Here's the opinion of a VET:

Dear Friends,
John Kerry is a true commander-in-chief and that was clear to me last night during the debate.


I'm Jim Wasser and I was second in command to John Kerry in Vietnam on Swift Boat 44. The John Kerry I knew then is the same John Kerry I saw last night debating on the tough issues surrounding Iraq.


As a union veteran, I really love this country. Let's face it, whoever becomes the next president has a bad situation on his hands in Iraq. But last night it was clear to me why John Kerry is the man to lead us out of this war and these troubled times.


Here's what I saw last night:


John Kerry has a plan to get us out of this deadly, costly mess in Iraq AND achieve our goals there.


George Bush is misleading America about this war—he just can't seem to own up to his failed record. Deadly insurgency is growing in Iraq and could result in all-out civil war, according to the administration's own top intelligence analysts.


George Bush has been totally distracted from the real war on terror. That's not the way to make America safer. He's wasted our money on millionaire tax cuts—but he's cutting grants to first-responder programs and trying to cut funding for firefighters by 33 percent. He's frozen hiring for border protection officers, cut funding for the community police program by 90 percent and he's ignoring vulnerabilities in our transportation system, from rail to ports to air travel.


George Bush just can't acknowledge his mistakes in the Iraq war and the war on terrorism—just like he refuses to acknowledge that here at home he's devastated working families who need good jobs, health care and overtime pay. No way can this president solve America's problems when he's too stubborn to acknowledge reality. John Kerry will make us safer than we are today. He will fund our first responders and make sure our ports and borders, planes, trains and infrastructure become secure.
Last night John Kerry met Bush head-on and laid out his plan for a new course in Iraq and his plan for winning the war on terror. It's the right plan—it's what we need. John Kerry will make America stronger and safer at home and respected in the world.


I served beside John Kerry and I know he has been in tough combat situations, putting his life on the line for America and for his men. That's what we need in a leader today—someone who really understands what our sons and daughters are facing under fire in Iraq and what we could face here at home if we don't get serious about the war on terror.


George Bush has not leveled with the American people about Iraq. No matter how many no-bid contracts go to his friends, no matter how many soldiers and civilians die, no matter how many kidnappings and beheadings, he tells us he’s done the right things. But let me tell you—his go-it-alone strategy is the WRONG course. When you're in combat, you don't want to "go it alone." You want your buddies right there with you like John Kerry was with me in Vietnam.


After the debate, I heard some of President Bush's supporters talking about "trust and confidence." Let's face it—John Kerry is the one you would trust next to you in a foxhole or covering your back on a swift boat. He's the one you want protecting the lives and freedoms of working families in America.


I trusted John with my life. After watching him debate last night, I trust him even more now with our future.


In solidarity,


Jim Wasser
Oct. 1, 2004