In 2002 Georgia Senator Max Cleland (D) was running for reelection against Republican Saxby Chambliss. At some point, Chambliss ran a TV ad. The piece declared that while US faced threats to its security, Senator Cleland voted 11 times against Homeland Security bill. Problem there was that Bush wanted to have power to fire and hire Homeland Security people as he sees fit (just as it is in the military), while Democrats wanted to give those people protection of the labor unions. Based on this ad, Cleland claimed that Republican question his patriotism.

This is not just a single occasion. As soon as a Republican brings up some Democrat's voting record against CIA funding, or against military funding, or against some homeland defense or any national security issue - Democrat starts screaming - THEY QUESTION MY PATRIOTISM!!!

Actually, this is why Democrats picked Kerry to run against Bush. All his deficiencies - from being The Most Ultra-Liberal Senator to being second Android-American to run for the office - were forgotten. They were relishing the thought of John Kerry denouncing George Bush for questioning his patriotism. I am most sure that's what they were telling each other "hey, guys, imagine how stupid Bush will look like when he questions John's patriotism!" So, they chose Kerry and for many months they could not stop talking about Bush being a deserter. Kerry ended up spending more time talking about his heroism then his Vietnam service lasted.

And, voila - Republican Convention. Zell Miller enumerates the voting record of John Kerry: against this weapon system, against that - turns out, from Abrams tank to Tomahawk missile and Apache helicopter - Kerry voted against them all. He proposed CIA budget cuts right after first terrorists attack on WTC. He voted against allocating money for the armor and weapons for the troops in Iraq. Well, as we know, reciting some Democrat's voting record means... what? well, YOU KNEW the answer! Of course - it means questioning his patriotism.

Strange people. So many times they have been told that their patriotism is just fine. Zell Miller himself explained that and so did others. To no avail. Guys, please, we DO NOT question your patriotism! You can feel perfectly safe in this particular refuge of yours.

We question your judgment. We question your intelligence, knowledge of the facts and history, your decisiveness, your convictions and your integrity. Not patriotism.

P.S. m_p, is this explanation sufficient?

Admiral Mike Boorda, veteran of the Vietnam war committed suicide. He shot himself in 1996, when he learned that he may not had been eligible for two "Combat Vs" on his two Bronze Stars. Combat V is added for valor under fire. Actually, according to Washington Post, Navy manual supported Admiral Boorda's right to wear those awards.

John Kerry's official website exhibits some of his military records. Among those Form DD214 and correction DD215. Among his military awards listed are:
- Silver Star with Combat V
- Vietnam Service medal with four stars
Well, one problem here is that, as far as I understand, neither Navy nor any other branch of the military have ever awarded Silver Star with Combat V. Another problem are those campaign stars, that were awarded for participation in the seventeen campaigns there. Kerry took part in only two campaigns: "Counteroffensive, Phase VI" and "Tet69, Counteroffensive." Yet, his record indicates four stars.

Now, I am not a Vietnam veteran, so some people can say that I have no right to blame Kerry or suspect him, or insinuate that he is somehow unfit for command. So, I am not going to. Instead, I am going to quote Kerry himself.

Here is what he said about Mike Boorda in two interviews for Boston Herald and Boston Globe:

"In a sense, there's nothing that says more about your career than when you fought, where you fought and how you fought,... If you wind up being less than what you're pretending to be, there is a major confrontation with value and self-esteem and your sense of how others view you."

"Is it wrong? Yes, it is very wrong. Sufficient to question his leadership position? The answer is yes, which he clearly understood"