WHEN WESLEY CLARK WALKED INTO A CAFÉ IN BERLIN RECENTLY, HE INTRODUCED HIMSELF TO VOTERS AS WES.
CLARK DIDN?T HAVE TO USE HIS TITLE.
IT WAS CLEAR EVERYONE IN THE CROWD KNEW WHAT IT WAS.
general ? hi ? general ?
EVEN THOUGH HE INTRODUCES HIMSELF CASUALLY, CLARK DOESN?T DOWNPLAY HIS RANK.
IN HIS BRIEF REMARKS HE REFERRED FREQUENTLY TO HIS MILITARY EXPERIENCE.
HE TOLD THE CROWD HIS FORMER POSITION AT THE HEAD OF NATO MAKES HIM UNIQUELY QUALIFIED TO DEBATE PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH ON FOREIGN POLICY.
14 20 If you?re the commander in chief you?re supposed to be held accountable, and I?m the only person who can do that. Because I?m the only person who?s helped lead in an alliance, who understands national security.
BUT THE RETIRE GENERAL DOESN?T STOP AT FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY.
HE PLEDGED TO FULLY FUND VETERANS? HEALTHCARE.
AND HE SAID HE COULD BE TRUSTED TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON THAT PROMISE, BECAUSE HE?S NOT A POLITICIAN.
AS HE PUT IT, NOBODY HAS EVER BOUGHT HIS VOTE ON A PIECE OF LEGISLATION.
IT?S A CLASSIC OUTSIDER THEME.
AND SPEAKING AFTER THE EVENT CLARK SAID IT HOLDS PARTICULAR APPEAL FOR HIS FELLOW VETERANS.
they know that as a military man, I?m not a politician. I will follow through to the best of my ability.
BUT CLARK ISN?T THE ONLY CANDIDATE WITH STRONG MILITARY CREDENTIALS.
MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR JOHN KERRY IS ALSO A DECORATED VIETNAM WAR VETERAN.
AT A PACKED VFW HALL IN MERRIMACK, KERRY TOLD POTENTIAL VOTERS HE?S CHAMPIONED VETERANS? ISSUES THROUGHOUT HIS SENATE CAREER.
we created the first counseling centers. I wrote the agent orange bill that qualifies people for agent orange and I fought for gulf war syndrome when these veterans came back sick, thousands of them, and the VA didn?t want to treat them.
WHILE CLARK IS DISMISSIVE OF POLITICIANS, KERRY ARGUES HIS POLITICAL EXPERIENCE IS ONE OF HIS GREATEST STRENGTHS.
THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR SAID HE COMBINES MILITARY EXPERTISE WITH A HISTORY OF FIGHTING FOR THE PARTY?S IDEALS.
we need a candidate who can bring both to tables simultaneously. I?m the only one who can do that.
THERE ARE GOOD REASONS FOR KERRY AND CLARK TO REACH OUT TO FELLOW SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN.
one thing about veterans is they tend to vote at a higher rate than non veterans.
ANDY SMITH DIRECTS THE SURVEY CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
SMITH BELIEVES NEW HAMPSHIRE VETERANS LEAN REPUBLICAN.
BUT SINCE VETERANS TEND TO CARE ABOUT DEFENSE ISSUES, SMITH SAYS DEMOCRATS MAY BE MORE APPEALING THIS TIME AROUND.
23 42 democrats have reputation, earned or unearned, of being soft on defense issues going back to the time of george mcgovern. having candidates with military experience will temper that image.
SMITH SAYS DEMOCRATS WILL ALSO BENEFIT FROM THE FACT THAT PRESIDENT BUSH HAS NO MEANINGFUL GOP OPPOSITION.
you don?t have a republican primary so you?ve got a lot of those independent voters who could vote the democratic primary. they?re up for grabs this time.
DEMOCRATS ALSO HOPE TO CAPITALIZE ON SOME VETERANS? IRRITATION WITH THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION.
WHILE THE PRESIDENT HAS TOUTED MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR INCREASES IN VETERANS? SPENDING, ADVOCATES SAY IT?S NOT ENOUGH.
RICHARD FULLER IS NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE GROUP, PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA.
007 45 with the rising costs of helathcare and the soaring demand on the VA system, current funding levels havent kept pace with the demand for services
MANY VETS WERE ALSO DISAPPOINTED WHEN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION CAME OUT SUPPORTING A CENTURY-OLD LAW CALLED CONCURRENT RECEIPT.
THAT POLICY BARS MILITARY RETIREES FROM GETTING DISABILITY BENEFITS AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS AT THE SAME TIME.
EVERY DOLLAR A RETIREE GETS IN DISABILITY IS SUBTRACTED FROM HIS OR HER PENSION.
THE ADMINISTRATION EVENTUALLY AGREED TO A COMPROMISE TO HELP THE MOST SEVERELY DISABLED VETS.
BUT IT WON?T HELP WAYNE HAWKINS OF BERLIN.
20 00 I was sprayed with agent orange so I have disability. I can?t get disability and veterans pay both, so that?s an issue to me.
FOR KERRY AND CLARK, THOUGH, WINNING VETERANS? VOTES WON?T BE AS SIMPLE AS PUTTING ON A VFW HAT OR TALKING ABOUT PAST BATTLES.
ALL OF THE MAJOR DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES HAVE DETAILED VETERANS PLATFORMS.
FOR EXAMPLE, THEY ALL PLEDGE TO IMPROVE INCREASE FUNDING FOR THE VA. ??
and VETERANS AREN?T AS WELL ORGANIZED POLITICALLY AS SOME OTHER CONSTITUENCIES.
UNLIKE LABOR UNIONS, THE VFW AND THE AMERICAN LEGION DON?T ENDORSE CANDIDATES.
FEW ORGANIZATIONS EVEN ATTEMPT TO TRACK POLITICIANS? RECORDS ON VETERANS? ISSUES.
JOSEPH VIOLANTE OF DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS SAYS THAT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO DO.
VIOLANTE COMPLAINS CONGRESS OFTEN MAKES KEY DECISIONS ON VOICE VOTES, SO THAT MEMBERS? POSITIONS DON?T GET RECORDED.
when there is a roll call vote on a veterans bill it's usually a feel good vote. the members know it's going to be lopsided in favor of veterans so
those are always easy to show your support on.
VETERANS HERE IN THE NORTH COUNTRY HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF CONCERNS, FROM NATIONAL SECURITY TO SOCIAL SECURITY.
THEIR REACTION TO CANDIDATES IS A MIX OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL.
ROLAND LAMBERT FOUGHT IN THE KOREAN WAR.
LAMBERT IS LEANING TOWARDS CLARK.
BUT VETERAN?S ISSUES AREN?T THE FIRST THING ON HIS MIND.
when the president said he would spend billions to go to Mars, the general said he wanted to keep that money home and spend it on our own people, which is long overdue.
LAMBERT SAYS CLARK?S MILITARY BACKGROUND IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
HE WISHES KERRY WOULD CAMPAIGN MORE EXPLICITLY ON HIS WAR RECORD.
he just says he was in the military but there?s not much about what he did in the military
AT A RECENT SENDOFF FOR BERLIN-AREA TROOPS HEADED FOR IRAQ, FORMER MARINE RAY HOLT WAS PRETTY CLEAR ON HIS TOP ISSUE.
AND HE WAS PRETTY SURE HE?S STICKING WITH THE PRESIDENT.
23 55 the safety of our country. and I think george bush is doing a good thing, he?s doing the best he can.
KOREA AND VIETNAM VETERAN KEN PERKINS HAS SIGNED ON WITH THE KERRY CAMPAIGN.
SITTING AT HIS DINING ROOM TABLE IN GORHAM, PERKINS SAYS HE LIKES KERRY PARTLY BECAUSE THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR SERVED IN THE SAME REGION OF VIETNAM. PERKINS ALSO BUYS INTO THE NOTION THAT KERRY?S POLITICAL EXPERIENCE IS CRUCIAL. .
He?s got a background in govt. he knows where the bodies are buried. we need somebody like that. we don?t need somebody charging up on their white hat who?s going to save everything.
SO WHILE VETERANS SHARE COMMON CONCERNS, THEY DON?T AGREE ON WHO CAN SOLVE THOSE CONCERNS.
FURTHERMORE, MANY ARE CYNICAL ABOUT POLITICIANS? PROMISES.
SO AS CANDIDATES LOOK TO RALLY THESE OLD SOLDIERS, THEY WILL HAVE TO KEEP DOING WHAT THEY?VE ALWAYS DONE.
MARCH OUT THEIR POSITIONS AND PERSONALITIES AND HOPE SOMEONE SALUTES.
FOR NHPR NEWS I?M TRISH ANDERTON.
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