Kerry Dots Deliberation With Decision

From the day Kerry boarded, Sandusky, a veteran helmsman, noticed something different about his commander.

"Most of the boat officers, they figured they knew what they needed to know. John was not like that. He was not above asking questions," Sandusky said. "He pumped me for information. He asked me about ambush sites, what to look for on the river."

The two men sat at the stern in their jungle greens, swatting mosquitoes and breathing diesel fumes, as Sandusky shared the Mekong's secrets. Two or three times a day, snipers shot at the boat. They couldn't see the gunmen in the brush.

"I could hear a clak-clak, and I knew it was an AK-47. I began to distinguish which weapon I was dealing with," Kerry said in an interview. "I was very frustrated. I began to think about how we could win."

Sandusky: "We'd talk about contingencies. He never said he was going to beach the boat. He just . . . asked questions."

Those who know Kerry from childhood nod when they hear that word.

"Questions," Cameron Kerry said. "It evolved from his hard-wiring, his high-energy curiosity, a restlessness. Some of it comes from my father and his intellectually rigorous, Socratic approach. Dad would play devil's advocate."

Those who know Kerry from the Senate nod when they hear those words.

"John plays devil's advocate," said his chief of staff, David McKean. On any given issue, Kerry will sit his staff in a circle and challenge them. "Most staffers find it intimidating at first. Then they enjoy it."

In the military, as in the Senate, Kerry made decisions through debate.

"On some issues, you have the luxury of picking and poking," he said. But when the moment arrives, he decides. "One thing I'm very good at is urgency and imperatives."

His Vietnam crewmates agree, especially those who watched him charge the guerrilla with the rocket launcher. Kerry had discussed strategy with Sandusky days before, citing his motto in hockey and chess: "Offense is the best defense." So when Kerry, his jaw tight, signaled a sharp turn to port, the helmsman immediately understood.

"I said, 'Oh, [expletive],' 20 times, 'here we go, he's going to do it,' " said Sandusky. "The bow was going to the beach."

"No time to pray," Kerry said, recalling the moment. "I had to make an instantaneous decision. But it was not rash. In the back of my mind, I thought the element of surprise would work in our favor."