Posted on 08/05/2004 9:11:08 PM PDT by hope
How Does It Feel?
By George Neumayr
Published 8/6/2004 12:08:24 AM
John Kerry faces a basic problem in rebutting the new ads that question his Vietnam war record: the criticism in the ads sounds exactly like his own criticism from the 1970s, both his criticism of others (he had no problem smearing Vietnam veterans for political purposes in the 1970s) and the criticism he leveled at himself when asked in 1971 on Meet the Press if he had committed war atrocities.
"There are all kinds of atrocities, and I would have to say that, yes, yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed in that I took part in shootings in free-fire zones. I conducted harassment and interdiction fire. I used .50 caliber machine guns, which we were granted and ordered to use, which were our only weapon against the people," Kerry said. "I took part in search and destroy missions, in the burning of villages…"
What do the new ads say that Kerry didn't say or imply in this statement?
"The Kerry campaign has denounced the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, saying none of the men in the ad served on the boat that Kerry commanded," reports the Associated Press. But what about the Kerry mate, Stephen Gardner, who does support their criticism of him? The Kerry campaign is hoping that a pliable press will forget him. Gardner spoiled Douglas Brinkley's "Band of Brothers" thesis by saying that "Kerry was chickens--t" and no war hero. Brinkley was very disappointed when he turned up, writing "Just when it looked like Senator John Kerry's so-called Band of Brothers were unified in vouching for his leadership in Vietnam there is suddenly a lone ripple of dissent in the ranks." Gardner said of Kerry that "whenever a firefight started he always pulled up stakes and got the hell out of Dodge." Brinkley had to dismiss Gardner as a conservative crank in order to sustain his hagiography.
Kerry is being hoist by his own petard. Did he really think that he could launch his political career on discrediting the Vietnam war, including his role in it, and then complete that career by taking credit for fighting in it? Kerry has never persuasively explained why he deserves so much credit for fighting in a war he said was utterly discreditable. A pol who starts his career by saying "We wish that a merciful God could wipe away our own memories of that service" and then ends it by campaigning on those memories invites the backlash we've seen this week.
Kerry can't quite pull off his stance as an antiwar war hero. It is far too confusing and contradictory. He can't make a show of his "shame" and then convincingly deny charges that he behaved shamefully. He can't call Vietnam a "barbaric war" and then take pride in fighting for the barbaric side. He can't throw his ribbons to win a seat in the Senate, then retrieve them to win the White House.
He can't posture about his "guilt" and then not expect people to ask: What have you done that would make you feel so guilty? He can't itemize the sins of soldiers who had "personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads…cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in a fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks," without being asked: How did you learn about all of this?
Kerry has wanted praise for feeling the shame -- as this shows that he is a very thoughtful fellow -- but none of the blame for the shameful acts of war. Kerry once said to the New Yorker cryptically, "I just won't talk about all of it. I don't and can't. The things that really turned me I've never told anybody. Nobody would understand…These things are very personal. It was our youth."
But now he can't stop speaking about the war he denounced as unspeakable. It is fitting that after years of overheated anti-war posturing he is subject to the charges he once was happy to hurl himself.
George Neumayr is managing editor of The American Spectator.
Does it make any difference? A lie is a lie no matter when it was said.
He smoked?
LOL!
That is so funny. I'm signing off for the night with a smile on my face. bwhahahahahahahaha
Absolutely true.
Hey, you know that liberals think that smoking is worse than "atrocities."
He can't handle the pressure .He is definitely a hot head Please vets keep it up he will explode.
Agreed. The Vietnam war is his only issue to run on.
No one's mentioned it, but Bill O'Reilly is upset that the Swift Boat Vets against Kerry have decided to put their money and reputation where their mouth is and run ads about Kerry's true War Zero status.
Bill's main complaint is that these guys haven't been "vetted" and come on his show to talk about Kerry. But I've yet to hear O'Reilly complain that Kerry is using his "service" as a cornerstone of his own campaign when he's on the record of discrediting his own and those of the vets he served with.
"Oh, I'm suspicious of the timing," I heard a caller to Savage say today. "Why didn't these guys bring this up before.
It HAS been brought up before. And his start in politics wasn't based on being a war hero. (Though he's tried to cultivate that after seeing the writing on the wall.) I imagine that 90 days before this election, those ads will have to be pulled (I don't know) but now is the about the best and only time we'll hear ALL the truth about Kerry before it's too late.
I can understand why the Bush campaign doesn't wish to affiliate itself with a private attack on Kerry, but his campaign came out to chastise the vets for their put-up-or-shut-up call. Dems hammer Bush all the time about his military service, despite the facts and open records, but Kerry's service is off-limits.
Somebody give me a clue, please. I see the Dems framing yet another issue while we go grudgingly along with it.
Girlie Man-churian Candidate.
YES!!!!!
Damn, he's a doofus dorkus.
Kerry has more to worry about than just losing the presidency. Imagine what Ter-rez-zah is saying to him about now. He's been doing the whole war hero bit with her since they've been married. Remember the comment she made about his nightmares? Imagine her listening to that ad, or reading about the book. He's in BIG trouble because if it turns out that 250 of his fellow swiftboat vets are saying he's no hero she's going to be really, really humiliated in front of everyone.
As always, the dims can dish it out bigtime, but can't take it.
""We wish that a merciful God could wipe away our own memories of that service..."
"except, of couse, those which I filmed and showed at the convention..."
There are a lot of vets online here, Chief, and I'm perplexed (not confused) at some of their comments. Many are overboard regarding the mission that was & and still is of the US military. I suspect some are bogus. Politics is infectious. Kerry's mission goals were clear; to protect avenues of commerce and defend against insurgence; to engage insurgence. As a Guardsman, you know this by heart. My duties were a horse of a different color. But not disconnected from yours or from all who served & continue to serve. Kerry missed that mission point BIGTIME and has ever since.
Need some piloting, Guardsman. Regards.
Ter-rez-zah didn't know a bowl of chili. She will automatically believe her husband instead of 250 honest American men.
BTT and I'll have a BLT!
Great analysis!
LOL
BTTT
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