Not just another Kerry waffle,

but something at the core of the man himself, a lack of character and humanity from the candidate who was “reporting for duty” at the DNC last Summer: the issue of the MIAs.

From the February 24 Village Voice (hat tip to Pat), Sidney Shanber’s article When John Kerry’s Courage Went M.I.A.: Senator covered up evidence of P.O.W.’s left behind (my bold print)

The stated purpose of the special Senate committee—which convened in mid 1991 and concluded in January 1993—was to investigate the evidence about prisoners who were never returned and find out what happened to the missing men. Committee chair Kerry’s larger and different goal, though never stated publicly, emerged over time: He wanted to clear a path to normalization of relations with Hanoi. In any other context, that would have been an honorable goal. But getting at the truth of the unaccounted for P.O.W.’s and M.I.A.’s (Missing In Action) was the main obstacle to normalization—and therefore in conflict with his real intent and plan of action.

Kerry denied back then that he disguised his real goal, contending that he supported normalization only as a way to learn more about the missing men. But almost nothing has emerged about these prisoners since diplomatic and economic relations were restored in 1995, and thus it would appear—as most realists expected—that Kerry’s explanation was hollow. He has also denied in the past the allegations of a cover-up, either by the Pentagon or himself. Asked for comment on this article, the Kerry campaign sent a quote from the senator: “In the end, I think what we can take pride in is that we put together the most significant, most thorough, most exhaustive accounting for missing and former P.O.W.’s in the history of human warfare.”

Shanberg’s articles has “details of a few of the specific steps Kerry took to hide evidence about these P.O.W.’s”, and goes on to say,

The Kerry committee’s final report, issued in January 1993, delivered the ultimate insult to history. The 1,223-page document said there was “no compelling evidence that proves” there is anyone still in captivity. As for the primary investigative question —what happened to the men left behind in 1973—the report conceded only that there is “evidence . . . that indicates the possibility of survival, at least for a small number” of prisoners 31 years ago, after Hanoi released the 591 P.O.W.’s it had admitted to.

With these word games, the committee report buried the issue—and the men.

By January 1994 Kerry was pushing through the Senate a resolution calling on President Clinton to lift the 19-year-old trade embargo against Vietnam. The article concludes “Kerry’s resolution passed, by a vote of 62 to 38. Sadly for him, the passage of ten thousand resolutions cannot make up for wants in a man’s character.”