Posted on 03/22/2004 8:28:31 AM PST by Hon
KERRYS CAMPAIGN ASKED A VETERAN TO CHANGE STORY
KANSAS MEETING AT ISSUE
By THOMAS H. LIPSCOMB Special to the Sun
A Vietnam veteran who said he remembers John Kerry participating in a 1971 Kansas City meeting at which an assassination plot was discussed says an official with the Kerry presidential campaign called him this month and pressured him to change his story.
The veteran, John Musgrave, says he was called twice by the head of Veterans for Kerry, John Hurley, while a reporter for the Kansas City Star worked on a follow-up piece to a New York Sun article about the November 1971 meeting of Vietnam Veterans Against the War at which a plot to kill U.S. senators was voted down. Asked by The New York Sun if he felt pressured, Mr. Musgrave said, In the second call I did. Mr. Musgrave said Mr. Hurley said Mr. Kerry had told him he was definitely not in Kansas City.
According to Mr. Musgrave, Mr. Hurley said, Why dont you refresh your memory and call that reporter back?
A spokesman for Mr. Kerrys presidential campaign, David Wade, last week issued a statement to the Sun, following a week of denials, that said we accept Mr. Kerrys presence in Kansas City as a historical footnote.
By then, the recollections of six witnesses, along with minutes and FBI records, placed Mr. Kerry at the Kansas City meeting.
But the news of the calls from the campaign to Mr. Musgrave may move the episode from what the campaign is describing as a historical footnote to a matter that involves the contemporary behavior of Mr. Kerry and his campaign.
Mr. Musgrave said he received three Purple Hearts in Vietnam. After the third Purple Heart for wounds by three 7.62 rounds, one to the jaw and two to the left chest, Mr. Musgrave refused the standard release from further service in the combat zone offered Marines with three Purple Hearts and tried to return to his unit, he said.
But because of the extent of his injuries he was retired from the Marines with full disability and sent home, he said.
Mr. Musgrave said, I told Hurley it was my first meeting as a state officer of the VVAW, and I remember John being there. I remember what I remember.
When asked whom he is supporting in the presidential election, Mr. Musgrave replied, I am undecided. But I am sure not voting for some guy who called me a liar.
Mr. Hurley did not return calls for comment for this article.
Another related episode in which the Kerry campaign had to handle questions about Vietnam Veterans Against the War involves a statement by Mr. Kerry himself.
At a Capitol Hill press conference on March 11, 2004, Mr. Kerry was asked by a reporter if he thought his credibility had been affected by his close association with Al Hubbard, a key VVAW colleague of Mr. Kerrys who had appointed him to the leadership of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
Mr. Hubbard claimed to be a wounded Air Force officer who had served at Danang during the Vietnam War. He appeared with Mr. Kerry many times, including the Meet the Press interview after Mr.Kerrys Senate testimony about American war crimes in Vietnam.
But Mr. Hubbard was never in Vietnam, was never wounded, and was not an officer, as subsequent research and Mr. Kerry himself have pointed out.
Mr. Kerry answered this month that he had not spoken to Mr.Hubbard since the week of April 19, 1971.
Yet the Kerry campaign now apparently accepts that Mr. Kerry was at the November 12 to 15, 1971,VVAW meeting. Mr. Musgrave said he remembers that at that meeting, Mr. Kerry challenged Mr. Hubbards continuing to maintain his false claims to being an Air Force officer wounded at Danang.
Hubbard sort of sat there with his eyes downcast and Mike Oliver really did all the arguing for him, Mr. Musgrave said. And suddenly Hubbard got up and said he was having an ulcer attack and had to get to New York immediately to see his doctor and ran out of the room.You would think we didnt have any doctors or hospitals in Kansas City.
In addition, the New York Times reported on an August 29, 1971, fundraising party for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War at which Mr. Kerry and Al Hubbard, another veteran, explained some of the aims of the organization.
If he actually quit verbally at this meeting, it makes the plot more legitimate and explosive...he quit in reaction to a domestic terrorist plot. What he didn't do is report this.
Since Kerry tries to say that Bush misled us on WMD's, I guess then it's safe to say that Kerry misled us on Hubbard's credentials.
1) He wasn't in Kansas City (he was on Firing Line that day, yeah, but it was proven that Kerry filmed it two weeks earlier).
2) He was there as a footnote ("footnote" my foot!) but remembers NOTHING.
3) He hasn't seen Hubbard since April, 1971.
Add to the three lies these three HUGE facts:
1) Kerry voted on whether to kill United States Senators
2) Kerry quit one of his posts (but NOT the VVAW as has been proven) that day, not over the heinous plot but over a fight with Hubbard.
3) Kerry's campaign has tried to get a witness to change his story.
And this story is NOT being snapped up by the press?? I don't get it!!
We only have common sense....
We would expect that Kerry and Hubbard exchanged war stories about their service in Vietnman.
My guess is that the "Expert on Vietnam," Kerry, must have sensed Hubbard was lying.
If Kerry didn't sense Hubbard was a quack-serviceman, then Kerry is dumber than we think, and way too dumb to be President.
Imagine "dumber-than-dumb" Kerry's interviews with his cabinet choices.
Kerry:
"There's no need to present your diplomas or job references...I'll take your word that you've worked 3 years as an expert on US relations with Iraq."
"They only required some bactine and a pretty bandaid and the boo boos were ok.""And the bandaids were purple to match my brand new medals!"
So I noticed. They went so far as to mention that there was "controversy" over when Kerry resigned ... and that he resigned later than he thought he had. But no mention of why that was significant. Typical of the Times.
...as well as his comments at that meeting. The FBI may very well have that information. I suspect they used a mole to determine who was present. Before the dust settles on this election season, Hillary's copy of Kerry's FBI file may become useless. She'll be fuming!
It will take far more than this silly story to disenchant the 35-40% which will vote RAT no matter what. Even a film of him shooting at a Senator would only have a minimal impact on these lunatics.
Well shame on me for being amazed! I still recognize EVIL when I see it! I guess this "silly Story", as you put it, should have never been published because it won't do any good, right?
...and then continued to consort with these assasination conspirators and failed to report this to the FBI.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.