James Carroll (Boston Globe) argues that Kerry has not spoken enough of the immorality of Vietnam

[karynnj]

6. I get your point

Kerry did speak of seeing his grandparents' French estate destroyed after WWII when he was a very young boy. Still that is nothing compared to what you are speaking of. I think that he connected that with what he saw in Vietnam.

I agree that had Kerry continued to speak as he did in 1971 -- or even the early 1990s when he read anti war poetry on the Senate floor, he likely would not be in the position of being named SOS and he would not have been the nominee. (He would have been a taller, better looking version of Kucinich, with a more consistent record - but clearly not someone that could win "in a time of war."

As to Hagel, as far as I remember, the comments he made against the war were later and paler than the Democratic mainstream at the time they were made -- but still far from the norm on the Republican side.