by James Glaser
February 19, 2004

Last week I wrote about John Kerry's war record, stating that I didn't know much about John Kerry the candidate. I treat Kerry like anyone else looking for my vote and try as much as I can to check out what they are saying to me.

We just had the Wisconsin primary in the State next door, so I got to hear quite a bit about all of the candidates. I was focusing on what Kerry had to say because of last week's column.

Now I have had my doubts about this Senator from Massachusetts, because he voted to have a war with Iraq. Here is what Kerry claims got him to give President Bush free rein, when it came time to starting a war. He said the President "had promised to go to the United Nations, to respect the building of an international coalition in truth, to exhaust the remedies of inspections and literally to only go to war as a last resort."

Kerry then says he also said on the floor of the Senate, "In giving the President this authority, I expect him to fulfill the commitments he has made to the American people in recent days—to work with the United Nations Security Council to adopt a new resolution setting out tough and immediate inspection requirements, and to act with allies at our side if we have to disarm Hussein by force" That sounds good, but he had already voted to give the President a free hand before he started laying down the ground rules he wanted George to go by. Kerry went on to say, "If he fails to do so, I will be the first to speak out."

To tell you the truth the truth I remember when the White House came to Congress to get permission for Bush to go to war. I was down by the lake working on the boat house I am building on the side of the hill. The weather was warm and I had the radio down there and was listening to Minnesota Public Radio. I remember Senator Joseph Biden and Senator John McCain asking a lot of questions of Colin Powell, because Powell is the guy the White House sent to the Hill to get the vote.

I don't remember either the President or John Kerry saying anything. I can tell you one thing for sure. In the weeks and weeks that we were building up our troop strength on Iraq's border getting ready to attack, I never ever heard John Kerry say WAIT A MINUTE! THIS ISN'T WHAT WE VOTED FOR!

John Kerry worked hard to stop the War in Vietnam. I think he was one of the veterans that started Vietnam Veterans Against the War, which I was a member of, when I got back from Vietnam.

Today's Senator John Kerry is not the same anti-war veteran he was in the early 1970s, John Kerry has become a Washington politician. Like every other politician he says things that he might have wanted to do, but didn't. Like every other politician he is always thinking about what he is saying and he might just say something both ways so that he can always go back and pick that right side and say, SEE, THIS IS WHAT I SAID.

If John Kerry is the Democratic candidate for President, I will vote for him, but only because George Bush is by a landslide, the worst President I have ever had. I really believe this; I think George Bush likes wars. I think George Bush wants to be a military hero and I would bet he wants more than anything for Congress to give him a Medal.