Vets weigh in on debate

Vets weigh in on debate

By MIKE PLAISANCE

As the war veterans watched the presidential debate last night, James R. Cooper saw a chameleon, Richard J. Tyrell saw a “goat-roper” and Roger H. Hamel didn’t see enough to decide his vote.

Cooper, 51, of Springfield, is a Republican who said he felt President Bush won the first debate last night largely because of Democrat John F. Kerry’s shifting positions.

“He did what he always does: He has a great headline but no story. I call him ‘the chameleon.’ It depends on what color he is,” said Cooper, who was a 1st class petty officer in the Navy 1975-1983.

Cooper was hardly impressed with either candidate, he said, but the victory goes to Bush.

In the points he made in the debate, such as how the war was necessary because Iraq posed a threat to America, he said, Bush reinforced why he is the right leader.

“I’m behind him fully on it because I think that is like the keystone to everything over there,” Cooper said.

In the eyes of Tyrell, a Democrat, Kerry won because the Massachusetts senator detailed a plan involving a summit to end the war in Iraq.

Bush, said Tyrell, 55, of Springfield gave a debate performance that fits a term Tyrell said he learned in his years as a Marine 1967-1978.

“Goat-roper,” he said, means Bush showed all the bravado of a cowboy without the experience to back it up.

“I think that’s the politest way I can say it,” Tyrell said.

Tyrell liked that Kerry said Bush rushed into Iraq and relegated the drive to find Osama bin Laden to an “outsourcing” involving hiring foreign fighters.

“I think (Kerry) showed a consistent, smooth, level-headed delivery,” he said.

Hamel, 84, of Springfield, who was in the Army and Army Reserves from 1940 to 1970, watched the debate closely.

Kerry seemed to be the better speaker, he said, and the senator’s military record is a plus.

“That’s a big factor, as far as I’m concerned,” he said.

As for who won the debate and who he will vote for, Hamel, who declined to give his party affiliation, said he needs to see more from both candidates.

“I still have no idea,” he said.

Michael A. Connors of South Hadley, who is registered as unenrolled, said the debate did not produce a clear front-runner.

“I think both men made some good points,” said Connors, who serves as state senior vice commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Connors said a key for him was that both men said they were committed to ending nuclear proliferation.

“As the stepfather of an 11-year-old daughter, that is something that concerns me greatly,” he said.

To Frederick S. Conlin, a former Marine, the debate wasn’t cloudy at all: Bush won.

Specifically, said Conlin, a veteran, retired dentist and Republican, the president showed definitive plans to win the war on terrorism.

“He knows what his goals are and tells everyone what they are and that’s what makes him a strong commander in chief,” said Conlin.

Kerry’s comments last night lacked specifics about fighting terrorism, Conlin said.

Officials with local ties praised the performances of their party’s standard-bearers.

State Sen. Brian P. Lees, R-East Longmeadow, said Bush showed resolve.

“I think it was pretty clear that … the positions he has taken, he believes in them, and I think the public is with him on these issues, and I think it was an excellent debate for George Bush,” Lees said.

Lees also said the president tried to demonstrate that Kerry is “all over the board,” and that the senator presented that picture to the public.

“I think it was pretty clear the president stuck to his message,” Lees said.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, said Kerry came across strong.

“I thought that John Kerry demonstrated the capacity to be president,” Neal said. “That was the goal. That was achieved.”

Neal also said that Kerry, who has a reputation for at times being long-winded, was sharp in his responses.

“I thought he stuck very much to very concise answers, but not oversimplified answers,” the congressman said.

Although Neal believed Kerry won the debate, he did not think the election was won or lost by either candidate last night.

“I don’t think there was any knockout punch,” he said.

Reporters Azell Murphy Cavaan, Michael McAuliffe and Angela Carbone contributed to this story.