Running for President or Running for Commander in Chief?
Or
Where Can the Anti-War Vote Go?

by James Glaser
March 25, 2004

George Bush has declared himself a War President on many occasions. It would be hard for a person that knows the horror of war to vote for someone that intones pride in that statement, as Bush does. People that understand that war should be avoided at all cost cannot vote for a President who has launched an unprovoked war on the pitifully abused citizens of Iraq. (Over 10,000 innocent Iraqi citizens have been killed and many more wounded so far in this war) Those against War also know that President Bush has also increased nuclear proliferation with his call for America to fund and develop a new class of tactical nuclear weapons.

That said, there is only one other candidate with a real chance of taking over the White House and that is Senator John Kerry. Kerry is a Vietnam Veteran who fought in combat. The man was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for Valor. Kerry risked his own life as he went out into a hail of enemy fire and rescued a Green Beret, getting wounded in the process. Twice more in his tour of duty John Kerry was wounded. There is no doubt in my mind that Kerry understands what the horror of war is.

I have been getting E-mails from Veterans "For" and Veterans "Against" John Kerry. Both sides are adamant about their position. All through the Democratic Primary all I heard about Kerry were sound bites on the news. Last week I looked forward to hearing a major policy speech by Kerry on Minnesota Public Radio, titled "Protecting Our Military Families in Times of War."

I thought it was telling that Kerry chose War as the subject of his first ever speech to our State and the Nation as the assumed Democrat nominee. There are any number of subjects that come to mind that I think are important to all Americans. Jobs, Health Care, the Environment, and lets put Jobs down again. Both Kerry and Bush like the topic of foreign policy and the military.

John Kerry's speech tugged on every heart string that any American combat veteran has. He pushed all the right buttons and as a disabled veteran, I have no doubt that with Kerry as President, I will receive better health care at the VA Hospital.

Kerry also pushed every button for the flag waving, let's kill them all, red necked American who is afraid we will start looking for peaceful solutions in our foreign policies.

Just like George Bush has done, John Kerry wants to expand the size of the Federal Government. Kerry stated he wants to increase the size of our military with the addition of 40,000 new troops. On top of that he wants to create a whole new Federal program called the Civilian Stability Corps. "In a John Kerry administration there will be no Base Closing Commission." Just these two programs will cost our children hundreds of billions of dollars.

I listened close to this speech and I came away with the thought that Kerry kept talking about how when John Kerry sent troops off to war they would be better equipped. What I wanted to hear was that "IF" John Kerry had to send troop as a last resort, after every other option had been tried, then those troops would have all the equipment they needed. I didn't hear that.

It is really unconscionable that George Bush sent our troops off to war without the equipment they needed. American families and communities have had to have fund raisers so that their loved one, our Soldiers and Marines, could buy the equipment they needed to fight for us. Every veteran knows just how sick it is for George Bush to call himself a War President. War President or the Commander in Chief, any President's first duty in time of war, is to the troops that serve under them. George Bush seems to think his first duty is to the civilian contractors who make money off of any war.

All in all I found John Kerry's speech disappointing. It sounds to me that John Kerry is George Bush. Both men will call the Pentagon before they call the State Department. I found nothing in Kerry's words that would make me think he would look to war as even a second option. Yes I do like the fact he would support those that serve in uniform, but I don't feel that he would "look out" for them too.

Many people will point to Kerry's idea for a Civilian Stability Corps as proof that the man is looking for peaceful solutions, but in his speech Kerry said this Corps would be made up of people like judges, police, electrical workers...people that can go into a country like Iraq AFTER the fighting is over, to bring peace and stability to the civilian population of the country.

First off, we would need a war first to use these people. Second, this is a whole new Federal Program akin to the National Guard. We are in deficit spending right now. Kerry's 40,000 new troops will cost many billions every year. We need the Government to get smaller, not larger. George Bush has already expanded government more than any other President and it seems like Kerry wants to do the same.

There are 7 ½ months left in this campaign and I want to hear more from Senator Kerry, but so far he seems to be running for the position of Commander in Chief.

Like I said at the start of this column, John Kerry is the only other candidate other than Bush and I must tell you that I think George Bush and his cohorts in Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, and Wolfowitz are the worst thing that has ever happened to this country.

To tell you the truth, George Bush scares the hell out of me and I will vote for John Kerry, but I will not kid myself and start thinking that Kerry is any sort of radical departure from the Bush administration. If anyone other than George Bush was President now, I would give Ralph Nader some serious consideration. From my combat experience I know that any War should be the last resort and I doubt if John Kerry feels that way. However, I am stuck with the fact that George Bush is our President and for the sake of my children, my grandchildren and my country I am going to vote for John Kerry.

I have no doubt that it would be dangerous for the whole world, if George Bush gets a second term.