John Kerry: From “Bring it On” to Victim
Feb 23, 2004
“Now, George Bush and Karl Rove say that they intend to make national security the central issue of this campaign. Well, I know something about aircraft carriers for real. And if George Bush wants to make national security the central issue of this campaign, we have three words for him we know he understands: Bring it on!” - John Kerry, 2004 on the stump.
In an almost surreal moment leading democratic presidential contender John F. Kerry seemed legitimately shocked and outraged that the Bush campaign did exactly what they said they would do. Begin to make national security a central issue of this 2004 presidential campaign. At Kerry’s “bring it on” invitation the Bush camp began pointing out his historically poor voting record in the Senate on matters of defense and national security over the weekend.
With what will likely be one of the lightest volleys Kerry will face on his voting record for the next eight months Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss first acknowledged Kerry’s Viet Nam service in a conference call to reporters. Chambliss then commented on Kerry’s voting record on military issues by pointing out, “[Kerry] has a long history, particularly in the last decade, of not only voting to cut intelligence spending, but introducing bills to cut intelligence spending.”
Kerry immediately cried foul.
Predictably, Kerry played the patriotism card complaining he was a victim and that the Bush political team was challenging his patriotism by pointing out his voting record. So much so that he drafted a letter, handed copies out to the press and then sent it off to President George W. Bush challenging him to a debate on the Viet Nam War.
Huh?
Chambliss challenged neither Kerry’s Viet Nam war record, nor his patriotism. But that didn’t stop Kerry from releasing this statement from the letter, “As you well know, Vietnam was a very difficult and painful period in our nation's history, and the struggle for our veterans continues. So, it has been hard to believe that you would choose to reopen these wounds for your personal political gain. But, that is what you have chosen to do.” And then Kerry made this ridiculous challenge, “If you want to debate the Vietnam era and the impact of our experiences on our approaches to presidential leadership, I am prepared to do so.”
If this is the “bring it on” strategy, Kerry has severely miscalculated what will matter in the 2004 presidential election.
It was John F. Kerry brought Viet Nam into his candidacy in nearly every speech he has made. He travels with a group of Viet Nam era veterans that he calls his “band of brothers.” While that helped him to a victory in Iowa and in many continuing primary contests, it can only carry him so far. Kerry has likely made a horribly strategic error in running a retro campaign dating back over thirty years to the time that he was a skipper of a river patrol boat in the Viet Nam war in an attempt to prove his national security prowess. It now appears that Kerry believed that his Viet Nam era service would insulate him from any criticism of his historically poor voting record on defense and national security.
Memo to John F. Kerry, it won’t.
On the CBS Sunday morning talk show “Face the Nation” Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Ed Gillespie made the GOP strategy clear when went out of his way to praise John Kerry’s war record telling the viewers that “John Kerry should be proud of his honorable [Viet Nam service].” He then said that Republicans would concentrate on his record since then. Gillespie went on to list a litany of weapons systems that Kerry had voted against including the Patriot Missile system, the Black Hawk helicopter, and the Stealth bomber. Gillespie then amplified Kerry’s vote against the first Gulf War. Expect more of the same from the GOP, praise of Kerry’s military service while concentrating on criticizing his record since then.
It’s hard to believe that John Kerry would be so unprepared for these questions on his record.
Kerry had stated ad nauseam that he was ready for any national security questions with a “bring it on” mantra that now appears to be nothing more than an applause line. But try as he might, he will not be able to run from this mantra by attempting to deflect legitimate criticism into complaints that his patriotism is under attack. America is at war, and the Kerry campaign would serve itself better to prepare answers, not excuses and victimization. The Bush campaign telegraphed their strategy to question John Kerry’s long congressional voting record, and Kerry invited it, stated that he was prepared for it by delivering his signature applause line at every stop on the stump. “Bring-----It----On.”
The invitation has been accepted. The Bush team is ready to “bring it.”
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