Kerry in 72: Volunteer Army Would Perpetuate "War Crimes"
Thu, Nov 2, 2006 at 8:13:10 am PST
Here’s a reminder that John F. Kerry’s anti-military remarks do not exist in a vacuum: Kerry’s ’72 Army Comments Mirror Latest. (Hat tip: Natan.)
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.” ...
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.
UPDATE at 11/2/06 8:19:41 am:
The New York Times, meanwhile, is running interference for Kerry by printing his alleged “prepared remarks” as an actual quote: New York Times Lies to Its Readers About the Content of Kerry’s Remarks.
UPDATE at 11/2/06 8:36:25 am:
Seymour Hersh wants us to know that John Kerry is right about the troops: “There has never been an American army as violent and murderous as the one in Iraq.” He claims to have seen video of atrocities—but Hersh has also admitted publicly that he thinks it’s OK to lie for political reasons.
