I have watched every major speech of the Democratic National Convention for two reasons. First, I don't want it to be said that I don't at least listen to the other side. Second, I am a masochist. I can't say that I'm surprised that Viet Nam was the defining issue of this convention. If I were in the Kerry camp, I would want to play this up as well. And to be totally honest, as a veteran of the Marine Corps and the son of a Viet Nam veteran I appreciate Kerry's heroism on the battlefield. But that hand was overplayed.
In the major speeches that most Americans had a chance to see (Carter, both Clintons, John Edwards, Gore, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Barack Obama, Max Cleland and Kerry), Viet Nam was mentioned by name 17 times. That is in addition to the introductions of Kerry's shipmates and the hefty emphasis on Viet Nam in the introductory video. It would be easy to forget that he protested the war. Coversely, The organization that instigated the War on Terror, Al Qaeda, was mentioned by name a mere three times, twice in the same breath by Al Gore.