I honestly tried, but couldn’t come up with 10 reasons not to vote for John Kerry. I couldn’t even come up with five reasons, unless you count such trivialities as his John F. Kennedy fetish, his crazy wife or the fact he called the Green Bay Packers’ football stadium “Lambert Field.” He has been a senator for 20 years and is not the bungling politician that mudslinging Republicans would like you to think he is.

Of all the accusations made against Kerry, the one opponents most often use is his tendency to “flip-flop” on an issue. Ironically, George Bush often was accused of the same thing. It’s true there are several issues that Kerry has voted one way and then later voted the other way. But this is not evidence of an incompetent legislator. Rather, it points toward someone up-to-date on issues who votes accordingly. Bills go through many transformations and many votes before they are passed into law. I would be more worried if Kerry had voted the same way on every bill like some glassy-eyed automaton.

For example, Bush supporters point out Kerry initially voted against the death penalty for terrorists, but has since “flip-flopped” his vote. What his detractors fail to mention is Sept. 11 was in between the two votes.

It’s hard for outsiders to critique a congressman’s performance due to the hundreds, if not thousands, of factors involved in the decision-making process. Rather, Kerry should be commended for his exemplary service; he has been elected senator of Massachusetts four consecutive times and in all campaigns has refused to spend a dime of Political Action Committee money – the PAC is a special-interest group that donates money to any politician willing to further his or her agendas, most notorious of which include the oil and tobacco industries.

Kerry also is frequently harassed by right-wingers for voting against Bush’s tax cuts. The first tax cut, $300 per person, failed to cure our country’s economic ills. In fact, it didn’t even put a Band-Aid on them. Since Bush took office, the largest budget surplus ever has become the largest budget deficit in U.S. history.

Kerry also has been criticized for his service in the Vietnam War. Republicans accuse Kerry of overdramatizing events that led to his being awarded three Purple Hearts (medals issued for combat injuries). There were many veterans who sustained similar or more severe injuries who did not apply for a Purple Heart, but that decision was left up to the individual. The Web site, titled “Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry,” lists the particulars of his combat injuries. The first and third of these were deemed “slight,” while the second was “a minor shrapnel wound in his left thigh.” As far as I’m concerned, shrapnel is shrapnel. Kerry served his country honorably, and it drives the Bush reelection campaign crazy.

Much has been made of Kerry’s anti-war actions following his return from Vietnam. Yes, he did protest the war. And yes, he threw some military medals over a fence for publicity (though it later turned out they weren’t even his medals). Has everyone forgotten what a horrible debacle the Vietnam War was? Have they forgotten the 58,000 dead Americans and those left behind, such as the POW and MIA? Have we forgotten how despicably veterans were treated upon returning home? Hasn’t anyone watched an Oliver Stone film lately?

Kerry voluntarily enlisted in the Navy, knowing full well he would end up in Vietnam. I personally respect him for later having the courage to vocalize his opposition to the war, despite intense pressure to keep his mouth shut. He simply stood up for what he believed in.

Of course, no one can guarantee Kerry will make a good president. However, during the first debate, he revealed Bush’s mistakes in Iraq, proving he has the qualifications to do a better job. We’ve already seen what the current administration is capable of. I say we give the Democrats a chance.