The problem with that reasoning is that Kerry's family was afluent and, like Bush, he could have avoided Viet Nam all together. So, why not just cut the middle part out and avoid it altogether as you say Bush did?

I think Kerry joined for honorable reasons and when he say what was happening there, he decided that he wanted to find a way to get out. He did. And, then he used the first amendment freedoms he fought for to oppose the war in a peaceful way.

I may not regard him as a great candidate, but if I am right, he is nothing short of a patriot (and possibly a hero depending on whose story you believe).

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"George W. Bush surrounds himself with smart people the way a hole surrounds itself with a donut." —Dennis Miller