"What a world! What a world!"
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.
I like the ad, I think it presents something new and true to the campaign. The problem is, it's a very harsh ad. I'm afraid it might cause backlash. I think Mr O thinks this too and that's why he's objecting to it.
I think you're on to something. I you think about it, quite a few use this formula, including Dick Morris and Pat Buchanan. If you listen long enough you can figure our their real political bent, and it ain't conservative. I just don't have the time or motivation to listen to most of them long enough to figure it out, so I'm becoming very cynical of all of them.
It's all about selling advertising.
Looks as though O'Reilly is getting ready to destroy any attempt at appearing non-partisan, not that I've ever heard he's tried to do that. It's just that he's irrevocablly going over into the Kerry camp without bothering to ask, "Is it true?" It seems as though he's saying, "How dare they say something so scurrilous about a self-admitted war criminal?"
I'd pay good money to watch a Moore vs. Kilmeade grudge match!!!!
When has his lack of knowledge on any subject prevented O'Reilly from sanctimoniously holding forth on it on national TV. The guy is an egomaniac who thinks he's so intelligent that he doesn't need to actually study a subject to know all about it.
in O'Reilly's rabid obsession with "fair and balanced" he's gone over to the dark side.. I think he wants to think he's objective, but that stopped long ago. He's about as fair and balanced as the DNC. Definitely a closet liberal.
The no spin zone. Yeah, right!
I'm with you. Where's the truth on any subject to get out unadulterated?
2 mistakes noted above.
1 - Bronze Star for pulling Army Capt Jim
2 - Rassman (your spelling incorrect), from the river, purportedly under fire.
Just remember, every time a nationaly recognized figure says something about this, it is free advertising of the fact that it exists, and where to get it. Does not matter whether it is good press or bad, it is in front of the eyes of Americans.
absolute harridan, and that's being kind.
Meaner than I have *ever* seen her. She dropped quite a few notches in my book.
bump to the top
What a great letter!! Well said and thanks Mass.
Cheers
PCFs 10, 45, & 50
1965 - 1966
Don't be so "open minded" that your brains fall out!
I think the ad is spot on, btw and should be shown *everywhere*.
I also sent an e-mail to O'Reilly:
I apologize in advance for not being brief, but have striven to make this pithy.
I was a little disappointed at your response to the Vets who were disputing Kerry's version of his war service (4 months). Of the nineteen officers who served with Kerry, only one supports his version, the other eighteen do not. It is possible to serve with Kerry without actually being a crewmember of his particular boat. (The Democrat spin on this issue is childish.)
You choose to believe the testimony of the rescued S.F. soldier, who was knocked into the water by the explosion of a mine and was thusly under severe stress and shock, over the testimony of officers from another boat in close proximity to the action. You choose to believe the few over the many.
It is also classic Dem spin to accuse the accusers of being politically motivated (like those who support Kerry are not?). How much are they being paid to do this, as compared to what the Kerry vets are being paid by the Kerry campaign. Also Kerry "wisely" secured medals for his entire crew, in the process of obtaining his own.
How anyone could seriously believe that an officer, in any branch of the service, could collect three Purple Hearts in the space of four months, is beyond me. Ask any combat veteran if they think such a thing is likely. Those three medals were John Kerry's early ticket home. There were not many in Vietnam who would not have loved to go home after only four months.
Any questions about this issue could be cleared-up by Kerry releasing the documentation that would prove his assertions, but so far he has been unwilling. Kerry, himself, has made his service record a central point in the campaign and he should be willing to deal with questions about that service.
One particular person is at the bottom of a lot of this baloney about purely partisan political attacks and conspiracies to undermine certain political figures. The damage done to legitimate debate has been tremendous.
Main question: Why should the views of a few vets be given more credence than the views of a much larger group of vets? Let us hear all of the sides, before the spin starts.
Dave Isaac
I probably will not quit watching the show, however. Overall, hescores above average.
I seldom watch Bill egO'Reilly's, liberal spin zone.
Seldom, now becomes never.
What is a "turdburglar?"
Hannity didn't say a word. Not one frigging word.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.