Updated and bumped, partly because I just remembered where the picture of Kerry was, mainly because I'm still pissed.

Originally posted 2006.11.01.10:17:

Kerry's '72 Army
Comments Mirror Latest

WASHINGTON (AP) - During a Vietnam-era run for Congress three decades ago, John Kerry said he opposed a volunteer Army because it would be dominated by the underprivileged, be less accountable and be more prone to "the perpetuation of war crimes." ...

... In 1972, as he ran for the House, he was less apologetic in his comments about the merits of a volunteer army. He declared in the questionnaire that he opposed the draft but considered a volunteer army "a greater anathema."

"I am convinced a volunteer army would be an army of the poor and the black and the brown," Kerry wrote. "We must not repeat the travesty of the inequities present during Vietnam. I also fear having a professional army that views the perpetuation of war crimes as simply 'doing its job.'

"Equally as important, a volunteer army with our present constitutional crisis takes accountability away from the president and put the people further from control over military activities," he wrote. ...

A little perspective so everyone knows how much slack I'll be cutting this stupid slimy son of a bitch: I got back from Nam in '72 with two years left in my Air Force hitch. I enlisted in the Air Force voluntarily and I volunteered for Nam. John Kerry wouldn't have sense enough to wet his pants if his balls were on fire and I wouldn't piss on his head if his hair was.

He meant what he said
Michelle Malkin

So much for John Kerry's "joke" excuse. He meant what he said and, as Rove says, it's a lifelong habit. Someone other than Jennifer Loven at the Associated Press reports on Kerry's disparaging remarks in 1972 about America's volunteer army--which he deems a "greater anathema" than the draft (hat tip Daniel Freedman):

During a Vietnam-era run for Congress three decades ago, John Kerry said he opposed a volunteer Army because it would be dominated by the underprivileged, be less accountable and be more prone to "the perpetuation of war crimes."  ...

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Waffles ‘72: Volunteer army would exploit poor, minorities
Allahpundit

Mark Levin promised yesterday that quotes would “surface” today. And so they have:

In 1972, as he ran for the House, he was less apologetic in his comments about the merits of a volunteer army. He declared in the questionnaire that he opposed the draft but considered a volunteer army “a greater anathema.”

“I am convinced a volunteer army would be an army of the poor and the black and the brown,” Kerry wrote. …

None of this proves that Kerry’s little “joke” at the Angelides rally was directed at the military and not Bush, but it does show once again, as Michael Barone said, that “too often he sees American troops not as heroes but as victims or perpetrators.” The question is, was he right? 34 years later, does our volunteer military rely on de facto conscription of the underclass?

Answer: no, of course he’s not right. He’s John Kerry. From the Heritage study:

... Put simply, the current makeup of the all-voluntary military looks like America. Where they are different, the data show that the average soldier is slightly better educated and comes from a slightly wealthier, more rural area. ...

Again, neither this nor Kerry’s long, long history of denigrating soldiers proves that he meant to smear the troops at the Angelides rally. And yeah, that’s important to keep in mind; otherwise, as Lileks said this morning, you’re flirting with “fake but accurate.” What it does prove is that Kerry’s an ignoramus — one whom, as it happens, the New York Times will lie shamelessly to its readers to protect.