The "Jenjis" Con: How Does A Man Become a War Hero in Two Countries?

Mark Steyn, Feb. 2004:

"Unfortunately, most politicians who say ''this election is about the future'' haven't given it a moment's thought. Say what you like about us right-wing war mongers, but after Sept. 11 we abandoned our long-cherished theories of realpolitik -- find your local strongman and shovel millions of dollars at him -- as inadequate, and indeed part of the problem. Sentimental liberal internationalism -- everything has to be done through the U.N., no matter how stinkingly corrupt and ineffectual it is -- is just as inadequate to the challenges of the age. Yet Kerry, John Edwards, Howard Dean and the rest of the left cling to it like a security blanket. Ask them anything about foreign policy, and they sing like the Von Trapp children, ''We need to get the U.N. in there.'' As Sam Goldwyn said, ''I'm sick of the old cliches. Bring me some new cliches.''" .......

While he kept saying ''this [2004] election is about the future", one almost expected Kerry to establish a Dept. of Bell-bottoms and vow to get to the bottom of Kent State. If he was an American war hero, he was one who applied for his own medal weekly until he got one--and according to Gen. Giap, he was a North Vietnamese war hero, too.

And now he's an Iranian war hero as well.