Posted on 08/06/2004 8:44:31 AM PDT by Conservative Coulter Fan
Last night, Fox News Commentator Bill O’Reilly launched a broadside on a new blistering Television Commercial produced by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth saying that sharply criticized Kerry’s service in Vietnam. Literally, the first words out of his mouth were about the “brutal attack ad” and he introduced the segment about the ad that “savagely attacked” Kerry. He kept up his endless denunciation by saying that he promised to deliver the “fairest election coverage” and said he covered left wing slander and now this ad as if to say it is right wing slander.
Bill O’Reilly, if my recollection serves me correct, has taken a position a while back saying he wouldn’t allow anyone or any information about Kerry’s role as the leader of the radical pro-communist VVAW, his connection to Jane Fonda, his bogus Winter Soldier Investigation, his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971 or anything else to be aired on his program. Yet, Bill O’Reilly can have Douglas Brinkley, Kerry’s authorized biographer, and author of “Tour of Duty” come on and paint a glowing portrait of Kerry. This is what he means by “fair and balanced.”
Of course he has allowed Democrats to come on his program and make their argument that President Bush went AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard. The whole assertion that Bush was AWOL has been refuted, but the fact remains that he allowed such claims to be aired and when it come to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth – O’Reilly was all style and no substance.
He said that facts are that John Kerry volunteered to serve in Vietnam and that he had a Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. If he had paid attention to what the group was saying he would know that Kerry received the Bronze Star for killing a lone teenage VC and burning down a village. I recall in the Boston Globe that Kerry reportedly shot a wounded VC in the back. O’Neil says in ‘Unfit to Command’ that it was awarded two days after the incident, it wasn’t vetted by review, and it was designed to boost morale.
Odell was on Hannity and Colmes explaining that Rasmussen wasn’t pulled by Kerry from the water under fire, but that four people were in the water due to a boat hitting a mine and that his boat had picked up two of those people. Kerry had gotten the Bronze Star for this and Rasmussen has been following Kerry almost everywhere beating his drum.
Then there are the Purple Hearts. John Kerry was on a training mission and he fired either a mortar or a rocket at some rocks on shore and a piece of shrapnel ricocheted hitting him in the arm. The doctor pulls it out and puts a band aid on – the Kennedy Family writes a letter and he gets a Purple Heart for a self-inflicted wound requiring a band aid. The he attacks a flotilla that was carrying rice – I suppose that dangerous rice wounded him somehow – second Purple Heart. The third wasn’t related to enemy fire either.
So Bill O’Reilly needs to do his homework a little better before he talks about how “awful” it is with guest Dick Morris. One only wonders why he didn’t allow the group to defend itself or the ad. Dick Morris, not surprisingly, says the ad is “stupid” and dangerous.” O’Reilly continued his righteous indignation saying that he condemned the Left. What is awful or stupid about Veterans that served in Coastal Division 11 telling us the truth about Kerry and his service in Vietnam? It seems all we got from O’Reilly were these emotional attacks while Morris pondered the elusive connection between the group and the Republican Party.
He had the audacity to say that Rasmussen is unimpeachable, but I say to the contrary. He’s been out there on the campaign trail helping the Kerry Campaign sell Kerry as a “war hero.” He’s a willing political whore. Now we have accounts by Veterans, Kerry’s fellow officers, which contradict the account given about Kerry saving his life. Why isn’t that unimpeachable? Bill O’Reilly didn’t do his homework.
Dick Morris held the contention that you don’t attack Kerry on his “strongest suit.” Well, if what Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is saying is true – then the centerpiece of Kerry’s campaign becomes his weakest. My goodness, he has relied on this to inoculate himself against any criticism that he is weak on defense. I was outraged that he said no one is interested, because I’m immensely interested. What I wasn’t interested in was this circle jerk between O’Reilly and Morris trashing the Ad.
This ad will effect how people vote – showing Kerry is a liar and that his service was dishonorable and he didn’t earn those medals. Interestingly enough, Kerry said in a 1971 interview that he gave his medals back, but then he flip-flopped in 1984, 1988, 1996, 2003, and 2004 with evolving stories that he gave his ribbons back and those medals weren’t his and it is an issue “instigated by the republicans.” The 1971 footage blew him out of the water, but now he wants to highlight the medals he supposedly threw away or “gave back.”
I urge everyone to email Bill O’Reilly and fulfill his prediction that he would get tons of angry email from right wingers who think this sort of attack is okay.
Broken clock Al Franken got something right for once.
O'Reilly is not an ally, he is a P. T. Barnum.
He strategically charts out extreme positions that are all over the map.
That way, sometimes one of his positions matches yours, and you say "I like this guy!"
Two minutes later he takes a polar opposite position on another issue, but it takes a long time to notice the pattern.
O'Reilly is a ratings whore, period.
Dear Bill:
I totally disagree with you regarding the ad by the Swiftboat Vets. First of all, John Kerry has made the lousy 4 months he spent in Vietnam the focal point of his Presidential campaign, and is using that four months as proof that he is qualified to be Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of this country. He isn't running on his 19 year Senate record; he's running away from it...all the way back to 1968 and Vietnam. He can't even bring himself to talk about his anti-war activities. If he brazenly flaunts his medals and so-called heroics to the American people and the press, then those same medals and heroics are fair-game in the Presidential political arena. And remember Bill, it was the Democrats themselves who dragged up George Bush's National Guard record in 2000, and again last year during the Bush-bashing hate fests disguised as debates.
John Kerry turned his back on his fellow soldiers when he came home from Vietnam. In 1971, he arbitrarily decided to actively campaign against the war and the military service of thousands of men who fought and died for this country. Now he chooses to run solely on the same military service he so denigrated all those years before. With that in mind, why shouldn't his military record be challenged? Afterall, he spent a good deal of time crucifying and demeaning every soldier who had served in Vietnam. Why shouldn't his fellow Swiftboat Vets be allowed to speak out against him, and question his claims of heroism? Why shouldn't those men who were at the same incidents with John Kerry, and observed first-hand the events that John Kerry received medals for, be able to tell their side of the story, especially if it differs from what Kerry himself is saying? Frankly Bill, if Kerry lied, I want to know. I have a personal reason for this. While my brother was being shot at by the VC in the jungles of South Vietnam (66-67), John Kerry was spewing his anti-war rhetoric in his 1966 Yale graduation speech. And later when he came home, John Kerry called my brother and every other brother in America, a murderer, rapist, and baby-killer. My brother's gone now, having died at the young age of 51. And loving him as I do, I feel it is my responsibility to speak out for him.
Nobody seems to be worried about where all those Left-wing 527 groups are getting their money from for their anti-Bush ads, so why should I give a rat's ass where these Swiftboat Vets got their lousy half-million dollars...a mere pittance when compared to the millions in the coffers of Moveon.org. I think it's about time the Veterans spoke out. They've certainly earned the right to. With all the wailing coming from the Kerry camp about the upcoming book (Unfit to Command) and the present Swiftboat Vets ad, the one thing I've yet to hear from John Kerry himself, is a denial of any of the allegations they've made.
I know it will never make his show as it's not pithy, but as I told him in a P.S., I'm not a pithy person.
Then Hannity had the one Vet on, and he said that he has invested heavily into this ad as well as a wealthy business man in Texas.
He said that Kerry is the one that is campaigning on his so called war record, and the Swift Boat Vets wanted to set the record straight.
Susan, the witch, ask him if President Bush ask him to pull the ad, would he? He said NO! That they were not doing this for the Dems OR the Republicans. They are an "independant group' just wanting to get the truth out there about Kerry.
Hannity said this is good. Let the American's decide. Witch Susan said "Well, I am sorry to hear this."
It wasn’t a simple matter of disagreement. Bill O’Reilly didn’t give a fair and balanced presentation last night regarding the ad. He attacked it over and over and over with guest Dick Morris (didn’t bother inviting the group to defend itself) who trashed it as well. The ad featured Veterans that served in Coastal Division 11 and I didn’t like how O’Reilly sidelined their entire ad. He talked about the record showing Kerry received medals, but he didn’t have a clue about the information the group presented about those medals and how Kerry “earned” them. Go join O’Reilly in the chorus of indignation – I’ll stand by the Swift Boat Vets and the truth. Like Joseph Farah said - expect Kerry to squeal like a pig, and I say that you can see that the media is going to do Kerry’s work for him badgering and trashing the ad.
I watch a LOT of TV Land!
AND get the real news from FR
O'Reilly is a pompous windbag who thinks that ANYTHING negative, even if true, is a wrongful attack. I haven't watched him in years because of his stupidity.
Michael Moore lied about Bush's vacation time, he lied about the election in 2000, he lied about those Saudi Flights, he lied about war for oil pipeline in Afghanistan, he lied about Bin Laden Family investing in Arbusto, and so on. That sort of rank propaganda is just outrageous and I agree...a wasted interview that ended with a cozy hand shake...I think Moore would have gotten a tougher interview on Fox and Friends!
BTTT!!!!!!
And meanwhile you stand by the Vets, the conservative right will end up eating its own over this....
Now is not the time to be derisive and there is a sizable contingent that think me and McCain and the rest...
I checked for it at his page on Fox News and all i could find was the segment about Gephardt's lesbo daughter.
And Dick Morris's opinion?! Whatever...MUD
BUMP your excellent post/letter!
He's become increasingly shrill, always trying to prove he's impartial-and blowing it. If we wanted to watch that sort of thing, we'd tune in CNN or MSNBC.
What exactly is your problem...I'll speak my mind on O'Reilly and what he did last night...I'm not going to shut myself up for the sake of McCainiacs or those dreadful "moderates."
CNN had it on this morning..Dick Morris was talking more about bad campaign strategy attacking Kerry's war record with O'Reilly...It would never occur to Dick Morris that Bush isn't the power behind this ad...that's how dems operate.
O'Reilly not approving is a good thing..IMHO...he gets things wrong and fails to do his homework frequently.
I've agreed, and said much the same thing, on several threads, Quid.
But I'd say, Fox has gone beyond the line of "airing more Demo-friendly" stuff. They've forgotten their conservative audience, and any traction they had with The Right is gone. They've become yet another media whorehouse.
Excellent letter, my FRiend...MUD
O'Reilly is being an idiot. He threw softballs at Michael Moore when he interviewed him. O'Reilly is a turdburgler, and worse than someone like Alan Colmes IMHO. I know what to expect from Alan Colmes and as such have a modicum of respect for the man even though I think he's a liberal idiot.
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