As far as Kerry's service there are only two things that affect the way I think. They are:
Bush's Quote: "Kerry should be proud of his service". Which in my mind is a big + for Kerry's character (for being brave and serving his country) and even a little + for Bush (for showing that he is capable of being honest about his opponent). It also made me almost totally ignore the swift boat vets. The commercials using his own words, however, I couldn't ignore.
Then there is this article which is an even bigger strike against Kerry:
Kristol, in his own words.
I tend to lump Kerry's military and Intel voting record with the Vietnam stuff since it's proabably all related, atleast psychologically. And that is a HUGE, and unavoidable, strike against Kerry in my book.
Don't misunderstand me, I can't stand all this mud slinging. And I can go on, but you have to admit, Bush may sound dumb, but Kerry has made some really dumb decisions. He shot himself in the foot.