Campaign 2004: Let the War Games Begin

Re “Vietnam War-Era Photo Seen as Bid to Tarnish Kerry,” Feb 12: I knew it would only be a matter of time before the conservative “trash talkers” began besmirching the war record of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). Those of us who lived through the Vietnam era know it was a war that was highly unpopular with the majority of Americans and one that caused many to question the political leadership of the day. The fact that Kerry honorably served his country in Vietnam, gained his own firsthand experience and then exercised his 1st Amendment right by expressing concerns after his discharge only adds to his credibility.

Our self-proclaimed wartime president did not serve in Vietnam, nor did Vice President Dick Cheney (a former secretary of Defense, no less), nor did warmonger-in-chief Paul Wolfowitz. With three years of noncombat experience in the Navy, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is the seasoned veteran of the group that led us into Iraq.

Keep this in mind as the White House continues to dribble out pay stubs and dental records as proof that President Bush served in Alabama.

Tom Murphy

Redondo Beach

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What a great windfall for the Republicans, having “Hanoi Jane” Fonda appear on TV in defense of Kerry.

Bill Gourlay

Westlake Village

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One of the Republican talking points recently has been that “the reason so many Democrats are so fired up about Kerry is that they simply hate Bush.”

Though this may be true for some, I suspect that a great many of us simply like the idea of a president who would go to war only as a last resort and with real intelligence, would enact long-range security measures such as working toward energy independence, would respect the environment, would pursue meaningful education reforms and would look beyond Wall Street to Main Street.

Perhaps most important, we’d like a president who would work to restore international relations and respect for the United States in an effort to better combat global terrorism.

Todd Mason

Mar Vista

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Bush was allowed to work on a political campaign in 1972 and ’73 during his Texas Air National Guard tour.

Gee, I bet a lot of soldiers would like to go on leave to work for a political campaign. If our government is not corrupt, these guys should get to go too, just as the president did.

Steve Wimer

Mentone, Calif.