Five of us went to see Going Upriver last night. Absolutely astounding footage. All of us came out with newfound admiration for our candidate.
Every Democrat should see it. Every flag-waving chickenhawk wingnut should see it. And anytime anyone suggests to you that Kerry's war service was less than heroic, or that his significant role in bringing the war to an end was less than equally heroic: all you need to do is ask whether they've seen this movie. If they haven't, they're missing the context and the facts.
Of particular note: (1) a very funny quote from the Nixon White House, "let's destroy this young demagogue before he becomes another Ralph Nader"; (2) seeing Kerry humiliate John O'Neill in a TV debate in the early 1970s, thereby providing context for his Swift Boat attacks this year; (3) many striking parallels between the futility of Vietnam and the futility of Iraq.
Throughout this long election season, my friends and I have all tended to mock Kerry and roll our eyes every time he brings up his Vietnam service. No more. This man is someone special, someone with a particular courage and strength and life experience that our nation needs desperately right now.
Bad news: the theater was practically empty. This was the 9:30 show on a Saturday night in a suburb of Providence, RI (the main downtown multiplex had been scheduled to show it, but then didn't). Unless the marketing is going better in other places, I fear this film won't have nearly the impact it deserves.