I agree. This is like a tempest in a tea pot, as far as I'm concerned, though I am not surprised that this has arisen. Issues of character tend to be played down, normally, but Kerry keeps digging himself deeper with every flipfloppery.

It's not the act of tossing, it's his past and current statements regarding the act.

I never tossed them.

I tossed someone else's.

I tossed my ribbons but kept my medals.

What I appear to have said on tape at the time is not what I really said.

Settle down, John! Pick a story and stick to it!

All will be judged at the last judgment, John Kerry's money will not help him.

It's never just that simple ...

In the 70's wearing your ribbons or medals was an invitation to be spit on, yelled at or worse. In fact simply wearing a uniform could easily get you labeled "baby killer" ... Any veteran who served honorably (i.e. without committing beheadings, village burnings, etc ...) would never "throw those medals" back at the White House. Medals = Hero ? Medals do not make a man (or woman) heroic. Actions do, and those actions need to be consistant over time. You would not be labeled a good husband in 2004 if you were faithful in 1969 but cheated on your wife in 1971.

Yes, some would say that his Senate testimony was "Heroic". Lets be clear, when you sit in front of the Senate and repeat atrocity testimony that you don't not know to be true, YOU ARE NOT BEING HEROIC !!!
Of course maybe at that time Kerry thought it was true, but then why when FBI and Military criminal investigators tried to track down those atrocities not a single one of the 150 VVAW vets that "testified" at the Winter Soldier conference were will to give dates, units or locations. NOT ONE !!!

Historically, the fact is that not one of the atrocities Kerry relayed (remember he was relaying specific atrocities told to him by VVAW members) has ever been documented as fact.

Yes atrocities occurred, but no one can show the specific ones Kerry was talking about actually occurred.