Smear Boat Veterans for Bush (Gag Alert)

Salon.com ^ | 5/4/04 | Joe Conason

[South40]

The "swift boat" veterans attacking John Kerry's war record are led by veteran right-wing operatives using the same vicious techniques they used against John McCain four years ago.

The latest conservative outfit to fire an angry broadside against John Kerry's heroic war record is "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" , which today launches a campaign to brand the Democrat "unfit to serve as commander in chief." Billing itself as representing the "other 97 percent of veterans" from Kerry's Navy unit who don't support his presidential candidacy, the group insists that all presidential candidates must be "totally honest and forthcoming" about their military service.

These "swift boat vets" claim still to be furious about Kerry's 1971 Senate testimony against the war in which he spoke about atrocities in Indochina's "free fire zones." More than three decades later, facing the complicated truth about Vietnam remains difficult. But this group's political connections make clear that its agenda is to target the election of 2004.

Behind the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are veteran corporate media consultant and Texas Republican activist Merrie Spaeth, who is listed as the group's media contact; eternal Kerry antagonist and Dallas attorney John E. O'Neill, law partner of Spaeth's late husband, Tex Lezar; and retired Rear Adm. Roy Hoffman, a cigar-chomping former Vietnam commander once described as "the classic body-count guy" who "wanted hooches destroyed and people killed."

[South40]

I suppose they've got to counter this effort for truth with something. But the fact is, this veteran group consists of both Democrats AND Republicans, all who deem Kerry unfit to serve as POTUS.

[Deb]

I thought Salon went toes up.

[martin_fierro]

Up to a whopping 1.x cents/share.

[South40]

I thought Salon went toes up.

Tney must be operating on a budget similar to Err-America's...

Write bad checks.

[Old Sarge]

I figured it was a matter of days, unti the Left's spin machine went into gear. These vets have been called alcoholics, right-wingnuts, and GOP operatives taking their orders from the WH. And this hasn't even aired yet - if it ever will.

[isthisnickcool]

John O'Neill is not from Dallas.

He is from Houston. The DUmmies can't even get some basic facts correct.

[Dahoser]

Somehow the mortal sin of saying anything untoward about Vietnam vets Kerry, McCain and Cleland doesn't hold for saying untoward things about these Vietnam vets. The RATs have the market cornered on double standards.

[MortMan]

More than three decades later, facing the complicated truth about Vietnam remains difficult. But this group's political connections make clear that its agenda is to target the election of 2004.

Nice sidestep. The "truth" of Vietnam is complicated, so JF'nK's blatant lies can be whitewashed, but the unforgivable sin (as always) is to be politically connected with the liberatzi's opponents.

[South40]

The fact is, the group consists of vets from all parts of the political spectrum, as well as those who served under, above and beside Mr. War hero.

[mware]

Joe Conason

Enough said.

[jackbill]

Wnat some cheese with that whine, Joe?

[RobbyS]

Some liberal Got-rocks must have bailed them out.

[Steely Tom]

right-wing operatives using the same vicious techniques...
The latest conservative outfit to fire an angry broadside against John Kerry's heroic war record...
...this group's political connections make clear...
...eternal Kerry antagonist and Dallas attorney...
...and retired Rear Adm. Roy Hoffman, a cigar-chomping former Vietnam commander once described as "the classic body-count guy" who "wanted hooches destroyed and people killed."

As I said in another thread just today, you can tell when you've scored against the Democrats when you hear their caterwauling screeches of pain, anger, and outrage.

(steely)

[GOP_1900AD]

The VWRC - I resemble that remark!

[68skylark]

Wow. The right wing conspiracy in this country is so vast that they were able to place right-wing operatives on Swift Boats in Vietnam 35 years ago in order to have veterans who can now denounce John Kerry.

[johnb838]

It doesn't matter: I checked
• AP
• Reuters
• AFP
• washingtonpost.com
• USA TODAY
• Los Angeles Times
• Chicago Tribune
• NPR
• U.S. News & World Report

None of them had any mention of the presser. All except US News had the prisoner abuse as top story. US News actually had three stories about Afghanistan, surprisingly. Made me want to check them out.

[Psycho_Bunny]

I was going to read the article but then saw it was by Joe Conason.

Conason's just a straight Mark Morford.....although Morford doesn't freak me out.

Conason does: he's so hate-filled and spiteful, it's kind of scary.

[Old Sarge]

You know that. I know that. But the Sheep don't. They'll swallow whatever flavor of Kool-aid is served them by the media.

[Gothmog]

I guess criticizing Kerry's behavior is verboten for the left, but smearing other Vietnam Veterans:

..."retired Rear Adm. Roy Hoffman, a cigar-chomping former Vietnam commander once described as 'the classic body-count guy' who 'wanted hooches destroyed and people killed.'"

is perfectly fine. Who wants to bet that it was an extreme leftist who described Admiral Hoffman that way which is why Conason had to leave the quote unattributed.

I'd be interested in finding out who said it, but my Google searches so far turn up nothing on this.

[VisualizeSmallerGovernment]

Here is exit polling data from the 2000 GOP South Carolina primary:

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/primaries/SC/poll.rep.html

73% had a favorable opinion of Bush.
67% had a favorable opinion of McCain.

There's no evidence that Bush won South Carolina by driving up McCain's negatives. Bush won South Carolina because Bush voters wanted a tax cut, while McCain's big issue was Campaign Finance Reform and the fact that he "is a maverick".

As it turns out, with Bush we got a maverick who passed tax cuts and campaign finance reform. So everyone should be happy.