Action at a Distance

John Kerry was 27 and looked like a frat boy

Sunday night I watched this televised debate between John Kerry and John O'Neill from 1971! (Not the John O'Neil of recent FBI or CIA leadership resignation fame) They were on this TV talk show with some dude named Dick Cavett or something like that, and they were talking about the US's role in Vietnam at the end of the war and how we should go about withdrawing ourselves from the conflict. But John O'Neill, who I'm sure could have been the most annoying and successful parliamentary debater of all time (had he been born 25 years later) pretty much only wanted to talk about Kerry's implication that all Vietnam vets had commited war crimes.

O'Neill was 25 at this point (apparently he is now a Houston lawyer) and had recently come back from 18 months of service in Vietnam. He was eloquent, well prepared, and kept the points and questions coming at a rapid-fire pace. His hair was cut short, parted, and was shellacked against his head with some sort of hair gel. He looked like he'd walked straight out of an independent Baptist church and into the Dick Cavett Show.

Kerry was 27 at the time and had already been to Vietnam for (I think) a four month stint. At the time of this debate, I believe he was preparing to run for senate or congress for Massachusetts. His hair was thick, wavy, and luxurious, wrapping around his head like a shiny helmet. He looked very strange to my 21st century eyes. He was less well prepared than O'Neill, but he spoke in a more contemplative, extemporaneous manner, and probably presented himself better than O'Neill. Unfortunately, for Kerry, O'Neill was very well prepared.

At the end of the debate, I think Kerry may have had the better position on what to do in Vietnam, but I think he was kind of disingenuous--I got the feeling that he held his position mainly to boost his political career. O'Neill, while a little fundy to my tastes (with a really weird accent), was obviously unalloyed with personal power plays.

This was on C-Span from like 12:00am to 1:00am. It's worth watching, if only to see Kerry's hair.

This debate gave me a lot of food for thought that I hope to comment on later...

Posted by paul at March 30, 2004 02:27 PM | TrackBack