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...

[AmishDude]

How often does Oliphant's daughter sleep with Kerry?

You joke, but I will bet you that Kerry will actually manufacture an affair (something a bit more controllable than the bit of fluff in Africa).

He's been making it clear that he'll blame anything and everything on that ubiquitous VRWC.

[cricket]

"Having just seen a video clip of him throwing those medals it is clear they were not ribbons"

Have not seen that; but if you saw 'medals'; they belonged to someone else; he did say he threw someone elses medals - years later that is.

Of course;'throwing someone elses' medals; does not quite 'get it' . . .so for years; he just let people think they were his; until his medals were noticed on his wall.

The versions go on; and on. . . but bottom line; Kerry reveals himself to be a tireless liar and a determined self-promoter.

[Bubba_Leroy]

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

And not, by the way, because I'm a left wing liberal democRAT hack.

[Cicero]

To be quite honest, I am bewildered by the argument that Kerry looks bad if he threw his medals over the fence but good if he threw somebody else's medals or ribbons over the fence and then lied about it.

Oliphant evidently thinks he is springing to Kerry's defense and helping to salvage his reputation. Nothing could be further from the truth. Regardless of what did or didn't happen, every bit of discussion of a long-haired, wild-eyed, hippie-like Kerry dressed in uniform and throwing medals over a fence as part of an antiwar protest makes him look extremely unpresidential.

The more this is argued about and brought to people's attention, the worse he looks.

[raynearhood]

You don't wear both, but they are completely interchangeable. Either can be worn on Class A uniforms. Traditionally, the full medals are worn on full dress or formal uniforms (Navy whites, Army blues...) and the ribbons are worn on the casual dress uniforms (Army greens...) or Class B uniforms (the khakis and greens without the jackets).
However the ribbons represent the medals. Same placement and respect is given to both.

Note: Not all ribbons represent medals. Some ribbons are called service ribbons and represent accompishment. In the Army we have the NCO Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, and a couple more.

[jwalsh07]

[leenie312]

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....... Kerry had arrived here with only the ribbons he wore on his shirt... Why did he reach into his pocket to get the ribbons he wore on his shirt?

[Empireoftheatom48]

That's right! usually you would wear your ribbons on your class A uniform. On a full dress uniform (Blues) in the Army, you would wear the medals full size some times in miniature depending on the type of dress uniform. Also you could wear your ribbons on your Khakis. We did not wear them on our work uniforms. However, you see Kerry and scum wearing them on their shoddy work uniforms. I'm not sure if you could do that in the Navy at that time.

[weegee]

Kerry says that there were all of these photo and movie cameras on him at the time. Let's see the clip. Roll the film. It would make a great campaign ad.

"See, I only misled the antiwar movement, I didn't throw my own medals..."

[Torie]

Kerry seems a bit "off message" with the medal thingie. LOL. I listened to Kerry being interviewed by some reporter on the radio on this matter. Kerry kept interrupting the reporter, and was testy, and kept trying to seque into going off point and attacking Bush. I think Kerry is being successful in bringing the Dean vote back home. LOL. The man is a total asshole. I am really beginning to miss Clinton.

[Smartass]

"Hanoi John" was a stinking traitor 30 years ago, is a
stinking traitor today, and will be a stinking traitor tomorrow.

Traitor "Terry McAuliffe," begets "Hanoi John," are begotten Traitors

[faithincowboys]

THANK YOU, THAT IS THE HEART OF THE MATTER. GIBSON AND KERRY BOTH SAY KERRY DID IT--OLIPHANT IS A HACK.

[cyncooper]

Junk? The truth happens to be with him...?

Asking for a coherent accounting of what he did and why is "junk"?

The fact remains, if Kerry wants to run on his status as a Vietnam veteran, then he must answer for his anti-war activities.

That is not "junk". He has not given a coherent and consistant accounting of this particular episode, so one cannot say that "truth is on his side" when he hasn't told a story and stuck with it.

[cyncooper]

Someone should ask him what he thinks of Kerry's petty and vicious slams at GWB and his National Guard service.

Especially today where Kerry said Bush hasn't told the truth about it yet.

[SevenDaysInMay]

Why is no one surprised that Oliphant, husband of that plain Jane CBS reporter, was with Hanoi John aiding and comforting our enemies?

Kerry mugged for the camera on the street and before the senatwhores.

I remember Kerry's lying then, and I hear him lying now and again.

What a puke. May Kerry have a stroke.

[Chuck N]

Being a retired member of the US Navy with 24 years of active service, I can tell ribbons and medals are identical, that is, if you have a National Defense Medal for service rendered during the Vietnam Era you also are entitled to wear the National Defense Ribbon. The reason ribbons are worn instead of medals is a matter of practicality, ribbons are worn on a day to day basis (thus the term "working ribbons") where the medals are worn during formal occassions, like during inspections or change of command ceremonies. There is no difference in the level of prestige, significance or importance in a medal or a ribbon. If Kerry threw his ribbons over the fence, he still also threw the medals over the fence because the ribbons and the medals are the exact same thing based on the fact they signify the exact same thing. Kerry throwing them over the fence symbolized he hated what they stood for. I take that as, "I hate my country big time". I believe Kerry anyday over that 'closet queen', the snooty and elite Mr. Snoberific Oil-E-Pants. Kerry confessed to throwing his medals over the fence years ago. It's on tape so why shouldn't we all believe him. Let's all admit it, Kerry went to Vietnam so he could come back home with PT109 John Kennedy credentials. Vietnam to Kerry was only a springboard to political office, nothing else. Punk opportunists with political ties to the corrupt Kennedy's.

[cricket]

"Every pol who served has some military momento on display..."

True. But Kerry's 'story' had him throwing his away. . .(What kind of scum watches his friends throw their medals; while he just pretends. . .because he know he has bigger, more important plans for his life?). .

. . .so he would not have his on display; until a time suited him; in which case he had a story and then stories. . .ready. . .

"We ALL called our medals, 'ribbons' sometime. . .or our ribbons 'medals'", 'silly'! Guess they interchanged 'mine' and 'yours' as well. And then mine/theirs/whatever. . .

Whatever, I am now of the mind that nothing he pretended to give up; was his.

[cyncooper]

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 did not watch GMA today, but I read the freeper notes and heard audio clips throughout the day.

This morning Kerry again asserted that he had thrown away medals on behalf of two men (In addition to "only" throwing away his own ribbons). Reading the transcript it looked like an opening for Gibson to ask for names, but when I heard the clips I could hear how fast Kerry was speaking and interrupting, so I can understand how it would have been hard to insert the question.

But he did say he threw away medals for other men--but this morning he made a point of saying it was after the medal-throwing event had been staged. I find it curious he went out of his way to say that part...

[Mo1]

It looks as if he's wearing a purple heart next to his ribbons........

Kerry will just say to not always believe what you see

[ozzymandus]

How can somebody who got caught taking a bribe be credible about anything?