Opinion
 

John Kerry ready for a tough fight

David Salinas

Tuesday in Washington, D.C., amongst a sea of navy blue campaign signs, a 6-foot-4-inch, stoic, gray haired man gave his victory speech, and became the Democratic nominee for president. Exactly eight months to the day before the presidential election, the fight for John Kerry's political life has begun, but his fight for America began long ago.

Thirty-five years ago in Vietnam, in a much different sea, John Kerry received word that a swift boat had been ambushed. On the way to the scene, Kerry's boat came under attack and he ordered the boat to be beached from where the fire came from. Out of the bush came a Vietnamese soldier carrying a grenade launcher, aiming it squarely at Kerry's men. Before the soldier could fire, John Kerry jumped off the boat, ran down the soldier and saved all the men under his command. For that event, John Kerry would receive the Silver Star, and also went on to receive a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts at the end of his duty. But the fight continued.

When John Kerry got back from Vietnam, he formed the group Vietnam Veterans against the War, which held rallies at Washington and was given credit for helping to end the war. The most moving moment of that time was when Kerry spoke in front of congress and asked, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" 

A few years later Kerry would run for and lose two congressional elections, but that didn't stop him. He became a district attorney in Boston, and would parlay that into becoming the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. In 1984, Kerry was elected to the U.S. Senate and has been there ever since. During his time in the Senate he helped reveal the scandal of Iran Contra, voted for deficit reduction, fought alongside John McCain to make sure veterans received their deserved benefits, and with Paul Wellstone for campaign finance reform and for an end to dependency on foreign oil. After Al Gore decided not to run again in 2004, John Kerry began his very first run for the presidency, but it wasn't easy.

As recently as this past fall, many political analysts were writing Kerry off. After struggling to find a voice, Kerry fired his campaign manager and his other senior advisers quit in protest. Kerry, having trouble with fundraising, even had to mortgage his own home for his campaign. At one point Kerry was polling even with Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich in many states. Dean and Clark were surging, and Kerry had stopped campaigning in New Hampshire, and went to Iowa for a last stand. His political obituary had been written in the media. But the media overlooked one thing: John Kerry's heart.

That may sound sappy, but the man's grit and determination knows no end. To put it plainly, he's a fighter. He fought off death and depression in Vietnam; he fought off and survived prostate cancer last winter; he fought off the inevitability of elimination in the primaries. Let there be no doubt that the 2004 Presidential election will be tough; the Republicans will come in with an incumbent, wartime president and $200 million to spend in campaigning to boot. Republicans will even begin running campaign ads this week and will start to paint John Kerry as "indecisive" and a "Massachusetts liberal." 

During this campaign, there may come a time when John Kerry is struggling badly, fiscally and in the polls. But don't count him out. When under fire, whether it is from grenade launchers or political opponents, John Kerry seems to always rise to the occasion. So, as his campaign theme goes: "Bring It On." 

Salinas, a columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at davidcsalinas@yahoo.com.