August 31, 2004

The patriotic Republicans

Over 6,000 wounded American soldiers from Iraq, and some delegate to the Republican convention thought this was a good idea. These people have no honor, no integrity, and no shame.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Delegates to the Republican National Convention found a new way to take a jab at Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's Vietnam service record: by sporting adhesive bandages with small purple hearts on them.

Morton Blackwell, a prominent Virginia delegate, has been handing out the heart-covered bandages to delegates, who've worn them on their chins, cheeks, the backs of their hands and other places.

Blackwell is president of the Leadership Institute, a nonpartisan educational foundation he founded in 1979. According to its Web site, the institute prepares conservatives for success in politics, government and the news media.

[snip]

Donna Cain, an Oregon delegate, wore a purple heart bandage on her wrist.

"Probably a lot of people are handing them out because they are very symbolic," she said. Kerry, she said, "has made the war that he served in far more important than his recent records of the last 18 to 20 years."

[snip]

But Cain said she didn't see the bandage as a jab at U.S. troops who have been wounded in combat -- more than 6,000 of them so far in the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

"It is not in any way defaming of them, because I know people who have received Purple Hearts and I know that they're not boasting about their war record. They're proud of their serving their country. And, I mean, I just met a woman who lost her husband yesterday in Iraq. And there's a whole entirely different mood."

Pat Peel, the delegate singled out in the Democratic response, promised that there would be many more purple heart bandages on the floor Tuesday.

Dole was sharply criticized by Kerry backers when he questioned whether Kerry's wounds were severe enough to merit a Purple Heart. He said Monday night that "you can't control delegates."

"I'm certain there's no possible connection" between the Bush campaign or Republican leaders and the bandages sported Monday night, he said.

No, Senator, of course not...

Posted by Linkmeister at August 31, 2004 12:01 AM
Comments

I just couldn't believe this one when I read it this morning...

Posted by: Scott at August 31, 2004 06:46 AM

As a widow from the first Gulf war, I am appalled. I have not been watching the RNC coverage because I cannot stomach the rhetorial manipulation.

This makes me want to cancel my classes. go to New York, and confront them for this.

How can anyone *wear* those things and sleep at night???

Posted by: shelley at August 31, 2004 07:20 PM

The GOP needs to devise a chart illustrating how much shed blood is enough to merit a purple heart. Sort of like their color coded Homeland Security Alert chart. We need to know these things.

Posted by: Raye at September 2, 2004 10:41 AM