressive, but vain and prone to impulsive judgment, often with disregard
for specific tactical assignments. He was a 'loose cannon.' In an
abbreviated tour of four months and 12 days, and with his specious medals
secure, Lt.(jg) Kerry bugged out and began his infamous betrayal of all
United States forces in the Vietnam War. That included our soldiers, our
marines, our sailors, our coast guardsmen, our airmen, and our POWs. His
leadership within the so-called Vietnam Veterans Against the War and
testimony before Congress in 1971 charging us with unspeakable atrocities
remain an undocumented but nevertheless meticulous stain on the men and
women who honorably stayed the course. Senator Kerry is not fit for
command." -- Rear Admiral Roy Hoffman, USN (retired), chairman, Swift Boat
Veterans for Truth


"During Lt.(jg) Kerry's tour, he was under my command for two or
three specific operations, before his rapid exit. Trust, loyalty and
judgment are the key, operative words. His turncoat performance in 1971 in
his grubby shirt and his medal-tossing escapade, coupled with his
slanderous lines in the recent book portraying us that served, including
all POWs and MIAs, as murderous war criminals, I believe, will have a
lasting effect on all military veterans and their families. Kerry would be
described as devious, self-absorbing, manipulative, disdain for authority,
disruptive, but the most common phrase that you'd hear is 'requires
constant supervision.'" -- Captain Charles Plumly, USN (retired)


"Thirty-five years ago, many of us fell silent when we came back to
the stain of sewage that Mr. Kerry had thrown on us, and all of our
colleagues who served over there. I don't intend to be silent today or ever
again. Our young men and women who are serving deserve no less." -- Andrew
Horne


"In my specific, personal experience in both coastal and river
patrols over a 12-month period, I never once saw or heard anything remotely
resembling the atrocities described by Senator Kerry. If I had, it would
have been my obligation to report them in writing to a higher authority,
and I would certainly have done that. If Senator Kerry actually witnessed
or participated in these atrocities or, as he described them, 'war crimes,'
he was obligated to report them. That he did not until later when it suited
his political purposes strikes me as opportunism of the worst kind. That he
would malign my service and that of his fellow sailors with no regard for
the truth makes him totally unqualified to serve as Commander-in-Chief." --
Jeffrey Wainscott


"I signed that letter because I, too felt a deep sense of betrayal
that someone who took the same oath of loyalty as I did as an officer in
the United States Navy would abandon his group here (points to group photo)
to join this group here (points to VVAW protest photo), and come home and
attempt to rally the American public against the effort that this group was
so valiantly pursuing. It is a fact that in the entire Vietnam War we did
not lose one major battle. We lost the war at home ... and at home, John
Kerry was the Field General." -- Robert Elder

"My daughters and my wife have read portions of the book 'Tour of
Duty.' They wanted to know if I took part in the atrocities described. I do
not believe the things that are described happened. Let me give you an
example. In Brinkley's book, on pages 170 to 171, about something called
the 'Bo De massacre' on November 24th of 1968... In Kerry's description of
the engagement, first he claimed there were 17 servicemen that were
wounded. Three of us were wounded. I was the first..." -- Joseph Ponder .


"While in Cam Rahn Bay, he trained on several 24-hour
indoctrination missions, and one special skimmer operation with my most
senior and trusted Lieutenant. The briefing from some members of that crew
the morning after revealed that they had not received any enemy fire, and
yet Lt.(jg) Kerry informed me of a wound -- he showed me a scratch on his
arm and a piece of shrapnel in his hand that appeared to be from one of our
own M-79s. It was later reported to me that Lt.(jg) Kerry had fired an
M-79, and it had exploded off the adjacent shoreline. I do not recall being
advised of any medical treatment, and probably said something like 'Forget
it.' He later received a Purple Heart for that scratch, and I have no
information as to how or whom. Lt.(jg) Kerry was allowed to return to the
good old USA after 4 months and a few days in-country, and then he
proceeded to betray his former shipmates, calling them criminals who were
committing atrocities. Today we are here to tell you that just the opposite
is true. Our rules of engagement were quite strict, and the officers and
men of Swift often did not even return fire when they were under fire if
there was a possibility that innocent people -- fishermen, in a lot of
cases -- might be hurt or injured. The rules and the good intentions of the
men increased the possibility that we might take friendly casualties." --
Commander Grant Hibbard, USN (retired)

[Stal]

"Lt. Kerry returned home from the war to make some outrageous
statements and allegations... of numerous criminal acts in violation of the
law of war were cited by Kerry, disparaging those who had fought with honor
in that conflict. Had war crimes been committed by US forces in Vietnam?
Yes, but such acts were few and far between. Yet Lt. Kerry gave numerous
speeches and testimony before Congress inappropriately leading his
audiences to believe that what was only an anomaly in the conduct of
America's fighting men was an epidemic. Furthermore, he suggested that they
were being encouraged to violate the law of war by those within the chain
of command. Very specific orders, on file at the Vietnam archives at Texas
Tech University, were issued by my father [Admiral Elmo Zumwalt] and others
in his chain of command instructing subordinates to act responsibly in
preserving the life and property of Vietnamese civilians." -- Lt. Col.
James Zumwalt, USMC ) , retired.


. "We look at Vietnam... after all these years it is still
languishing in isolated poverty and helplessness and tyranny. This is John
Kerry's legacy. I deeply resent John Kerry's using his Swift boat
experience, and his betrayal of those who fought there as a stepping-stone
to his political ambitions." -- Barnard Wolff


"In a whole year that I spent patrolling, I didn't see anything like a
war crime, an atrocity, anything like that. Time and again I saw American
fighting men put themselves in graver danger trying to avoid... collateral
damage. When John Kerry returned to the country, he was sworn in front of
Congress. And then he told my family -- my parents, my sister, my brother,
my neighbors -- he told everyone I knew and everyone I'd ever know that I
and my comrades had committed unspeakable atrocities." -- David Wallace



"I served with these guys. I went on missions with them, and these men
served honorably. Up and down the chain of command there was no
acquiescence to atrocities. It was not condoned, it did not happen, and it
was not reported to me verbally or in writing by any of these men including
Lt.(jg) Kerry. In 1971, '72, for almost 18 months, he stood before the
television audiences and claimed that the 500,000 men and women in Vietnam,
and in combat, were all villains -- there were no heroes. In 2004, one hero
from the Vietnam War has appeared, running for President of the United
States and Commander-in-Chief. It just galls one to think about it." --
Captain George Elliott, USN (retired)


"During the Vietnam War I was Task Force Commander at An Thoi, and
my tour of duty was 13 months, from the end of Tet to the beginning of the
Vietnamization of the Navy units. Now when I went there right after Tet, I
was restricted in my movements. I couldn't go much of anyplace because the
Vietcong controlled most of the area. When I left, I could go anywhere I
wanted, just about. Commerce was booming, the buses were running, trucks
were going, the waterways were filled with sampans with goods going to
market, but yet in Kerry's biography he says that our operations were a
complete failure. He also mentions a formal conference with me, to try to
get more air cover and so on. That conference never happened..." -- Captain
Adrian Lonsdale, USCG (retired)


"I was in An Thoi from June of '68 to June of '69, covering the whole
period that John Kerry was there. I operated in every river, in every
canal, and every off-shore patrol area in the 4th Corps area, from Cambodia
all the way around to the Bo De River. I never saw, even heard of all of
these so-called atrocities and things that we were supposed to have done.
This is not true. We're not standing for it. We want to set the record
straight." -- William Shumadine


"In 1971, when John Kerry spoke out to America, labeling all Vietnam
veterans as thugs and murderers, I was shocked and almost brought to my
knees, because even though I had served at the same time and same unit, I
had never witnessed or participated in any of the events that the Senator
had accused us of. I strongly believe that the statements made by the
Senator were not only false and inaccurate, but extremely harmful to the
United States' efforts in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world.
Tragically, some veterans, scorned by the antiwar movement and their
allies, retreated to a life of despair and suicide. Two of my crewmates
were among them. For that there is no forgiveness. " -- Richard O'Meara


"My name is Steve Gardner. I served in 1966 and 1967 on my first
tour of duty in Vietnam on Swift boats, and I did my second tour in '68 and
'69, involved with John Kerry in the last 2 1/2 months of my tour The John
Kerry that I know is not the John Kerry that everybody else is portraying.
I served alongside him and behind him, five feet away from him in a gun
tub, and watched as he made indecisive moves with our boat, put our boats
in jeopardy, put our crews in jeopardy... if a man like that can't handle
that 6-man crew boat, how can you expect him to be our Commander-in-Chief?"
-- Steven Gardner


"I served in Vietnam as a boat officer from June of 1968 to July of
1969. My service was three months in Coastal Division 13 out of Cat Lo, and
nine months with Coastal Division 11 based in An Thoi. John Kerry was in An
Thoi the same time I was. I'm here today to express the anger I have
harbored for over 33 years, about being accused with my fellow shipmates of
war atrocities. All I can say is when I leave here today, I'm going down to
the Wall to tell my two crew members it's not true, and that they and the
other 49 Swiftees who are on the Wall were then and are still now the
best." -- Robert Brant


"I never saw, heard of, or participated in any Swift boat crews
killing cattle, poisoning crops, or raping and killing civilians as charged
by John Kerry, both in his book and in public statements. Since we both
operated at the same time, in the same general area, and on the same
missions under the same commanders, it is hard to believe his claims of
atrocities and poor planning of Sea Lord missions. I signed this letter
because I feel that he used Swift boat sailors to proclaim his antiwar
statements after the war, and now he uses the same Swift boat sailors to
support his claims of being a war hero. He cannot have it both ways, and we
are here to ask for full disclosure of the proof of his claims." -- James
Steffes

[Deleted]

Kerry may not be the best man for President, as those quotes imply and/or state, but I think he's better than Bush.

[ice]

Aah...neither man is very good for the job, Bush is a little trigger-happy while Kerry is a war criminal.

What ever happened to the 'Land of the Free' and the 'Home of the Brave'

...

But then again, what the heck do I know about politics? Ugh...I haaaaate politics!

[Yugo Ryan]

Personally, I think my left hand would fit the bill for presidency better than either of 'em.

...And my left hand is the pyromanic defenestrator, too.

[Crystal]

Bleh. I'm iffy on it. *shrugs* Don't affect me, although I do admit that those quotes make him sound awful.

[Buddy]

"Interviewer: 'Can you name the President of Chechnya?'
Bush: 'No. Can you?'
Interviewer: 'Prime Minister of India?'
Bush: 'Er...The new Prime Minister of India is...er...No.'
...
Bush: 'The new Pakistani General, he's just been elected...He appears he'll bring stability to the country.'
Interviewer: 'And can you name him?'
Bush: 'General, I can Name the General.'
Interviewer: 'And it's...?'
Bush: 'General'"

You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.

- George Bush, on Education reform, Feb 21, 2001

To those of you who received honors, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say: You, too, can be president of the United States.

- George Bush, at a Yale speech, 2001

For the record, I don't like either Bush or Kerry. I just happen to think Bush's quote's are funnier. ;D

[Retired Blub]

Don't like either of them (Kerry's a bit better). I'm glad I don't live in the U.S.

[Buddy]

Oooh! I found some more funny ones!

"A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls."

"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"

"What I am against is quotas. I am against hard quotas, quotas they basically delineate based upon whatever. However they delineate, quotas, I think, vulcanize society. So I don't know how that fits into what everybody else is saying, their relative positions, but that's my position."

"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it."

"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is 'to be prepared'."

"We must all hear the universal call to like your neighbor like you like to be liked yourself."

- All by President Bush

Oh, and I found one more a I liked, which kind of shows the way I feeel about the election:

"Democracy is being allowed to vote for the candidate you dislike least."

- Robert Byrne

[Smiley]

I'm more right-wing myself, and yet I find those quotes absolutely hilarious, Buddy XD.

I flipped through "Bushisms" at Barnes and Noble once... this is my fave (sorry if I altered it a bit; bad memory):

I am responsible for all of my actions, and you all are too.

I mean... I know what he meant, but it's still pretty funny XD.

I HIGHLY dislike John Kerry. I heard that his third war wound was self-inflicted, which he did because you get to go home after three injuries. So, he willingly signed up to go to this war, only to rush back home like a pansy, and then say that the war should be stopped. Hmm...

And he and Edwards are two of the four senators who voted to get more soldiers in Iraq, and yet, they voted against the funding of our troops. That'll be nice, forced over into a warzone and then you starve to death; either that or you're killed because you don't have ammunition to protect yourself.

I really, really hate politics, though. All of the bad vibes and bad people... it just rubs me the wrong way. I highly doubt that I will ever become a politician, just because I would have to compete against people who are out there for themselves rather than the fate and fortune of this country. Like our governor, Bill Richardson... ick. He's a sleezeball, he doesn't give a crap about New Mexico, and he's just selling himself for the presidency.

[Deleted]

Prof. said:

And he and Edwards are two of the four senators who voted to get more soldiers in Iraq, and yet, they voted against the funding of our troops. That'll be nice, forced over into a warzone and then you starve to death; either that or you're killed because you don't have ammunition to protect yourself.

There's a common misconception about the voting that Senators do, and you have just shown it. The bill for funding the troops most likely had other crap tacked on to it. Stuff that Kerry and Edwars didn't agree to. They may have wanted to fund the troops, but didn't think the price was fair.

Bills are hardly ever about one thing. Compromisations make it that way.

[Stal]

John Kerry (May '03): "I believe Saddam's WMDs are a real threat."

John Kerry (DNC '04): "...Saying there are WMDs in Iraq does not make it so!"

...yeah.

"Those aren't my SUVs! They're the families! I just ride in them."

I dislike Kerry so very very much.

I'm so glad I can vote in this election.

Oh, and for the record, I own a Bushisms 2004 daily calendar.

[Deleted]

Bush was in a town near me yesterday.

Here's a quote from my local news' website.

The president also attacked rival John Kerry for "waffling" on issues, including on which college team he supports.

Gee, Bush, I'm glad to know that you know what issues are important. Everyone knows sports is the most crucial aspect of this election.#nosmileys

[Stal]

TheComedian said:

Bush was in a town near me yesterday.

Here's a quote from my local news' website.



Gee, Bush, I'm glad to know that you know what issues are important. Everyone knows sports is the most crucial aspect of this election.

TC, did you hear the speech yourself? Or are you just letting the newspaper tell you what was said, seeing as how they only mentioned the college team part, what about the others they didn't mention.

If Kerry had made a comment about college teams, would you be reacting the same way? Or just smirking because he was making a joke and bringing a humor aspect to the speech.

[Deleted]

Ninja said:

TC, did you hear the speech yourself? Or are you just letting the newspaper tell you what was said, seeing as how they only mentioned the college team part, what about the others they didn't mention.

If Kerry had made a comment about college teams, would you be reacting the same way? Or just smirking because he was making a joke and bringing a humor aspect to the speech.

No, I didn't hear the speech, but my local news station seems biased in favor of Bush anyways...ok, not really. But they're not against Bush. They mentioned more issues, but I don't see why Bush would attack Kerry on the basis of college sports.

And yes, I would react the same way if Kerry said the same thing about Bush. But he didn't say it, did he?