{"id":480,"date":"2004-08-13T00:41:11","date_gmt":"2004-08-13T00:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"0"},"modified":"2006-09-28T12:08:44","modified_gmt":"2006-09-28T12:08:44","slug":"a_simple_question_of_competence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/marcdanziger.com\/?p=480","title":{"rendered":"A Simple Question of Competence"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been watching the Kerry\/Swift Boat Vets hoo-hah with some interest – mostly because it’s actually interesting to me to watch major-league hardball be played by people who are good at it on both sides.<\/p>\n

I don’t clutch my chest and swoon over the moral outrageousness of it – either the claimed acts by Kerry or the attacks – because (I always seem to be referring to stuff I’ve already written – does that annoy people?) I’ve covered my position<\/a> in some detail already:<\/p>\n

It’s not a matter of doubt to me that Kerry – as much or more than Bush – used privilege, probably connections, and his knowledge and ability to manipulate the system to get himself what he wanted; possibly, in my estimation, to get his ticket punched so that, like his hero John Kennedy, he could campaign as a warrior.<\/p>\n

Why does this matter? Not because I’m making a ‘Kerry is as bad as Bush’ argument (although I reserve the right to make it later). But it matters, because in truth if you look closely at the resumes of the thousand people in the country who could plausibly run for President, what percentage of them do you think have gamed portions of their careers?<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I think that Kerry has a strong case in the form of his supportive crew. I think that the Swift Boat Vets have a strong case, given the specificity of their claims and the willingness of their witnesses to stand behind their claims with their names and honor.<\/p>\n

Does this sway me on the election? Actually, the answer may surprise you. Yes, it does – but not because of what Kerry (and his troops) did thirty-five years ago. But because of what they’re doing today.<\/p>\n

The stunning ineptitude<\/a> of the Kerry campaign in dealing with this issue, in my mind, calls into question their ability to lead the country.<\/p>\n

One of the first things a competent person does when they decide to run for office is to sit down and list the bases that their opponents will use to attack them. I’ve done it, and believe me, I’ll never be running for anything…but the stories I could tell!<\/p>\n

Every one of Kerry’s Vietnam-era vulnerabilities was something I was aware of, and with ten minutes of Google research, I bet I can find a dozen national-level commentators who were aware of them as well.<\/p>\n

The Swift Boat Vets have been unhappy with him for decades. His service in Vietnam, on it’s face, needs an explanation (four months, three Purple Hearts, no days off duty from injuries). His behavior after the war (Winter Soldier, VVAW, medals across the White House Gate) needs an explanation.<\/p>\n

I don’t think that explanations would be that hard to make. If I have time tonight, I’ll try and mirror Noah Millman and draft the Vietnam speech Kerry should have given when he announced his candidacy.<\/p>\n

He hasn’t made that speech.<\/p>\n

He shows no signs of making that speech.<\/p>\n

His handlers and spokesmen are reduced to fits of incoherence when confronted by the claims made about his service. What will they do in October when the claims – and video – of his VVAW speeches and activities are broadcast?<\/p>\n

There are three major qualifications to lead this country. You have to have some idea where you want us to go. You have to make us believe you can take us there. And you have to be able to communicate, not only to articulate your vision and show your character but to respond to challenges and convince us that you have the capability to do so.<\/p>\n

I’m not seeing it.<\/p>\n

I’d like to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve been watching the Kerry\/Swift Boat Vets hoo-hah with some interest – mostly because it’s actually interesting to me to watch major-league hardball be played by people who are good at it on both sides. I don’t clutch my chest and swoon over the moral outrageousness of it – either the claimed acts by Kerry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/marcdanziger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/marcdanziger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/marcdanziger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/marcdanziger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/marcdanziger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/marcdanziger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/marcdanziger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/marcdanziger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/marcdanziger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}