ny times:
gen. john m. shalikashvili, former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, now retired, and one of many retired top military officials who have endorsed mr. kerry, declared, “”i stand here as an old soldier and a new democrat.”” the general said that he believed in mr. kerry, and particularly believed that “”no one will be more resolute in defending america nor in pursuing terrorists than john kerry.””

in one of the evening’s several implicit references to mr. bush’s lack of combat experience, general shalikashvili said of mr. kerry, “”he knows from experience a commander’s responsibility to his troops.”” when he finished, most of mr. kerry’s leading military supporters appeared on stage in a striking tableau.

ny times:

kerry said the president was to blame for any lack of preparedness or protection for us soldiers.

“”the president made the decision as to when to send our troops to war, no one else. he decided the date. he decided that diplomacy was over. he decided to go forward. and on the date that they went into iraq, they didn’t have the armament on the humvees, the armored doors, they didn’t have the equipment they needed in some regards, and they didn’t have the state-of-the-art body armor,”” the senator said.