"Patriot for Life" - Aug. 5, 2004"

Reviewed by Wally Bowen

In a recent commentary entitled "Patriot for Life," (Aug. 5, 2004) Hyman focuses on what he calls John Kerry's "unpatriotic record." He writes:

"A brief review tells it all. Kerry revealed in his 1971 Senate testimony (which you can find here ) that he met with two Communist groups in France while the war was still underway: Communist North Vietnam and the Communist Viet Cong. Two groups fighting and killing American servicemen and that eventually overthrew a democratic South Vietnam. According to some Vietnam vets, Kerry is honored in a Vietnamese war museum for his protests which contributed to Communist North Vietnam's defeat of the South.

"In the Senate, Kerry met with and became a staunch supporter of Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua's Socialist strongman. Another enemy of America. . . ."

There are some obvious distortions here, but for many folks who are listening and watching, they fly right under the radar of our critical-thinking.

First, anyone just vaguely familiar with post World War Two history of Southeast Asia knows that there never was a "democratic South Vietnam." The United States handpicked President Diem in 1955, and when his rule proved untenable, the U.S. gave the green light to the military coup which ousted and killed him on Nov. 1, 1963. (http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/history/)

As for Kerry's 1971 Senate testimony (at least Hyman does provide a link to it), anyone who reads it sees that Kerry's meeting with members of the Vietcong and North Vietnamese delegations to the Paris Peace Accords negotiations was all about ensuring the quick repatriation of all U.S. POWs if and when a treaty was signed. It's right there in his Senate testimony. Looking out for his fellow soldiers -- hardly an unpatriotic act, as Hyman would have viewers believe.

Then there's Hyman's reference to Daniel Ortega, one of the leaders of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua who ousted dictator Anastasio Somoza, following 44 years of corruption and authoritarian rule by the Somoza family. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1225283.stm)

Hyman writes: "In the Senate, Kerry met with and became a staunch supporter of Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua's Socialist strongman. Another enemy of America."

Hyman conveniently omits the fact that many U.S. leaders and activists -- including President Jimmy Carter and U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin -- met with Daniel Ortega following the overthrow of the Somoza regime. Hyman also omits the fact that Kerry's visit to Nicaragua and meeting with Ortega was no doubt related to Kerry's investigation into the Iran-Contra scandal and the illegal work -- from the White House -- of Lt. Col. Oliver North to bypass Congress' ban on U.S. military aid to the Contras.

As the Boston Globe reported last year, Kerry's pursuit of the Iran-Contra connection even gained the support of North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms when evidence emerged that illegal drug shipments into the U.S. were helping to support the Contra war against Ortega and the Sandinistas. (http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/062003.shtml)