ANOKA, Minn. -- Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is silent no more on why he's supporting Sen. John Kerry for president.
Unleashing a strong attack against President Bush, Ventura appeared Thursday at community colleges in three Twin Cities suburbs, encouraging young people to vote. When Ventura showed up at a news conference last week to endorse Kerry, he refused to speak.
But the political independent didn't hold his tongue Thursday, employing his typical mix of blunt talk, humor and anger in criticizing the Bush administration. He took the president to task for the war in Iraq, the federal budget deficit, and for what he said is Bush's failure to separate his faith from his policies on issues like stem cell research.
``Personal spiritual beliefs are fine,'' said Ventura, who wore a Navy Seals T-shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes. ``But this is your job. You have to be able to separate the two. I believe John Kerry understands this distinction. President Bush does not.''
He also criticized Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for leading U.S. soldiers into the war in Iraq, which Ventura said he's opposed from the beginning. Ventura drew a distinction between Kerry's volunteer service in Vietnam, as opposed to Bush and Cheney, who he said avoided going overseas.
``A true leader should never ask you to do something he's not willing to do himself,'' Ventura said. ``In the case of Bush and Cheney, they're asking you to do something they were not willing to do when it was their turn.''
Ain't that the truth!
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