Unfit for Command | Characters & Character Analysis

Unfit for Command Characters

John Kerry

The authors portray the 2004 DNC candidate for the office of the President of the United States as a manipulative politician who joined the U.S. Naval Reserve after being denied a deferment to study in Paris. He is depicted as a whining, cowardly, self-serving manipulator with little concern for anyone but himself. He is shown to have boasted that someday he would be President; from the first day he arrived for a truncated four-month tour of duty in Vietnam. He is portrayed as a shameless pursuer of unearned medals that later became the "war-hero" legacy he used as a foundation in his 2004 presidential campaign. The authors depict Kerry as a traitorous military officer who compromised the safety of his crew and fellow combatants with cowardice, self-promotion, and dereliction of duty; citing unscheduled trips to Saigon for a night on the town and a poorly navigated attempt to reach a...
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