It is somewhat odd to see any American pick and choose which war veteran is deserving of respect and which is deserving of disrespect. But to see the President of the United States disparage two decorated war heroes as he has done to 1) John McCain in 2000 and 2) John Kerry in 2004 is a disturbing trend that seems more and more acceptable to Bush's school of thought and its followers.

For being a self-proclaimed uniter, it should be recognized that Bush has once again opened a negative dialog against those who make sacrifices for their country. This utter shortsightedness only creates an environment in which all veterans will eventually come under such disgraceful scrutiny.

Meanwhile, it goes completely ignored that our current President of the United States has no record of service. Sure, he was in the National Guard there and received a dental checkup, but what did HE do? What were his dates of service? Where did he fight? How well trained was he?

This is a really slippery slope and I only rebut what is said here, because The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth open up their own military service to the same such scrutiny, along with the military service of each and every man and woman who serves in the military. It’s not fair – not that life is supposed to be fair – that people cheat. It’s not fair that people serve and are told they didn’t serve enough. I thought our country had done a decent job of heralding the efforts of our war veterans, especially in the wake of Vietnam. It’s a sad commentary on the spirit of our country when we are back to dividing and vilifying. And it’s sad to see how close this all hits.

I have not once heard President Bush disparage the war record of John Kerry. In fact, Bush and Vice President Cheney have been respectful of Kerry's war record. During the Republican Convention, Cheney stated that Kerry's war record should be honored, and his words were met with sincere applause from the floor. As for McCain, he has given a strong endorsement to the President, which would seem to indicate a level of respect between the two men.

Swiftboat Veterans for Truth do question Kerry's record during and after the war. The assertion by so many veterans who served with Kerry, that he gamed the system while in Vietnam to win three Purple Hearts and a quick ticket home are not fully substantiated, but some of their statements have been corroborated. For example, entries in Kerry's own journal lend credibility to their argument that his first Purple Heart was the result of friendly fire, if not self inflicted.

The essence of the "Swifties" argument about Kerry's combat behavior, as documented in "Unfit for Command" is that Kerry wrote most of his unit's "action reports" and used the opportunity to skew the truth in his own favor. With this in mind, the best proof for or against Kerry's war record would emerge if he (and all other swift boat veterans) signed a full release of all military records. To date, Kerry has selectively released documents. Why? The Swifties have also attacked Kerry's post-combat conduct upon returning to America from Vietnam. I suspect we will hear much more about his disgraceful embrace of the radical group, Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Unfortunately for Kerry, he will not be able to hide this part of his record in unreleased military files.

The Swifties charges are serious and should not be embraced or dismissed without careful consideration. Much as you suggest that Kerry is a decent man and a patriot who would not have done the things he is alleged to do, I am at a loss to understand why his fellow veterans, themselves honorable men would dishonor themselves for the sake of personal vendetta. Partisanship can be used to excuse the actions of either side, so you'll need a better argument than politics to throw the game to Kerry.

I agree with you that American politics has become too divisive, but I do not agree that Bush has written new chapters in the playbook. You wrote that, "...it goes completely ignored that our current President of the United States has no record of service..." How then do you know that he served in the National Guard? In fact, Bush's service record was covered quite heavily in the media as a result of Democrat leaks and innuendo about special consideration and poor attendance. Democrats encouraged the media to investigate how Bush got into a National Guard unit saturated with sons of wealth and power, but were silent about how Democrat Vice Presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen gained entry into the same unit.

You wrote, "It’s not fair – not that life is supposed to be fair – that people cheat. It’s not fair that people serve and are told they didn’t serve enough." You might argue that Bush cheated and that Kerry is being told he did not serve enough- I might argue the opposite. In doing so, I don't argue against Kerry's patriotism so much as his character. I honor his service in Vietnam. I also believe he could be more forthright in addressing the issues raised by the Swifties by releasing all of his military records to the public.