The Eye of Kris

Some people use their blogs to make very thoughtful and pointed political statements. Many people have even become somewhat famous or earned some level of credibility for doing so, as demonstrated by the "blogger" credentials being handed out for the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. I have been hesitant, though, to discuss politics in my blog. Maybe it's because I hate starting bitter arguements, which seems to be what every political discussion ends up evolving to. Maybe it's because I'm not 100% sure that my views are correct, and I'm afraid of documenting a "wrong" opinion for everyone to see (could it be that I am not perfect?)...

One thing I am sure of, though, is that politics is all screwed up. The fact that the United States Presidential Election has boiled down to an arguement about 4 months in Vietnam 40 years ago is totally rediculous. And I'm not blaming one party or another for that - it's the fault of everyone who has allowed themselves to be sucked into that arguement. John Kerry should not be running for president based on the fact that he served in Vietnam, and those that oppose him should not be making such a stink about what he did or did not do during that time (although they claim they were forced to do so when he made it the center of his campaign).

What's amazing to me, though, is that John Kerry is complaining about the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, calling it "smear and fear", and even claiming that the Bush Administration is coordinating all this. Has he ever heard of a little thing called Farenheit 9/11? Did anyone claim that was a coordinated effort by the Democratic Party?

Now, I don't know the whole story behind the swiftboat guys, and I can't say that I believe them 100%. Very few political campaigns, Republican, Democratic, independent, non-profit or otherwise, are totally open and honest without exageration. But John Kerry has got to learn that if you are going to run for the highest office in the country, anyone and everyone who doesn't like you is going to come out in full force. That doesn't automatically equal a conspiracy by your opponent - it's possible that people just don't like you. Their dislike may even be ill-founded, but everyone is disliked by somebody for one reason or another.

I really think this whole Vietnam thing is playing into John Kerry's hands, though. I think he knows that it was so long ago, and there is so much he-said-she-said, that nothing definitive will ever really come of it. However, it does provide a convenient distraction from his, shall we say, inconsistent record between then and now. My advice to Republicans would be to drop the whole Vietnam thing - don't mention it one more time - and focus on John Kerry the Senator. I doubt that will happen, though.

Well, there it is. I guess I just made a political statement in my blog. I will try not to make it a habbit.