The battle over the 1960s (SF Chronicle OpEd)

[huckleberry]

ALTHOUGH WE'RE rapidly approaching the 2004 presidential election, it often seems as though we're still shadowboxing over the 1960s.

snip

Like Bush, Kerry was also a privileged son. But the choices Kerry made tested his character and gave him a well-deserved reputation as a man of courage and conscience.

Unlike Bush, Kerry was a bona fide member of the Vietnam generation who fought both in and against the war. As a decorated veteran and distinguished anti-war activist, Kerry has been able to appeal to large segments of his generation, particularly Vietnam veterans, who previously remained fairly detached from the electoral politics.

snip

Kerry's engagement on both sides of the Vietnam War -- in addition to his decades of experience in the Senate and expertise in national security -- is the major advantage he brings to the cultural wars still at the center of American politics.

more at
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/29/EDGHS58VJ21.DTL

[H2O Man]

1. There was a lot of....

...unfinished business in the 1960s and early '70s. And Kerry v bush is a big part of it. The war in Iraq, environmental concerns, and the possibility that life holds a deeper meaning than consumerism are also part of it. While Kerry is not the "answer" to all of these problems, grass-roots political/social activity is. We owe a lot to the young people who started the Dean movement.