The Tenth Brother [former Kerry mate from Nam steps forward: "Kerry was chickens---"]

Time Magazine ^ | 3.09.04

[Fledermaus]

The only real accomplishments Clinton can take credit for is signing GOP bills after 1995.

He tried the Mediscare approach and hurt Newt. Big Deal. The GOP got it's slower increase in spending and Clinton ran on the projected surpluses.

Ditto welfare reform. He fought it, fought it, fought it and vetoed it twice. Then he signed it and took all the credit for it's later success after saying at the 1996 convention he'd "fix it".

Now the Democrats talk of all those "surpluses" the Dems had like they are now the fiscally responsible ones. There was only ONE year of a surplus, the rest were projections and then the stock market burst and the economy downturned to a recession and then the uncertainty of 2000 followed by 9/11 and the corporate scandals that were the result of the market burst and fraud.

And don't forget the effect his penis had on the markets because he was impeached.

Clinton and then Gore in 2000 liked to talk of peace and prosperity. As we now know, both were fake. The peace was fake as Clinton ignored all the attacks builiding up to 9/11, mostly because only military personnel were dying. And the prosperity was fake because of the lies told by corporations under a lax SEC and campaign money to the Clinton's. Bob Novak had a good column a couple years back about how the economic numbers were fudged and overstated. Then you subtract the lies of WorldComm, Global Crossings, etc. and you don't get such a rosy picture.

Even the unemployment figure that around 1998-1999 went to 4% was put into question and found wanting in some of their assumptions. Knowing Clinton, they used the household survey while they all today whine about they payroll survey. (question: why does the government do these separate surveys and publish their different numbers knowing all politicians and pundits will pick and choose them? Are we being manipulated? Do they put out conflicting data just to argue about it and make us think they are doing something?)

It was all a house of cards.

[kcvl]

It was all a house of cards.

[nopardons]

btt

[Texasforever]

Bush actually did a very shrewd thing. He embraced the "surplus" to make his tax cut case. If we had that much "surplus" then, by definition, the government was taking too much money. Bush is using the Reagan approach of starving the beast.

[lorrainer]

At various times in our interview he complained about Kerry “running around with Hanoi Jane” after the war and having a “rich wife.” And—like Limbaugh—he is determined to convince people that Kerry is Slick Willy incarnate.

And the problem with this is.....?

[thegreatbeast]

Over the next three years Gardner served as gunner on four different Swift boats, each with a different commanding officer. His least favorite was his last: Lieutenant (j.g.) John F. Kerry of PCF-44. Kerry was on the swift boats for what, FOUR months? You call it.

[Aeronaut]

I'm sure the rest of the Kerry crew, that he has been able to contact, have been well compensated.

I'm sure the rest of the Kerry crew, that he has been able to contact, have been well indoctrinated.

[Sabertooth]

After interviewing Gardner for over an hour it essentially boils down to one word: politics. A strong supporter of President George W. Bush, Gardner is sickened by the idea of Kerry as president. “Anybody but Kerry,” he says. “I know what a disaster he’d be.” So what brought Gardner out in the open? The answer turns out to be Rush Limbaugh’s talk show.

Good thing Brinkley told us this up front, and editorialized and paraphrased his way through Gardner's account.

I was afraid I might have to think for myself.

[Lion in Winter]

I have suspected for a long, long time that Kerry had paid off those other guys over the years.

This fellow who came forward may NOT have been so able to be found or bought off as easily.

Could be the other guys were in on the deal from the beginnning and liked to be duty-shirkers. Lt. kerry was "taking care of them".... keeping them out of danger, so to speak. They could be just as cowardly as I believe kerry to be.

Maybe kerry thought the guy was dead.... or wished he was.

I think this guy is believable... he may have been a little afraid to come forward before now.... could be they did know where he was and he had been threatened. Perhaps the thought of this country under "damien" kerry finally got to him.

[Sabertooth]

Over the next three years Gardner served as gunner on four different Swift boats, each with a different commanding officer. His least favorite was his last: Lieutenant (j.g.) John F. Kerry of PCF-44.

It would be interesting to know what Gardner's other commanding officers thought of him.

[cynicom]

Odd that in four months such a huge per centage of the "men" came away with exact same stories. Also find it odd that they just happen to remember that Gardner was the odd man out. In the AF at another time, we always knew who the "chicken...." were.

[Chapita]

look here

[Steel and Fire and Stone]

Odd that in four months such a huge per centage of the "men" came away with exact same stories. Also find it odd that they just happen to remember that Gardner was the odd man out. In the AF at another time, we always knew who the "chicken...." were.

Agreed, but I'm not sure if this Gardner guy is on the level. He might be trying a little too hard to bias the public against Kerry, either because of his politics, or for personal reasons.

This is an interesting situation for a couple of reasons:

• The guy they "couldn't find" just happened to be the only guy who didn't back Kerry.
• The "uniformity" of opinion AND enthusiastic backing by the nine guys who served with him seems wierd. I'd have been lucky to have half the guys who worked for me on active duty even remember me, let alone remember me fondly or with a grudge. Even if half thought I'd make a "great President", I'd be lucky to get more than a couple to run around with me all over the country to campaign. Did Ike have that kind of support?! Has anyone? Something's not right.

Regardless, though I've never served with Kerry, I know all I need to know about him because:

• Kerry bailed out of combat after 4 months, on account of three "wounds" that cost him no time in an infirmary, aid station, or hospital
• Kerry married into money not once, but twice, and always dated women of means; i.e. he's never had to earn a living or pull his own weight.
• Kerry was a leftist before and after serving on Active duty. Leftist believe the ends justifies the means, something that Kerry puts into action during his campaign daily.
• Kerry was quite obviously thinking "big" from the day he entered service, i.e. getting his ticket punched, taking movies (!!) re-creating battles (in a combat zone?!!) after the fact, etc.; he was an opportunist.
• Kerry supported a President who turned the White House into a whore house, and who in fact lied under oath
• Kerry's unrelenting, dishonest criticism of a wartime President; i.e. he's quite willing to give aid and comfort to the enemy, and in fact, thinks that there is no "enemy", just criminals.

As a Navy Commander (05), I measured people based on character. Dishonest people can get you killed, i.e. you figure them out pretty quickly. Everything runs in a time-compressed state in a war-fighting Navy. You don't have time to mess around, or give guys the "benefit of doubt". Kerry has failed the character test by large margins, something that should matter to any veteran, voter or Patriotic American who values honor. His actions have proven him to a man wholly without character, untrustworthy, without a backbone or the selfless courage it takes to be a leader.

SFS

[thegreatbeast]

A few times I thought Brinkley was trying to give away the game: "No two men remember combat exactly the same way so Kerry has been extremely lucky that 9 out of his 10 crewmen have almost identical stories about his valor during various firefights and skirmishes. Extremely lucky or queer?

[Criminal Number 18F]

Maybe it wasn't just luck

Naw? You mean, like the "bereaved 9/11 family members" whose "spontaneous outrage" turned out to be on The Dragon Lady's (Teresa's) command... and payroll? You're not suggesting -- gasp! -- collusion!

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[thegreatbeast]

You wrote, "Even if half thought I'd make a "great President", I'd be lucky to get more than a couple to run around with me all over the country to campaign." Actually I think there are attractions for your mates to share the spotlight in support the Hero. They are strenuously trying to get this Band of Brothers crap off the ground. In this scenario they are all basking in the reflected glory, presumably they all have a share. Like Joe Kennedy back in '60, Mrs. Heinz or the campaign is picking up all the checks for the travel, the meals and the lodging with the understanding that the Lincoln bedroom could be at the end of this. Yeah, this is very easy to put together, Commander.

[Benrand]

Brinkley should be called not so slick Briinkley. He tried to claim that the only reason Gardner doesn't like Kerry is pure politics.

I've said it before, I don't think Brinkley is all that smart.

The smear machine gears up...

[R. Scott]

No two men remember combat exactly the same way so Kerry has been extremely lucky that 9 out of his 10 crewmen have almost identical stories about his valor during various firefights and skirmishes. But memories can vary from person to person; Gardner insists that the Kerry he knew in Vietnam was a singularly un-heroic figure. He dismisses the glowing eyewitness accounts of his crewmates Jim Wasser (Radarman), Bill Zaladonis (Petty Officer), Drew Whitlow (Boatswain’s Mate) and Stephen Hatch (Boatswain’s Mate) as bunk. “Kerry sat some of them down and convinced them to buy into his side of what happened over there,” he explains in bizarrely conspiratorial fashion with no evidence to back him up. “When you’re as persuasive as Kerry it’s not hard to make a guy change something that he saw.”

If this did happen, it could be a good example of implanting false memories. The crewmen were a tight bunch of people, more than willing to back each other up. They were also in the limelight because a national figure like Hanoi John was paying attention to them. It wouldn’t be difficult for Hanoi John to use this to his advantage.

[Amelia]

It would be interesting to know what Gardner's other commanding officers thought of him.

Yeah, it would.

[IrishRainy]

All I can say is -- what a hit piece! Did ya like the way Brinkley casts aspersions on everything this guy has to say, including setting him up as a looney tunes before we even meet the guy? I particularly liked his statement that he "claims to work at...." So I guess it's been determined the guy lies about everything!

Good grief, we HAVE to take back the media before it's too late.