Kerry's record open to debate, Cheney says

WASHINGTON, March 2 (UPI) -- Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday discussions concerning Sen. John Kerry's record on national security were not attacks on his patriotism.

During an interview with the Fox News Network's Brit Hume, Cheney said the real issue was "what kind of decisions" the Democratic U.S. senator from Massachusetts would make as U.S. commander in chief.

"It's not a question of whether or not he served in Vietnam; he did. He served very loyally and very courageously," Cheney said. "The question that you have to ask a would-be president is what kind of decisions would he make in that capacity about national security."

Republicans have charged Kerry with voting repeatedly to cut the U.S. intelligence budget, to scale back U.S. defenses, and against weapons systems currently in use in the war on terror. Some Democrats have responded that questions about Kerry's voting record in the Senate are an attack on his patriotism.

"I think everybody respects John Kerry's service in Vietnam and that's never really been an issue," said Cheney. "What we're concerned about is his record in the United States Senate."