Friday, September 17, 2004

Zell Miller Called John Kerry "Authentic Hero"

Zell Miller, the retiring Democratic U. S. Senator from Georgia, gave a fiery speech at the Republican convention accusing Kerry of not supporting the military. In the speech, Zeller stated that “For more than twenty years, on every one of the great issues of freedom and security, John Kerry has been more wrong, more weak and more wobbly than any other national figure. As a war protestor, Kerry blamed our military.” (available on the RNC web site).

Miller did not always feel that way. In a March 1, 2001 speech at the Democratic Party of Georgia’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner (the speech is available on Miller’s Senate Website), Miller introduced Kerry with:

“My job tonight is an easy one: to present to you one of this nation's authentic heroes, one of this party's best-known and greatest leaders – and a good friend.” In addition, he said that “In his 16 years in the Senate, John Kerry has fought against government waste and worked hard to bring some accountability to Washington.”

He referred to Kerry’s military support in a tone quite different from the GOP speech: “John has worked to strengthen our military, reform public education, boost the economy and protect the environment. Business Week magazine named him one of the top pro-technology legislators and made him a member of its ‘Digital Dozen.’".

Miller also made reference to Kerry’s military service: “John is a graduate of Yale University and was a gunboat officer in the Navy. He received a Silver Star, Bronze Star and three awards of the Purple Heart for combat duty in Vietnam. He later co-founded the Vietnam Veterans of America.”

Who is it that flip-flops?



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