[Veterans] do have more leeway to criticize Bush. It gives Republicans something to think about.

When it comes to standing up for veterans, we cannot be the Republicans and Democrats, we have to be the red, white, and blue party.

If I were George W. Bush, I would be terrorized by the eyes of those scruffy-looking veterans, the so-called band of brothers, volunteering for duty with the Kerry campaign. They look like men with scores to settle.

More and more of the veterans are in wheelchairs and with breathing apparatus, and they've lost a lot of friends in the last couple of years. I see Medal of Honor winners, and more and more of them are infirm.

As I walked the beaches with the American veterans who had returned for this anniversary, men in their sixties and seventies, and listened to their stories, I was deeply moved and profoundly grateful for all they had done,

Twice the Republicans in the California legislature tried to block my seating because of my trips to Hanoi.