Both were born with silver spoons....
One went, one didn't.
The folks supporting the one that didn't, had to try to discredit the one that did.

If this is true, I have to take my hat off to the guy :

American Swift Boat tactics in the Mekong were such that they cruised the waterways trying to draw enemy fire. Once enemy fire was drawn, the Swift Boats would land several hundred meters away from the source of the fire and then try to engage the enemy on foot. By the time the counter-attackers reached the ambush site, the enemy was gone, in many instances.
It has been reported that Kerry was one of the first to land his boats at the source of the fire, and then deal with the enemy before he had a chance to slip away.

It's too bad that when we hear the words "Swift Boat" now, we think of all this political crap. A childhood friend was a gunner on a Swift Boat and it was not a cakewalk. We heard about his first kill and after that he didn't say much.

"You could crouch behind the armor plate, but if they had a .51 it was coming right through."