Fundamental Hypocrisy

Jeff Jacoby's piece is agnostic about the Swift Boat Veterans' charges and Kerry's claims, but finda a "fundamental hypocrisy of the Kerry candidacy."

"He came to prominence as a radical opponent of the war in Vietnam, yet now he runs for president on the strength of his service in that war. He portrayed the men who fought there as unspeakable savages, yet now he surrounds himself with Vietnam vets at every turn. He lent respectability to those who demanded that America cut and run, that it abandon a beleaguered ally, that it drop 'the mystical war against communism.' Yet now he insists that he would be a tough and vigilant commander-in-chief, one who would never disrespect allies, one in whose hands the security of the United States would be safe."

I think Kerry embellished wildly, but Jacoby hits the main point.