Citizen Kerry's 1971 Testimony

The Village Voice has published a great article on John Kerry's 1971 testimony about atrocities committed by American troops in Vietnam. The piece is doubly relevant in that it provides an implicit parallel to the horrors at Abu Ghraib (and the anemic investigations of them) and directly attacks the Swift Boat Veterans' claims that Kerry was lying about the atrocities. It's probably hard for literalistic right-wingers to understand, but it turns out Kerry was testifying on behalf of other vets. Because, you know, it's easier for one guy to speak than hundreds. (The article contains some absolutely chilling quotes from U.S. soldiers about war crimes they committed in Vietnam.) The conservatives claim that Kerry's testimony was an early indication of his later career, and they're right - but not because he supposedly dissembled and exaggerated. Rather, by accurately summarizing accounts of atrocities in Vietnam, Kerry performed the first of many noble acts as a public servant. Would that he has the chance to lengthen that list by resolving the situation in Iraq...