Bush, Cheney are hypocrites

Bush, Cheney are hypocrites

Democrat John Kerry is being attacked by a group of Vietnam veterans who see him as a turncoat because, when he returned to the states from his combat duty, he spoke out against the war.

These men, who never served with him and who are partisan Republicans, say his medals were not properly earned and his wounds not serious. But men who actually served under him on swift boats on the ambush-lined rivers of Vietnam hail him as a brave brother in arms. A number of them campaign at his side.

President Bush still won’t come out and directly condemn his allies’ outrageous "Swift Boat" ad, as John McCain has done.

The Republicans in the White House say Kerry is unqualified to be the nation’s commander-in-chief. Their reasons have little to do with his military qualifications. That may be because his GOP accusers either actively avoided the draft during Vietnam or, in the president’s case, at best wrangled special treatment to get assigned to the Air National Guard in Texas.

At worst, Bush never reported for duty in the summer of 1972 and was AWOL (Absent Without Leave). We still don’t have a full accounting of his National Guard service. Kerry, meanwhile, actually volunteered to go and fight in Vietnam.

In addition, Vice President Dick Cheney sought and received five draft deferments to avoid Vietnam, and once stated in an interview that "I had other priorities in the ’60s than military service."

Bush and Cheney admit no mistakes. George Bush says he is a wartime president guided by God and his conscience is clear. If you disagree with him, it means you are saying it is God who is making the mistakes.

It’s scary for any individual, much less a president, to declare himself mistake-free. It indicates a total lack of humility. It’s a cheap shot to say that another man lacks manhood because he used the word "sensitive."

Bush and Cheney have no right to allow attacks on the service of others. They like to give the appearance of strength and bravery, but their actions indicate otherwise. Hopefully, we will not be taken in by their hypocrisy.

Bernard Nisenholz

Westlake Village