The Fraud Factor: O'Reilly Slams Swift Boat Vets Kerry Ad

Self | 8-6-04

[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.

[Conservative Coulter Fan]

I suspected that, but I was hoping freepers could band together on this one and send O’Reilly to the cleaners with some pithy comments. He needs a reality check.

[phxaz]

clinton's/kerry's nsa steals top secret docs from the 9-11 commission. remember the towers coming down? kerry runs on his "service" in viet nam which lasted 4 frigging months and consists of acts of cowardice and there is anything else in the news? or anything else even being discussed? this is enough for me. its obvious the free exchange of ideas is not the way to a freer, safer nation.

[Taliesan]

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.

The explanation for this will be found by answering this question: What was Bill O'Reilly doing and saying during the VietNam War?

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

ABC CBS CNN FOX NBC



Why do the TV and Cable Newsrooms
hide Hanoi Kerry's past?

[gimme1ibertee]

Yes, I saw O'Reilly & Morris on Fox last night & thought it was rather disappointing that they would take such a stand regarding this ad. The H&C interview with the one vet was very good-he didn't back down an inch from Susan Estrich, though she tried to make the funding of the ad appear dubious in nature. I wish them luck,and I really hope they stay the course and don't capitulate,as it appears this one vet has done.

[roses of sharon]

O'reilly is a populist, always has been.

Which is why he bores me.

[Ramonan]

Your email address is BO

I watched O'Reilly last night. My thought was that he would give the Swift Boat guys a hearing. OH, NO!
He lets Dick Morris ( only credentials: Counselor to Bill Clinton, Pollster) come on a muse that this will hurt the Republicans

My Wife and I listened to Rick Roberts here in San Diego this morning. His guest was Admiral Hoffman. Admiral Hoffman EMPHASIZED that the Swiftys are NOT Republican, Democrat, or other political party. They put this on themselves. They paid for the effort themselves until donations came in.

The reason for the Swiftys bringing this up was that:
1. Kerry was a screw-up in the Nam

2. Kerry sold out his buddies when he got home.

My personal background is that I grew up on Ranches in Arizona, did various jobs including building Fast Frigates for the Navy for four years, then did 30.5 years as a Highway Patrol Officer. There is no documentation from any one of those jobs that I would deny anyone from seeing. The point of saying this is that:

YOU DO NOT LEAVE YOUR BUDDIES.

YOU SURE AS HELL DO NOT DEMEAN THEM TO OUTSIDERS!

[Badeye]

I just want to ask Bill O'Reilly why Kerry's vets are unimpeachable, but any other vet is impeachable.

I'm a vet, and I hold all vets....yes, even the despicable (politically) John F Kerry in high esteem for their service to our country.

Its Kerry's actions after he served that trouble me. Its Kerry's 18 months of slandering the President's service to our country thats been completely hate filled.

Whats good for the goose is good for the gander, Mr O.

Think about it.

[unsycophant]

You summed it up perfectly. He is a ratings whore, but that is the name of his game. Controversy = money and ratings.

Jenna Jameson told a story once about appearing on his show where he bashed her and trashed her for being a porn star who contributed to the moral decay of society. After her segment, he complimented her, and told her he was a big fan and enjoyed her work, and asked her to send him all her latest videos. Typical.

[NYer]

You remember this ;-D

[Smokin' Joe]

I am not so sure. O'Reilly could never get away with showing the ad more than a couple of times without catching unholy hell from the libs. He CAN attack it all day long and show clips from it until the cows come home. He can even give contact information so people can find out how to donate (under the guise of who to complain to). The viewers will make up their own mind.

At this point, any press (free advertising) for the Swift Boat Vets is good press, (much like Hollywood): the more people who are aware of the ad, the better chances of it being funded by donations.

[JRPerry]

Bill O'Reilley is an ally, not a friend.

I believe this assessment to be very correct. He cannot help but be a bit on the side of the right if he remains truthful. In other words, as long as he at least appears to be concerned with facts and truths - he'll have no choice other than to help us with our cause. Conservatives are just naturally more truthful than libs. And I do believe Bill is less prone to spinning than all of the others combined.

There is another angle to this. They may be playing this game knowing full well that it is making them appear more liberal sympathetic these days, right down to the donations, etc., ... but in turn it may be taking some of the heat off of them.

Hannity is not letting up. Neither are any of the others as far as I can tell - not "The Friends," not Shep and not Brent of Neil or John either for that matter. So we should still trust Fox for Fair and Balanced.

[texaslil]

Thanks for serving, Mike, but I hope you might reconsider. The first thing one learns in Pol.Sci. 101 is "you have to win." It's one of the sadder things I learned. It doesn't matter how great a leader might be, if he doesn't WIN, he can do nothing, not to mention he becomes chopped liver. All's fair in love and war, AND politics. Read, Machiavelli's, The Prince. He explains it rather nicely. In the words of GW. "You're either with us, or against us." Have to make sure the latter become the "chopped liver."

[Fenris6]

Agreed. O'Reilly's treatment of the Swift Boat ad was hypocritical. And he give no specifics to back up his claim that the add was false.

I have defended O'Reilly in the past. Never again.

[yarddog]

He is beginning to sound like "Politically Incorrect's" Bill Maher.

You know, pretending to be conservative wile actually being a radical leftist, except in O'reily's case he is pretending to be neutral.

[flashbunny]

I don't like oreilly not just because of this. I dislike him because he's anti-gun. I dislike him because he thiks we should cap the salaries of doctors at $100,000 a year. I dislike him because he takes idiotic positions and only backs them up by being able to talk over his opposition.

Bill O'Reilly is a pompous, arrongant, idiotic, moronic, self-serving blowhard who thinks he knows everything but doesn't know jack diddly squat. Bill o'reilly only believes in the things that will elevate bill o'reilly. And when that changes, his opinion changes.

[TC Rider]

I totally blame O'Really for Fox's poor showing in the Dem Convention sweepstakes. I would prefer to see and hear Brit Hume breathe than O'Really pontificate for an hour.

I switched to CSPan when O'Really came on.

[Nam Vet]

Below is the email I sent O'Reilly last evening after seeing his program.

Bill,

When you described one dozen or less Swift Vets as "some vets" and over 250 Swift Vets, including all of his command superiors, as "some vets" I lost my respect for your "objectivity". Better take a second look.

XXXX XXXXXXX
Portland, Oregon
Served with Coastal Div. 11 1967-1968

Pithy enough?

Nam Vet

[zip]

..they have been making a point of airing more Democrat-friendly programming lately.

Maybe airing more anti GOP/Bush/hit pieces on the swiftboatvets' ads would be more accurate. For those of you pushing for more Hannity, didn't you watch last night's program. Shawn sat there in complete silence while Susan Ostrich (or whatever) crucified the swiftvet rep. It was brutal.

[Eva]

I already emailed O'Reilly and told him that he forfeited the right to be disgusted by the statements of the swift boat veterans when he failed to express disgust over Kerry's harangue against President Bush for his National Guard service and obscene bragging about Kerry's thirty year old, four month tour of duty that Kerry is using to hide his failure of achievement in the legislature.