OLIPHANT: I WATCHED KERRY THROW WAR DECORATIONS

Drudge ^

[hope]

OLIPHANT IN COMING BOSTON GLOBE: 'I was 4 or 5 feet behind John Kerry. I watched Kerry reach with his right hand into the breast pocket of his fatigue shirt. The hand emerged with several of the ribbons... There couldn't have been all that many decorations in his hand -- six or seven -- because he made a closed fist around his collection... From what I could observe firsthand about Friday, April 23, 1971, Kerry did not make even the slightest effort to pretend that he was throwing all of his military decorations over that fence.... Kerry had arrived here with only the ribbons he wore on his shirt... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have always found the political junk served up by Kerry's detractors to be undignified as well as largely inaccurate. I write now because the political junk is much higher profile now, though no less misleading -- and not, by the way, because in her fourth job in the public arena, my daughter just joined Kerry's staff. I just happened to be there that long-ago day. I saw what happened and heard what Kerry said and know what he meant. The truth happens to be with him...' Impacting Hard Late Monday...

[rs79bm]

Should Oliphant be working as a journalist if he was at the anti-war rally too? I mean, it obviously means he is one-sided on issues such as these. That could explain all the liberal bias spewing out of the press. Could you imagine if newsrooms were full of Oliphants? To make matters worse, his own daughter works for the Kerry campaign!

[OldFriend]

I was channel surfing. Perhaps another freeper can tell you exactly.

[Loyal Buckeye]

Oliphant must have been behind Kerry and next to Richard Clarke.

[af_vet_1981]

Let's examine the facts.
1. He is a journalist.
2. He is a liberal.
3. He works for the Boston Globe in Massachusetts.
4. His daughter is on John Kerry's campaign staff.

Why should we possibly doubt his motives or his words ?

[torchthemummy]

Kerry said there were cameras and around twenty to thirty still photographers. Why are there no videos or pictures of the event when he threw the medals/ribbons.

Any pics?

[kabar]

Kerry says he was wearing the ribbons. Ribbons are attached to your shirt by clasps similar to those that hold earrings. It would take a considerable amount of time to remove nine ribbons. This could not possibly be mistaken for reaching into a shirt pocket.

Not so. There are just two pin like attachments to the shirt. The ribbons are mounted to a frame. You remove the frame, not the individual ribbons.

I find Oliphant's description less than credible. You can put the frame with the ribbons and individual medals in one hand and it would be difficult for someone one foot away to see what is in your hand.

[SerpentDove]

"I actually DID throw my medals...before I DIDN'T throw my medals."

[Poser]

"The ribbons would float and swish upon the currents as if like leaves of grass."

The ribbons are on a brass backing and would throw just fine. While they wouldn't make it as far as medals, they would easily make it over the White House fence.

He probably did throw his ribbons and keep his medals. It makes sense. I never wore my medals. I always wore my ribbons. Kerry's medals are probably in a drawer somewhere, just like mine.

Kerry's problem is that he told his anti-war buddies that he threw his medals. Then he told the voters that he didn't throw them. Now nobody believes him either way. The throwing other people's medals could be true, but who could tell?

[hope]

Try here...

watch the video

[Joe Republc]

"...“If she had lived, Mary Jo Kopechne would be 62 years old.
Through his tireless work as a legislator,
(Democrat) Edward Kennedy would have brought comfort to her in her old age.”


– Charles Pierce, January 5, 2003 Boston Globe Magazine"

THAT is a priceless quote!!!! Best laugh I've had today.

-- Joe

[bethelgrad]

Throwing medals vs. Throwing ribbons

Both equally disturbing if you ask me. I don't understand why Kerry thought throwing his ribbons would be less despicable. Either way he's a sell-out

[A CA Guy]

Yep, I think we all agree with that.

[Steve Eisenberg]

Wasn't there a newspaper article written several years ago by a journalist who observed Kerry's medals hanging on the wall of his Senate Office. When he told Kerry he thought he'd thrown his medals away, Kerry told him that those weren't his he'd thrown away, they were somebody else's. I can't remember who the journalist was, but I do clearly remember reading that story. Anybody know which journalist/paper/article this story was from?

This fact is widely reprinted in politically moderate media, and I've never seen it contradicted. Here is something from Slate's Mickey Kaus:

Anyone motivated by a mention of "Hanoi Jane" isn't going to consider voting for Kerry anyway. Some good photos, though. ... I say stick with the he-threw-some-other-guys'-medals-over-the-wall" character attack.

[Tennessean4Bush]

What is great about this is that in explaining it away they have to bring up the fact that he was a war protester, which I am not sure Joe six-pack realizes yet.

[JBCiejka]

I don't understand how someone carries around the ribbons, but not the medals. Why would you separate the two. It is like carrying the trophy, and leaving the inscription at home. Why would you even take them apart? Tjat would be like an olympican taking the medal off the ribbon and putting it in a different place.

[cricket]

["I watched Kerry reach with his right hand into the breast pocket of his fatigue shirt. The hand emerged with several of the ribbons..."

. . .I saw what happened and heard what Kerry said and know what he meant. The truth happens to be with him]

. . .another honest Lib; 'just happened to be there?' Tom 'saw, heard and knows what he meant. . .'Why does Kerry need an interpreter?

Why is truth always less than definitive with any of these people; always filled with gray colorations in a kind of circumlocution of explanations?

And does Oliphant know 'what Kerry meant' the other dozen times that Kerry has given testimony as to what he was doing with the medals that were his; not his; medals-not medals, but ribbons;ribbons;his ribbons -not; someone elses ribbons;not his medals/but ribbons; someone elses ribbons/not his; maybe not his ribbons. . .

"He reached into his shirt. Was Kerry wearing his own shirt; or someone elses?

[ThomasPaine2000]

WWII ? The Great Generation.

[spokeshave]

" How does one throw a ribbon across a fence?"

Throwing medals I can relate too.....its metal, relatively heavy, easy to grip .

However RIBBONS......sounds like something a girlyman would do.

And what about the bar and pin....if attached to the ribbon I guess would have sufficient mass to be effectively hurled.....?

[js1138]

Not so. There are just two pin like attachments to the shirt. The ribbons are mounted to a frame. You remove the frame, not the individual ribbons

You can purchase replacement ribbons mounted three to a frame, but that's not the way they're issued. If you look at the photograph of Kerry at the event, you can see several independently attached bars, at least. He could not have easily removed them with one hand.

[Steve Eisenberg]

What is great about this is that in explaining it away they have to bring up the fact that he was a war protester, which I am not sure Joe six-pack realizes yet.

Swing voters will not see protesting the war as a bad thing. Sad to say, they may not even see throwing away his own medals (if he had done it) as being dishonorable. However, throwing away others men's and keeping his own is going to seem unmanly to almost any voter this side of Ralph Nader.