NYTIMES labeled kerryboy as flipflopper -- Today washingtonpost: Kerry's decision-making has drawn both criticism and praise. Republicans and Democratic detractors have portrayed him as a chronic wobbler. In a recent speech, President Bush described a would-be Kerry administration as "uncertain in the face of danger," in contrast to the current administration's "strength and confidence."
Kerry, then 25, captained a patrol boat on the Mekong Delta. One day, after taking fire from the Vietcong and after the boat's windows had been blown out by a rocket, Kerry spotted a guerrilla along the shore aiming a B-40 rocket launcher at his boat. Navy training prescribed an immediate retreat. But in a rush of adrenaline, Kerry made a snap decision. Impulsively, he beached the boat, jumped off and shot the guerrilla.
It makes a great story. Except that's not quite how it happened.
"It was completely planned," said Del Sandusky, Kerry's second-in-command. "He had a number of different scenarios. This was all in his head."
His Vietnam crewmates agree, especially those who watched him charge the guerrilla with the rocket launcher. Kerry had discussed strategy with Sandusky days before, citing his motto in hockey and chess: "Offense is the best defense." So when Kerry, his jaw tight, signaled a sharp turn to port, the helmsman immediately understood.
"I said, 'Oh, [expletive],' 20 times, 'here we go, he's going to do it,' " said Sandusky. "The bow was going to the beach."
"No time to pray," Kerry said, recalling the moment. "I had to make an instantaneous decision. But it was not rash. In the back of my mind, I thought the element of surprise would work in our favor."
Kerry was quiet on the boat afterward, Sandusky said, introspective in his berth that night. "He was sad. He had killed a guy."
That day, and others like it, led to what Kerry described as the most difficult decision in his life: to demonstrate against the war he had just fought in. "It was difficult because of my feelings about the service and my friends who had died," Kerry said. He paused, searching: "But I thought it would save lives." |
