As America Obsesses Over Kerry Service Record, Vietnam Moves on After War

[BaysideLiberal]

IN THE MEKONG RIVER, Vietnam (AP) - Along the Mekong River, where John Kerry and America's "brown water navy" once hunted Viet Cong, people get puzzled when told he's a presidential candidate whose opposition to the Vietnam War is an issue more than 30 years later.

"I think it's a mistake to go back and dig up all the stuff about the Vietnam War," said Do Thanh Tam, 74, who runs a pharmacy in Can Tho where U.S. soldiers once bought cold tablets and Band-Aids. "The Vietnamese people want to put behind the past and look forward to the future in harmony."

<snip>

"I would vote for Kerry," said Nguyen The Cung, 68, a fisherman threading hooks aboard his boat near Kerry's former military base in coastal Vung Tau. "He knew about Vietnam and he knew about the cruelty and brutality of war."

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB7WQI7ZWD.html

comment : very intersting article, we Americans could learn something from it.

[JohnKleeb]

1. Wow

Thats neat to read, the interesting thing is many Vietnamese Americans are Republicans but these Vietnamese seem to like and admire Kerry a lot. Kerry seems like he'll do good with Latino voters too, I read an article today in the Washington Post and they prefer Kerry over Bush in every single category, looks like the Republican latino outreach program isnt going so well, and Kerry speaks Spanish and it seems many Latino voters like that in a candiate, though Bush speaks it, he speaks it poorly and most of the quotes were positive for Kerry and against Bush. I think Bush will only win among Cuban voters in Florida which could make things hard for us down there but he seems to do well with others.

[kskiska]

3. It's really not about Vietnam at all

Vietnam is just a vehicle in an attempt to bring down Kerry. If it wasn't this issue it would be another.

[JohnKleeb]

4. but I find Vietnam to be his strength

Even Ted Kennedy finds parrells between Kerry's story and his brother's. I really think Kerry should do that Franken ad the he suggested, the pirate one.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

8. I hate to nitpick but

I'm pretty sure Kerry does not speak Spanish. And based what I saw at a town meeting in NH, I think his French is a lot more rusty than is generally reported. Teresa is an accomplished multilinguist, though.

I know, it really is nitpicking, sorry...

[REVOLT823]

2. I wouldn't be surprised if the RW spun this

that Ho Chi Minh was endorsing Kerry from the grave:)

[JohnKleeb]

6. well Al Queda actually endorsed Bush

Yet some republican idiot in Louisville, Kentucky seems to think Kerry is Bin Laden's man, someone needs to remind this man that Kerry isnt a fundamalist, their man Bush is though and they love that.

[Cocoa]

5. are these people familiar with Bush's Vietnam record?

I wonder what they think of someone who supported the war, but left the fighting to American and Vietnamese peasants.

[JohnKleeb]

7. I dont know, probably not

most of the vets I know dont like Bush.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

9. I have one thing to say to that

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!