To the Editor:

Re “Kerry Pressing Swift Boat Case Long After Loss” (front page, May 28):

As an early and enthusiastic supporter of Senator John Kerry’s presidential bid in 2004, I am relieved that he is finally responding to the distortions and outright lies circulated by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

It is too late for us as a nation to recover from the effects of this vicious and personal vendetta against a decorated war hero — a vendetta exploited by a campaign committee of privileged men who for the most part avoided combat because of “other priorities.”

But the record must be set straight so we can properly acknowledge Senator Kerry’s service, and so the world can see the unsavory machinations routinely employed by the self-appointed party of moral values.

As for the Swift boat veterans themselves, it is a shame that the memory of their bravery in the Vietnam War has been forever tainted by this sad episode.

Russell Scanlon
Austin, Tex., May 29, 2006

•To the Editor:

Senator John Kerry’s supporters believe that the charges of the Swift boat group cost him the election.

The senator’s Vietnam record, however, would have never been a significant issue had he not foolishly made it the centerpiece of his campaign, including the opening words of his acceptance speech for the Democratic presidential nomination: “I’m John Kerry, and I’m reporting for duty.”

If Senator Kerry had instead focused on relevant issues, the election result might have been different.

Alan V. Abrams
New York, May 28, 2006

•To the Editor:

Senator John Kerry’s self-defense is too little, too late. By not answering the scurrilous charges against him during the 2004 campaign, he gave them validity and allowed President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, with little or no military experience, to seem more honorable.

Democratic Party strategists are to blame. They also shaped Al Gore into a candidate who appeared cold, aloof and disingenuous, a sharp contrast to the commanding, impassioned presence we see in his documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.”

Failing to rectify these blunders in future campaigns will ensure the continuation of the foreign policy debacles, environmental plundering and domestic neglect that are the hallmarks of the current administration.

Ralph Goldstein
Altadena, Calif., May 28, 2006

•To the Editor:

Apparently it’s not enough to have put oneself in harm’s way. The bar for patriotism and service to one’s country is now measured by how much damage one sustained.

John Kerry, like many others, served his country when called and put himself in harm’s way — end of story.

Bill Schuh
Delavan, Wis., May 28, 2006

•To the Editor:

John Kerry seems to have forgotten the first rule of holes. It is, in case you have forgotten: To get out, you must first stop digging. This is a loser for him, but that seems appropriate.

Michael Kennedy
Mission Viejo, Calif., May 28, 2006