Actually Greg you may be right that cognative dissonance was not the right word to use for you.

Upon reflection the right word is hypocrite.

And in my life I've known heros; in my view John Kerry was no hero. I know of no Marine Officer who would have put in for a Purple Heart that was treated with a Bandaid. And you'll note he never released his SF-180 which would have laid all the questions to rest, including who wrote him up for the medals, since none of his superior officers did.