Kerry's '72 Army Comments Mirror Latest
JOHN SOLOMON
Associated Press
Nov 02 2:03 PM US/Eastern

WASHINGTON - 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."

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran who turned against the war, made the observations in answers to a 1972 candidate questionnaire from a Massachusetts peace group.

After Kerry caused a firestorm this week with what he termed a botched campaign joke that Republicans said insulted current soldiers, The Associated Press was alerted to the historical comments by a former law enforcement official who monitored 1970s anti-war activities

Kerry apologized Wednesday for the 2006 campaign trail gaffe that some took as suggesting U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq were undereducated. He contended the remark was aimed at Bush, not the soldiers.

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. Kerry's spokesman, David Wade, said Wednesday the historical document needed to be viewed in the era in which it was written but that it nonetheless raised a "bedrock question in a time of war when sacrifice should be shared by all Americans."

"These are the words 34 years ago of a 28-year-old veteran home from a war gone wrong, wondering who in America will bear the cost of battle and shoulder the responsibility of military service," Wade said.

Kerry filled out the candidate questionnaire at the request of Massachusetts Political Action for Peace, an anti-war group that decades later turned over its historical documents to university researchers.

AP obtained the document from someone who gathered it from archives during Kerry's unsuccessful 2004 presidential campaign against President Bush. Republicans in that election relentlessly assailed Kerry's role in the anti-war movement decades earlier.

Kerry and Bush renewed their rivalry again this week, with the president accusing Kerry of offending troops. Kerry said he botched the text of a joke and didn't mean to insult troops.

On Wednesday, Kerry canceled campaign appearance on behalf of Democratic congressional candidates and issued an apology.


Link

The more I hear him speak, The less suprised I am at the shit that he spews...

Kerry hates our troops period!

tuo edisni detsiwt si dnim s'yrreK nhoJ

Still waiting for one of our Democrat apologists to  explain why he would have been a  better President. So far all they can do is compare Bush and make the usual diversions.

Kerry has no love or respect for this nation, why should anyone expect him to love or respect it's military?

Everyone on the Left is SHOCKED that people were so willing to believe the worst about Kerry's statement.

It's a track record that MANY people are aware of, the Left just doesn't get it.
They think Kerry's bad mouthing of the Troops in 1971, 1972 and recently is evidence of his "courage".

"our present constitutional crisis"...?????

Nice.  Fucking Communist shitbag.

So many good men died in Vietnam and one man we could have done without survives.  

Let me get this straight: he was a huge opponent of the draft, but now he also apparently spoke out against a volunteer Army.

Anyone else see a really big problem here?

The irony is HE WAS A POOR STUDENT HIMSELF WITH A "C" AVERAGE.

I am not surprised..

That scumbag has been defacing this nation since the 70s.

no no, you stupid redneck hicks, he was really making fun of the administration/bush. go on back to watching nascar. you just don't get all of this high-falutin stuff that us edumicated people do.

/sarcasm

He is a liberal elite, his contempt and disdain for our military shows every time he opens his arrogant leftist pie hole.

"Stick a Fork in Kerry"...................





He's DONE!!

I work in a Union Job. Many of the guys are vocal democrats. I am the only vocal republican. This came up today at work.

I got the "Well he was just trying to dis Bush"

"No" I said" If it were Hillary, Bill Clinton, Teddy K or any other Senator that said this I would buy it. He has said this crap all the time since 1971"

He is, was, and will always be someone who loathes the Military and all it stands for.

He got a one word email from me.
RESIGN!

We all should send him the same one.