U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Beatty called out John Kerry for his hypocrisy over comments he made on the Don Imus show we reported on yesterday. While on Imus's show, Kerry criticized those who use our troops as “props” for photo-ops. A press release from the Beatty campaign notes that Kerry "exploited unfounded sensational allegations about American service members gaining him national TV exposure in 1971 during the Vietnam War which helped launch his political career."
Beatty says, “Kerry voted to send our troops to war in Iraq, because it served his 2004 Presidential ambition. Now, despite urging the President to cut and run from Iraq, Kerry continues to use our troops and our veterans for his own political purposes. He is making the rounds of troops in the field and veteran centers at home posing for photos and using our veterans and troops as 'props.' It’s another example of his incredible hypocrisy.”
It is also worth noting that when John Kerry announced his 2004 presidential campaign, he chose to make his announcement at Patriot Point’s harbor in South Carolina, against the backdrop of an aircraft carrier, and spent his entire campaign reminding people that he was in Vietnam. John Kerry is the master of exploiting not just the military, but his own military experience for political gain.
