CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who
accused the Bush administration of manipulating intelligence to
exaggerate the threat from Iraq, endorsed Democrat John Kerry for
president on Thursday.
In a conference call with New Hampshire reporters, Wilson said
he and Kerry, the Massachusetts senator, have shared the experience
of challenging their government — Wilson when he questioned the
“rush to war” with Iraq, Kerry when he challenged America’s role
in Vietnam.
Speaking from Washington, Wilson said Kerry’s actions, coming
when he was but 23-year-old Vietnam War veteran, makes him stand
out in the Democratic presidential field.
“John Kerry did the same thing after he came out of Vietnam, I
did it at the age of 53 … with a long and distinguished career
behind me,” Wilson said. “John Kerry did it at the very beginning
of his career.
“I know how these sorts of things test one’s mettle,” he said.
“To have stood up and said what he did, at the time that he did,
in my judgment, sets him apart from the other candidates.”