McCain Fights for Kerry

Ted Sampley, a businessman from Kinston, N.C., operates a Web site that features attacks on Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, for his anti-war activities after his military service in Vietnam. But Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., may be more upset than the targeted Democratic presidential front-runner, according to the New York Times.

McCain, also a Vietnam veteran and former POW, came to the defense of Kerry on Friday, calling Sampley "one of the most despicable people I have ever had the misfortune to encounter."

Among other things, the Web site, www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnkerry.com, features the now infamous photo of Kerry at a rally, sitting a couple of rows behind Jane Fonda, tauntingly called "Hanoi Jane" by her detractors, who were rankled by her visit to the enemy during the war.

Sampley, also a Vietnam vet, has an unpleasant history with McCain: In 1993, he was convicted of misdemeanor assault for attacking a legislative aide to McCain.

Sampley's major beef with both men is his contention that neither has done enough to investigate his claim that American servicemen were left behind in Vietnam after the war.

In a recent criticism of Kerry posted on his Web site, Sampley wrote: "I have personally dealt with John Kerry on the issue of U.S. P.O.W.s left behind in Vietnam. Kerry is not truthful and is not worthy of the support of U.S. veterans. Many Vietnam vets have been duped into thinking Kerry is their friend. He is not. To us, he is 'Hanoi John.'"

McCain, who has been called "The Manchurian Candidate" by Sampley, said: "I consider him a fraud who preys on the hopes of family members of missing servicemen for his own profit. He is dishonorable, an enemy of the truth, and despite his claims, he does not speak for or represent the views of all but a few veterans."

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