I don't question his patriotism, I question his judgement

By Howlin’ Leroy Eenk News Services

Apr 22, 6:01 PM (ET)

BOSTON April 24, 2006 - Those who disagree with the Bush administration's policies in Iraq face the same scornful charges that they are unpatriotic as Sen. John Kerry did 35 years ago when he spoke out against the Vietnam War, the Massachusetts Democrat said Saturday.

Kerry’s failed bid for the presidency in 2004 was partly due to the perception that he made decisions based on political calculus - like his vote to approve the war - rather than from a internal moral compass.

"I have come here today to reaffirm that it was right to dissent in 1971 from a war that was wrong. And to affirm that it is both a right and an obligation for Americans today to disagree with a president who is wrong, a policy that is wrong, and a war in Iraq that weakens the nation," Kerry said to a standing ovation Saturday at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall, according to the Associated Press.

During the campaign, Kerry said he did not regret his vote to allow Bush to invade, which may have been the best time to dissent.

Kerry's speech Saturday came 35 years to the day after he testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to call for an end to the Vietnam war.

"How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" Kerry said in 1971, a line that helped propel the decorated Navy combat veteran and Yale graduate onto the national stage.

In 2004 he became known for the slightly less bold: “I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.”