Fierce Competition for Vet Votes

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usvets233638935jan23,0,7921956.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-print

Manchester, N.H. - They both served their country in Vietnam, earning medals for valor, one as a captain in the Army, the other as a lieutenant on a gunboat in the Navy. They both rose to positions of power, one as a military leader in combat and in peace, the other as a prominent legislator on the national stage.

Now, both retired Gen. Wesley Clark and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts want to be president, and for many veterans in this state, that means come Tuesday's Democratic primary, they will have to choose one or the other.

There are 60,000 veterans among the 436,000 total registered Democrats and independent voters in New Hampshire, according to Clark's campaign, making them a potentially formidable factor.

The competition for those votes has become so fierce that Kerry and Clark each made two donations to Liberty House, a shelter for homeless veterans that is opening in Manchester, to seek the founder's endorsement. It finally went to Kerry, even after Clark promised the proceeds from an argyle sweater that had a high bid on eBay of $5,804 last night.

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[CRK7376]

1. Tough call!

I'm a military guy still on active duty and have great respect for both candidates. I'm leaning towards Clark...But at this point in the Shrub admin....nearly anybody would be better. My wife gave me the Bushisms calendar for CHristmas and all it does is piss me off on a daily basis.

[Longhorn79]

2. You gotta go with Kerry

Strictly comparing military records, Kerry's got Clark beat. I say this based on what Kerry hasn't done. I know it will strike a chord in this forum, but Clark was responsible for the bombing tactics over the Balkans which killed mostly civilians (from 20K ft. to protect the flyboys). Remember the Chinese embassy. Now that's one of the reasons we're all upset about the war is the killing of innocent civilians. Also, we still had two American POW's taken there, despite the fact that we had no ground troops. Next, despite Clark's claim to be able to capture OBL, he failed to do so with Ratko Mladic, the Serbian war criminal, after he'd met him several times in person. Being a Clinton guy, a lot of military will lean against Clark, I think. Last but not least, though I think Clark had absolutely no responsibility for what happened at Waco, it's one of those unfortunate things that will look bad in the general election. Kerry's got a better chance there, anyway.

[leftchick]

3. I have a friend who has that calendar and loves it!

It makes me want to vomit...... I prefer Clark to Kerry. I can't get over the IWV from him. Think how many more disabled and dead soldiers and soldiers without benefits because of the vote and this war... :(

[Corgigal]

4. Got a call from the Clark group

because of my veteran status. I told them my first pick is Dean because I'm a New Yorker first, Veteran second.