Focus Shifts to Kerry's Antiwar Activities in '70s
After making his service in Vietnam the centerpiece of his presidential bid, Sen. John F. Kerry now finds himself defending his role as a protester of the war -- the chapter of his biography that first gained him prominence but which he has discussed infrequently this year.
The new focus on the antiwar part of Kerry's past is the latest twist in a more than 30-year evolution of the role his actions during the Vietnam era have played in his political life.
Kerry used his leadership in the Vietnam protest movement as a springboard into politics, running as an antiwar candidate in his first campaign in Massachusetts -- a race for the U.S. House that he lost. He also distanced himself from his military career at least once in his next five campaigns, all of which he won.
But his involvement in the peace movement receded as a key element of his political resume, as the nation's attitudes toward the Vietnam War changed.
As a presidential candidate, the Democrat has often surrounded himself with former crewmates who testify to his courage in battle as a Navy lieutenant.
But in its latest salvo against him, the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth plans to begin running a television commercial this week that features images of Kerry testifying in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971, detailing atrocities some soldiers had said they committed in Vietnam.
As a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Kerry, then 27, drew national fame with his famous plea before the Senate committee, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"
Aides say Kerry will not back away from his protest years, even as the Swift boat group tries to use them against him. "John Kerry and others who marched with him and stood against the war when so many Americans had died were very proud of their efforts," campaign advisor Tad Devine said.
But throughout his White House campaign, Kerry for the most part has mentioned his antiwar activities obliquely. Instead, he has emphasized his command of a Swift boat on the Mekong Delta and his five combat medals as credentials for serving as commander in chief. Kerry's record also serves as a contrast to President Bush's stateside service in the Texas Air Guard while the Vietnam War raged.
This is the first time in his lengthy political career that the Massachusetts senator has made his military record a central theme.
