There's really not much to say about the issue of whether Kerry chucked his medals or ribbons or whatever over the fence back in 1971. Either way it was a meaningless gesture made all the more devoid of substance by the fact that Kerry kept the medals at home and just tossed the ribbons (like he can't replace the ribbons?). Just as with the President's National Guard service issue, Americans are more concerned about where we are heading than what's in the rear-view mirror. Politically, as David Broder noted, people care about John Kerry today and whether he's perceived as someone who changes stories and positions to suit the audience of the day. Is he merely a political opportunist with no real position on anything?
But this AP story is just further evidence of press bias. It won't look like bias to the left, because it reflects how they see the issue, but you'd think the AP would have the good sense to not adopt Kerry's argument as fact, inserting it into the stories' title and leading with it. This morning, Charlie Gibson of ABC quizzed John Kerry about a seeming contradiction in what Kerry says now and what he told Peter Jennings a few months ago. Apparently, Charlie recently joined the White House staff or the RNC, here's the objective reporting:
Kerry Rejects GOP Questions About MedalsGOP questions from ABC's Charlie Gibson. When did we put him on the payroll?
WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Monday rejected questions over his claim to have thrown away his Navy medals in protest of the Vietnam War, contending they came from President Bush and the GOP even though they "can't even answer whether or not he showed up for duty in the National Guard."
