Kerry's book: The New Soldier...anybody ever seen it?

[KaraokeKarlton]

I've tried to look it up online to find out what's in it and everything I've seen so far implies that it would be extremely embarassing for Kerry should a copy of this book surface. Since we've been seeing the cover of the book (the image of the upside down flag) I can't help but think Rove has got his grubby little hands on a copy and is holding back on whatever is in it in case Kerry is the nominee. What I have seen claims that Kerry was hob-nobbing with communists and it was implied that he made some pretty damning statements. There is supposedly also pictures of people spitting on and blowing their noses with the American flag. If this is true, I don't think something like that would go over very well in a post 9/11 America. Now, I have never seen the book and can't find a copy of it to check out for myself, so I have no way of knowing if any of this is true or not. I've never seen Kerry himself or any of his supporters or pro Kerry websites mention the book at all. That concerns me, because all the other candidate books are routinely advertised and praised by their supporters. I also read that Kerry scurried around before his first run for public office to get the book out of circulation and suppress it from public view. This makes me nervous as anything, because it implies that there IS something that could really hurt him badly if it hits the media. We have all seen what they media has done to Dean over essentially nothing. I can't imagine what they would do if they actually dug up some kind of real scandal. So, I want to know if anyone has seen this book, and if so, what's in it and why does Kerry seem to want to forget he ever wrote it?

[WiseMen]

1. Do Amazon or Google. Title: The New War, John Kerry, 1997

[KaraokeKarlton]

3. Not the same book. The New Soldier was written in 1971 I believe.

It's a totally different book.

[WiseMen]

11. Could you give a link to info re this book. You seem to know about it.

It must have been a pretty quick write since Kerry was still on the road with the peace movement trying to stop the war. Don't know how he would find the time to write it.

[KaraokeKarlton]

17. I didn't save any of the links

I just did a google search to see what came up. I tried my damndest to find the text of the book online, but came up empty. A couple of the sites were connected to a group that calls themselves Vietnam Veterans Against Kerry. Some of the links came from more level and fair sites, though. I searched about 20 pages worth of the search results. It doesn't sound good if any of what I found is true. I'm not going to jump to any conclusions, which is why I'm asking if anyone has seen it.

[stepnw1f]

2. who cares

[Jacobin]

5. Only those who want a Democrat in the WH in 2004, that's all

[KaraokeKarlton]

7. Everyone should care

If it's a skeleton in his closet that can be used to lampoon him should he get the nomination. It would be plain stupid for Democrats to stick their heads in the sand if there is anything to the claims I've been seeing online.

[Nicholas_J]

16. Yes

Using right wing attacks on Democratic canadidates isw the one thing we should not even deem to look into.

Yes, we should not look into it.

More rational to look into a candidates records of making cuts to social programs.

Besides.I have copies of all of Kerry's books , autographed.

[KaraokeKarlton]

21. What right wing attack?

Excuse me, but if Bush and Rove are going to use something against someone who might be the nominee I think Democrats have a right to find out what ammunition they have.

[Justice]

4. Yikes

I don't remember this coming up in the Senate race with Weld.

[Nicholas_J]

6. Gee

Now you are repeating the claims made by the Nixon White House to discredit Kerry who was becoming a considerable thorn in their side.
Based on the fact that during the same days that Kerry was protesting the War in Vietnam, so were members of dozens of other organizations, like the Young Communists and the Black Panthers.

Now provide your evidence, as if you Google it, All of the such claims come from ultra right wing organizations.


Are you going to tell us now that Kerry is also Black

[KaraokeKarlton]

12. I'm not repeating anything, I'm asking if anyone has seen it

And frankly, it would be dumb to just ignore those claims out there. Primary voters deserve to know what's in that book so that if there is anything damning in it they can make an informed decision about who to vote for. I think Kerry should allow the book to be put back into circulation.

[Nicholas_J]

26. This is the right wing claim:

In 1971, the Communist Daily World delightedly published photos of him speaking to demonstrators as a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). The April 23, 1971 Daily World boasted that the marchers displayed a banner depicting a portrait of Communist Party leader Angela Davis, who was on record stating: "I am dedicated to the overthrow of your system of government and your society."

By frequently participating in VVAW’s demonstrations, Kerry found himself marching alongside what the Boston Herald Traveler identified as "revolutionary Communists." While noting that known Reds had openly organized these events, the December 12, 1971 Herald Traveler reported the presence of an "abundance of Vietcong flags, clenched fists raised in the air, and placards plainly bearing legends in support of China, Cuba, the USSR, North Korea and the Hanoi government."

http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/2003/05-05-2003/vo19no09_kerry.htm

VVAW is Vietnam Veterans Against the War...

Kerry had no part in any of the Communist Organizations that were marching at the same time.

Again a well debunked myth that has been spread by the extreme right wing in the U.S.

[JaneQPublic]

8. Book Cover

[overground1]

13. The '70s facial hair is embarassing enough

[JaneQPublic]

14. Note the upside-down flag. (nt)

[overground1]

20. oh, I did, but I just couldn't get past the hair

[Jacobin]

9. This must be the "bombshell" limpballs and inanity are

snarkling about.

Sounds bad. I can see the repuke tv ads now....pics from his book superimposed on his face.

Neeeeexxxxxxtttttttt candidate to face the firing squad, please step forward!!!!!

[bigtree]

25. If it embarrasses you

Don't vote for him. The folks on the cover look like the folks I hung with back in the day. Got a problem with that? :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie: :hippie:

[Jacobin]

30. Hey, dude!!!

I was 1-A and out of a college deferment in 1972. My lottery number was fricking 15.

If you marched anywhere in the south against the war, we probably saw each other.

I'll vote for him reluctantly because he helped get us into IraqNam.

Rural america will toss him to the wolves. I live in the middle of rural america. I'm not joking. It ain't good down here. or in the MW or in the SW

[mitchum]

10. Yes, it has photos of Kerry in lingerie hitting up china white!!!

Sorry, to get you salivating

[Monte Carlo]

15. Let me get this straight... you're nervous because you can't find a book?

Because of something damaging it might contain? Let me tell you, the Republicans have large office spaces in Washington D.C. filled with people who do the research on Democrats and get all the dirt on them they can find. I'm almost certain that they've combed through the book already. Let me know when it reaches the front page headlines.

[dsewell]

24. It's in 600 libraries (at least)

If you really want to find a copy, see if you have access to WorldCat, a huge online union catalog maintained by OCLC. If you're connected with a reasonably large university or research institution, you probably do; large public libraries also. A search will retrieve holdings at 598 libraries. Hardly a suppressed book, I'd say.

[Monte Carlo]

27. The Evil Dr. Dean must have seized all the copies in Vermont.

It all advances his fiendish agenda.

[dsewell]

18. As usual, eBay sellers jump on the latest news, offer copies

Search "Kerry New Soldier" on eBay. At the moment, three copies are for sale, including one signed by the author--opening price $500.

[emulatorloo]

37. and even signed by JK in *Jan 2004*

you would thing JK would snatch it up and burn it rather than sign it, given the start of this thread. Sounds like he has nothing to hide.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3582579708&category=1127

These "Rove will use this against X" threads are getting absurd. Are we Dems or are we Mice????????????

[NewYorkerfromMass]

19. Ask Salon's Jake Tapper

"...A few days before I was to travel with Kerry in Massachusetts, I found an ancient copy of "The New Soldier" -- which Kerry and Vietnam Veterans Against the War put together in 1971 to record their week in Washington protesting the war. I handed it to him upon squeezing into his minivan, and he began leafing through it.

"There's Robert Muller," Kerry says, pointing at scrapbook photos in the back of the book showing a high-school era Muller pole vaulting before he went abroad and lost the use of his legs. "Gold Star Mothers," he says, pointing to a photo of an older woman wrapped in a flag, clutching the medals that are all that's left of her son. "There's Rusty Sachs," Kerry says. "Look at his face." Sachs is throwing one of his medals back on the steps of Congress; he's fighting back tears...."

http://archive.salon.com/politics/feature/2001/08/10/kerry/print.html

[WiseMen]

22. There was a Vets Against the War monograph I believe. Check w Rove

sound like he may have a copy.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Nicholas_J]

28. Yup

There are actually more links betweeen Dean and the Koch Brothers, to whom he arranged the sale of Vermont Yankee, (quashing an earlier deal with a Pennsylvania Company, and then Dean received campaign his first campaign contributions from the corporate energy executives who benefited from the sale).

Desperation.

AS noted, this has been a claim made by conservatives and Republicans as early as 1972, and it simply has not stuck

[JaneQPublic]

31. It didn't stick in MA, but now he's running a nationwide campaign (nt)

[Forkboy]

33. What was it when you guys were attacking Dean for all these months then?

Let me guess,it was different when YOU did it.

[KaraokeKarlton]

34. My post wasn't even an attack, either...it was a question

And one that some people obviously don't want to answer. That leads me to believe that there actually IS something to worry about in that book.

[Forkboy]

36. Actually I think it seems desperate to

Just pointing out that when they attacked Dean it could have,and did to me,seem just as desperate...at times far more so than your post.

[KaraokeKarlton]

41. Well, you can think what you want, but I was really looking for an answer

to the question. I admitted in the post that I don't know if any of the stuff I read is true or not, and that's why I asked about it. Rather than simply say whether or not there's anything damaging in the book those who responded by attacking me. :shrug:

[Forkboy]

43. That's why I said "seems" desperate

I dont know if it is or not,just saying how it might come across.No offense intended.

[KaraokeKarlton]

45. No offense taken

I honestly just want an answer to the question, which apparently I'm not going to get. Either no one has read the book or those who have don't want to answer. Whichever the case, it just makes me all the more curious to find out what's in the book. :shrug:

[Jacobin]

50. Kerry supporters are a little touchy these days

Any questioning about Kerry's anti-war vote, or any questioning of his unrivaled popularity in rural america can get you yelled at.

:-)

It's ok. Don't take it personally. Apparently, there is concern that the librul media will turn on Kerry and try to help Bush get re-selected.

[XanaDUer]

29. Most. Desperate. Post. Ever.

:eyes:

If this is the type of tripe one must wade through to reach the coveted swing voter, then I think that swing voter better swing on over to the other side.

I feel like I am on FR with the "communist" remark.

No links, either, of course.

[Jacobin]

32. If only DUers were voting in the GE, you would have a point

Problem is, they let the whole damn country vote.

Guess what?

They don't think like we do. It's a problem. Ignoring it won't help.

[XanaDUer]

35. The RW has been out for Kerry for over 35 years.

This is nothing new, just an attempt to bring up something negative about the leading Dem (so far) to make him look bad, all under the guise about worrying about his "electibility".

Please.

Also- if DU were the whole country, I think Dean would have swept Iowa and NH. Is not happening, not gonna.

This disingeniousness of this post is hilarious. And pathetic.

[Nicholas_J]

46. Yes lets get a look at all of the records including all of Dean's

CLF seeks details of Dean administration’s talks with utilities
March 11, 2002

(from the State section)
By SUSAN SMALLHEER Southern Vermont Bureau

MONTPELIER — The Conservation Law Foundation will file a freedom of information request with the Dean administration today to find out how many contacts it has had with Vermont utility executives over the pending sale of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

Mark Sinclair, senior attorney with the environmental group, said Monday that recent news reports about the financial contributions made by Vermont utility executives or board members to Gov. Howard Dean’s presidential campaign political action committee were “too much of a coincidence.”

Sinclair said the new offer from Entergy Nuclear of Jackson, Miss., last week wasn’t substantially better than the original bid, and doesn’t really address the serious concerns raised by the state earlier this winter about local control and other economic issues.

http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/Archive/Articles/Article/43924

Now lets look who owned Entergy:

Entergy-Koch Approved, Open for Business Today
Subsidiaries Axia Energy, Axia Energy Europe, Gulf South Pipeline set to begin operations


Houston - Entergy-Koch, LP, a new wholesale energy trading, transportation and marketing company here, has earned final regulatory approval and opens for business today.

http://www.kochind.com/newsroom/news_detail.asp?ID=358

And now who owns Koch:

Koch Family Foundations

David Koch Foundation | Charles Koch Foundation


But there’s a darker side to the boast. Turn on National Public Radio most any afternoon, leaf through a newspaper or news magazine, watch a congressional hearing, or surf the Internet, and you will likely encounter the thoughts of Charles and David Koch (pronounced "coke"). The views will seem to be coming from an independent think tank–the Cato Institute or Citizens for a Sound Economy, for example. Yet behind these groups stands the brothers’ vast fortune: Koch Industries is the nation’s second-largest privately owned company and the largest privately owned oil company, with annual revenues of more than $30 billion. Charles cofounded Cato in 1977; in 1986 David helped launch CSE. The brothers are following in dad’s footsteps: Fred Koch was a charter member of the ultraconservative John Birch Society in 1958...

http://www.mediatransparency.org/funders/koch_family_foundations.htm


{b]And now lets looks at where Dean got his first funding for his presidential campaign from:

Dean raises money from energy sources
February 27, 2002

By David Gram

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONTPELIER — When Gov. Howard Dean wanted to raise money for a possible presidential bid, he followed the example of a former governor of Texas and called on his friends in the energy industry.

Nearly a fifth of the roughly $111,000 collected in its first months by Dean’s presidential political action committee, the Fund for a Healthy America, came from people with ties to Vermont’s electric utilities, according to a recent Federal Elections Commission filing.

It should be no surprise. Dean and utility executives have had a long and friendly relationship.

One donor who gave Dean’s PAC the maximum amount allowed — $5,000 — said he did so because he and his wife “agree with many of the things the fund is talking about — fiscal conservatism, education, health care.”

That donor is Robert Young of Proctor, who also is a top official at two utility companies that have had a lot of important business before state government during Dean’s nearly 11 years in office. Young is chief executive at Central Vermont Public Service Corp. and chairman of Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp.

http://timesargus.nybor.com/Legislature/Story/43125.html

Perhaps its time that we should be a little concerned about Deans records and contacts with these people...And even more concerned that Dean refused to let the public have access to these records, even before they were sealed upon his leaving the Governors office in Vermont.

[KaraokeKarlton]

49. You're off topic and you never answered my question.

Why?

[Jacobin]

53. yeow. Nice jab. Now I'm pathetic.

You'll be great for getting support for your candidate.

BTW, when are we gonna get a PayPal account facility on DU for betting. I have a hundred bucks that says Kerry will be slaughtered in rural america in the GE. Takers?

[XanaDUer]

62. I was referring to the original post, not you

and, after reading stuff like this, I am not worried about "getting support" from people who propagate junk like this.

Their minds are made up, and it is still a semi-free country: they don't have to vote. It would be nice if they voted for what is best for all of us and our country, but they DON'T have to vote.

And holding their votes over the rest of our heads is nothing more than blackmail, and getting older by the minute.

And using their potential votes, and expecting the rest of us to walk on eggshells to keep from insulting them when they post outrageous prevarications as an excuse to smear a fine man like Sen. Kerry, who has been battling the Republican Machine for decades, is absurd.

Vote for whomever you are comfortable with. Or don't.

[emulatorloo]

42. DUers are too busy "throwing the baby out w the bathwater"

and worrying about what Rush and Karl will do.

on edit: spelling

[mitchum]

38. Your concern is...touching

[KaraokeKarlton]

56. The concern is for the voters

People should be informed about the candidates, and if this is something that could destroy Kerry if he were to be the nominee, then voters deserve to know before making their decision in the primaries. I have to admit that based on most of the reactions I'm getting, my curiosity is growing about what's in this book that would lead some to get as defensive on the topic as I'm seeing. :shrug:

[XanaDUer]

64. Please, obtain a copy and share it....

perhaps we DO need to be protected from "Commie Kerry".

[KaraokeKarlton]

68. Figure the odds

Oh, and you might want to consider answering the question I asked rather than being angry that I asked it.

[mitchum]

69. LOL!!!

[KittyWampus]

39. Dean & Clark Have Been Dissected Daily On DU

Putting aside the IWR, Kerry has gotten precious little scrutiny.

That's all I'm going to say about that.

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[emulatorloo]

48. Seems a little harsh, even as parody. . .(eom)

[Nicholas_J]

52. Yes

35 years of going after Kerry to no avail.Paranoid Nixon,Reagan, Ollie North, George Herbert Walker Bush and his C.I.A. connections.
Yet the vast right wing media conspiracy nails Dean in a few weeks after he already loses in Iowa.


I guess Kerry is far better prepared to take on the Bush adminstrations than Dean.

[in_cog_ni_to]

44. Here, try this.

http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?qwork=4658862&ptit=The%20new%20soldier&pauth=Kerry%2C%20John%2C%20and%20Vietnam%20Veterans%20Against%20the%20War&pisbn=&pbest=749%2E95&pbestnew=1000000%2E00&pqty=2&pqtynew=0&matches=2&qsort=r


You can buy a used copy here. How much were you planning on paying? :)

[KaraokeKarlton]

47. holy shit! $750 and $850 for a used book?

Okay, this REALLY makes me wonder what the hell is in the thing. This doesn't look good at all, in my opinion.

[emulatorloo]

51. Collectors Items Cost $$$$$$$

But see my post above. . .JK signed the one on ebay *this year* -- I don't think he has anything to hide or to be ashamed of re Vietnam Vets against the War, and he was quite eloquent about it last nite in the debate,

[in_cog_ni_to]

54. I thought that's what you'd say! LOL!

That's what I said! Pretty bizarre, eh?

[KaraokeKarlton]

57. Yes, it is bizarre...

Does it make you wonder exactly what's in the book even more?

[in_cog_ni_to]

Sure does!

There's one Ebay auction that shows some nice pics. It looks like it's mainly about his war protests. :shrug:

[oasis]

65. Karl Rove can afford it, but the book would only show Kerry's heroism.

I'd like to see JK and Teresa on Oprah's show talking up the book and his memories of the Vets against Vietnam war movement.

I'm going to e-mail her producer.

[Name removed]

55. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Forkboy]

60. School's out already?

[poopyjr]

61. Look at the title of this thread.

[Forkboy]

66. and....

[Feanorcurufinwe]

71. or...

[XanaDUer]

63. Lol! That's good!

eom.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

67. LOL

[in_cog_ni_to]

58. Here's 2 on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3582208106&category=29346

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3582579708&category=1127

I don't know if these have been posted yet, but here ya go!

[Duder]

59. Just google the John Kerry news

Conservative media has already begun with the war record:

What You Don't Know About John Kerry

Is John Kerry the New Democrat Golden Boy ?

The new front-runner

[Moderator]

70. Locking.

Inflammatory.