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WriteUP!
John Kerry in Cincinnati: Health care gets loudest applause
By Feoshia Henderson
Post staff reporter
Veterans at the Cinergy Center gave Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry a polite if not enthusiastic reception Wednesday
at the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention.
Applause for the Massachusetts senator was mostly light during his 35-minute speech, in which he criticized President Bush's plan to
bring 70,000 foreign-based U.S. troops back to America.
Kerry said if he is elected, he'd add 40,000 more U.S. troops to augment those committed to posts around the globe.
"The president's vaguely stated plan does not strengthen our hand in the war on terror. It in no way relieves the strain on our
overextended military personnel," Kerry said.
Kerry emphasized that none of the new troops he would authorize would be sent to Iraq.
A lifetime VFW member, he spoke to the crowd two days after President Bush used his speech before the organization to announce
his military restructuring plan.
Much of the hall stood and applauded as Kerry began and ended his speech, but the crowd appeared much more subdued than
when the president spoke.
But some were obvious Kerry supporters, like Korean War vet James Keith.
The Fort Myers Beach, Fla., resident thought Kerry the better candidate on basic issues.
"I think Kerry's the man to get our economy going. That's important for everyone," he said.
Keith waited for Kerry, who waded through the crowd near the stage after his speech, to autograph his name tag.
"I wished him a lot of luck and told him congratulations," Keith said.
Kerry touched on the economy only briefly during his speech, pledging, "We're going to see that everyone who has fought for this
country has a good job when they come back to the United States of America."
Vietnam vet Paul Chevalier, of Portsmouth, N.H., and chair of the Bush-Cheney '04 New Hampshire Veterans team, said he wasn't
impressed by Kerry's speech.
"He says the right things about the programs we've been fighting for. (But) I think most of the applause was for mentioning those
programs, not for any thought that he would be able to finish it," he said.
Another Vietnam vet, Bill Chandler, of Dayton, Ky., said he liked what both candidates had to say.
"I think they went two different ways on some issues, but it seems like both of them are supporting the veterans," he said.
Kerry got his loudest applause when he talked about health care issues, in particular when he criticized the president for not doing
enough to take care of veterans.
"Well, just saying the job is getting done doesn't make it so. The job will be done when 500,000 veterans are not excluded from the
VA healthcare system. The job will be done when we're not closing VA hospitals," he said.
Kerry also reiterated his position that the U.S. should rely more on its allies to fight the global terror war.
"Nearly 90 percent of all the coalition forces are Americans and nearly 90 percent of coalition coffins are draped in the American
flag," he said.
"I know what we have to do in Iraq. We need a president who has the credibility to bring our allies to our side because that's the
right way to get the job done in Iraq and bring our troops home," he said.
Kerry said he would double the number of Army special forces, "so we can find and get the terrorists before they get us."
Kerry sought to refute Republican claims that he would be soft against terrorism or other threats from beyond U.S. borders.
"I will never hesitate to use force when it is required," he said. "Any attack will be met with a certain and swift response."
Kerry is a decorated Vietnam vet who vocally opposed that war after his return stateside, a sore spot with some veterans. He
addressed the issue briefly Wednesday.
"I didn't make it controversial; the war and the times were," he said. "It was a time when the war and the warriors became confused.
Never again in America should the warriors be confused with the war. This nation should always be prepared to say, 'Thank you.'"
In a statement released by the Bush campaign, Ohio Veterans for Bush Chair and former state Sen. Gene Watts fired back at Kerry.
"John Kerry is not truly concerned about veterans' issues. He will say anything to anyone, anywhere in order to advance his political
career. He supported the war and then voted against funding for the troops fighting in it and even went so far as to say that funding
our troops is a 'complicated' issue. But the veterans of Ohio know that there is nothing complicated about supporting our troops,"
Watts said.
Publication Date: 08-19-2004
By Feoshia Henderson
Post staff reporter
Veterans at the Cinergy Center gave Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry a polite if not enthusiastic reception Wednesday
at the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention.
Applause for the Massachusetts senator was mostly light during his 35-minute speech, in which he criticized President Bush's plan to
bring 70,000 foreign-based U.S. troops back to America.
Kerry said if he is elected, he'd add 40,000 more U.S. troops to augment those committed to posts around the globe.
"The president's vaguely stated plan does not strengthen our hand in the war on terror. It in no way relieves the strain on our
overextended military personnel," Kerry said.
Kerry emphasized that none of the new troops he would authorize would be sent to Iraq.
A lifetime VFW member, he spoke to the crowd two days after President Bush used his speech before the organization to announce
his military restructuring plan.
Much of the hall stood and applauded as Kerry began and ended his speech, but the crowd appeared much more subdued than
when the president spoke.
But some were obvious Kerry supporters, like Korean War vet James Keith.
The Fort Myers Beach, Fla., resident thought Kerry the better candidate on basic issues.
"I think Kerry's the man to get our economy going. That's important for everyone," he said.
Keith waited for Kerry, who waded through the crowd near the stage after his speech, to autograph his name tag.
"I wished him a lot of luck and told him congratulations," Keith said.
Kerry touched on the economy only briefly during his speech, pledging, "We're going to see that everyone who has fought for this
country has a good job when they come back to the United States of America."
Vietnam vet Paul Chevalier, of Portsmouth, N.H., and chair of the Bush-Cheney '04 New Hampshire Veterans team, said he wasn't
impressed by Kerry's speech.
"He says the right things about the programs we've been fighting for. (But) I think most of the applause was for mentioning those
programs, not for any thought that he would be able to finish it," he said.
Another Vietnam vet, Bill Chandler, of Dayton, Ky., said he liked what both candidates had to say.
"I think they went two different ways on some issues, but it seems like both of them are supporting the veterans," he said.
Kerry got his loudest applause when he talked about health care issues, in particular when he criticized the president for not doing
enough to take care of veterans.
"Well, just saying the job is getting done doesn't make it so. The job will be done when 500,000 veterans are not excluded from the
VA healthcare system. The job will be done when we're not closing VA hospitals," he said.
Kerry also reiterated his position that the U.S. should rely more on its allies to fight the global terror war.
"Nearly 90 percent of all the coalition forces are Americans and nearly 90 percent of coalition coffins are draped in the American
flag," he said.
"I know what we have to do in Iraq. We need a president who has the credibility to bring our allies to our side because that's the
right way to get the job done in Iraq and bring our troops home," he said.
Kerry said he would double the number of Army special forces, "so we can find and get the terrorists before they get us."
Kerry sought to refute Republican claims that he would be soft against terrorism or other threats from beyond U.S. borders.
"I will never hesitate to use force when it is required," he said. "Any attack will be met with a certain and swift response."
Kerry is a decorated Vietnam vet who vocally opposed that war after his return stateside, a sore spot with some veterans. He
addressed the issue briefly Wednesday.
"I didn't make it controversial; the war and the times were," he said. "It was a time when the war and the warriors became confused.
Never again in America should the warriors be confused with the war. This nation should always be prepared to say, 'Thank you.'"
In a statement released by the Bush campaign, Ohio Veterans for Bush Chair and former state Sen. Gene Watts fired back at Kerry.
"John Kerry is not truly concerned about veterans' issues. He will say anything to anyone, anywhere in order to advance his political
career. He supported the war and then voted against funding for the troops fighting in it and even went so far as to say that funding
our troops is a 'complicated' issue. But the veterans of Ohio know that there is nothing complicated about supporting our troops,"
Watts said.
Publication Date: 08-19-2004
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