Isn’t it just like the Republicans to take an issue and turn it on its head to their supposed advantage. John Kerry is being sharply criticized for a remark he made about Vice President Cheney’s lesbian daughter. Now the very people who have proposed a constitutional amendment discriminating against gays and lesbians are suddenly their champions, rushing to defend Mary Cheney.

Where was the outrage when Bush made the much more offensive and outrageous statement, “Bring ’em on!” referring to the insurgents in Iraq while thousands of troops, including our only child, were in harm’s way?

This statement was issued from the safety of the White House by a man who had never seen battle and whose daughters were also safe.

I wish Kerry hadn’t used Mary Cheney’s name. The children of candidates should never be fair game in a campaign. But he did so in the midst of a thoughtful response to the question about whether homosexuality is a choice or not.

In contrast, Bush’s “Bring ’em on” was thoughtless, reckless and terribly immature. I have no doubt that lives were lost because of what he said. Do we really want to re-elect a man who is so prone to this behavior?

Mary Van Nest, Norway

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