Posted on 08/06/2004 10:53:26 AM PDT by Ohioan from Florida
Campaign 2004 President says he backs up his talk He touts his leadership before select crowd Bush stumps in Ohio
Vietnam vets criticize Kerry in TV ad; others condemn it Kerry speaks about support for diversity Powell defends Iraq war, praises diplomatic efforts Battle for the presidency Complete coverage from The Columbus Dispatch, WBNS-10TV and the Ohio News Network
Steve Gardner says John Kerry is a liar, traitor and unfit to serve as commander in chief.
The Ohio native — the only one of 10 surviving crew members from Kerry’s Navy swift boats in Vietnam who has not joined his presidential campaign — is now part of a group that prepared a controversial TV ad targeting Ohio and two other battleground states.
"Patriotic Americans need to hear the full story," said Gardner, a gunner on PCF 44 for about 2½ months with Kerry.
The 60-second commercial by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth says Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star for heroism and about the first of three Purple Hearts he was awarded for his stint of about five months in Vietnam.
Sen. John McCain condemned the ad yesterday, and the Arizona Republican called on President Bush to repudiate it. Bush spokesman Scott Mc-Clellan declined, but did call for an end to ads by all such littleregulated "shadowy" groups operating on the fringes of campaign-finance laws.
"The president deplores all the unregulated soft-money activity," McClellan said aboard Air Force One on his way to Columbus. "We have been very clear in stating that, you know, we will not — and we have not and we will not — question Sen. Kerry’s service in Vietnam."
Not good enough, said Brendon Cull, communications director for the Ohio Democratic Coordinated Campaign.
"The Bush campaign should state clearly that this ad is a disgusting misrepresentation of John Kerry’s honorable service to his country," Cull said. "Unfortunately, they have not done so and are only trying to ignore the fact that these ads are malicious and false."
McCain acknowledged to the Associated Press, "It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me," referring to his bitter struggle with Bush in the 2000 Republican presidential primary. Bush’s supporters sponsored a rumor campaign against McCain — a former prisoner of war — in the South Carolina primary, helping Bush win that key race on his way to the GOP nomination.
"I deplore this kind of politics," McCain said. "I think the ad is dishonest and dishonorable. . . . Many of his crew have testified to his courage under fire.
"I think John Kerry served honorably in Vietnam. I think George Bush served honorably in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War."
The Kerry campaign said the ad was financed by Texas Republicans — most notably, Houston developer Bob Perry — who also have given Bush substantial financial support.
Critics said the controversy surrounding the commercial is generating publicity that will reach far more people than the ad, scheduled to air in Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Airtime reportedly was purchased in Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown but the spot evidently won’t be shown in Columbus until the group gets enough money for a statewide buy.
The general counsel for the Kerry campaign and the Democratic National Committee sent television stations a letter asking them not to run the ad because it is "an inflammatory, outrageous lie" by people purporting to have served with Kerry, the AP reported.
This morning, the Democratic National Committee’s Bush Truth Squad will make its first appearance of the campaign with a press conference in Columbus to discuss the ad. Among the participants: former CIA Director Stansfield Turner, U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland of Lisbon and Ohio veterans.
Those appearing in the ad say although they weren’t in Kerry’s boat, some were close by in similar craft.
"John Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star," said Van O’Dell. "I know. I was there."
Dr. Louis Letson says, "I know John Kerry is lying about his first Purple Heart because I treated him for that injury." (The Kerry campaign said another doctor signed Kerry’s treatment record.)
And Bob Hildreth, a Navy lieutenant who also commanded a swift boat in the Mekong Delta, adds, "I served with John Kerry. John Kerry cannot be trusted."
Although he did not appear in the ad, Gardner, 56, of Clover, S.C., agreed with those statements — while conceding he was not on the boat with Kerry during the incidents for which Kerry got his medals. Gardner criticized his leadership in battle, questioned his anti-war activities, and cited other instances in which he said Kerry falsified reports to make himself look good.
"We had that war won until John Kerry and Hanoi Jane Fonda stuck their nose in it," Gardner said. "He’s a traitor."
Gardner said his criticism is not political.
"If you’d put a good Democrat up there instead of Kerry, I’d probably vote for him, because I don’t agree with everything George Bush has done."
Gardner also said the critique had nothing to do with a book on Kerry, called Unfit for Command, from the dissident swiftboat veterans that is due for release in the next several days.
Gardner lived in Friendship, a tiny town next to Portsmouth, Ohio, until about age 8, when his family moved to the Lake Erie community of Port Clinton. He also obtained a Purple Heart.
"You cannot believe how hard it is for us swift boaters to bring out the truth about John Kerry," he said. "You don’t think I’d be happy as a lark to have one of my crew mates as president?"
Dispatch reporter Mark Niquette contributed to this story.
drowland@dispatch.com
It's the Arizona Republic, not the Arizona Republican.
Gee, and the AFP reported yesterday that Bush did repudiate the add. Maybe the Arizona Republican (sic) newspaper should find a different word to use.
Just yesterday, John Kerry related a disgusting misrepresentation of George W Bush's honorable service to his country on September 11, 2001.
By "the Arizona Republican", they are referring to McCain.
BTW, the paper used to be called the Arizona Republican.
And he knows the ads are false because:
A. Kerry denies the charges
B. Kerry has release records that show otherwise
C. We should not believe a bunch of verterns who served with Kerry
D. Reporters have investigated and found the stories to be false.
E. None of the Above.
"It's the Arizona Republic, not the Arizona Republican."
Are you sure this wasn't simply a reference to McCain himself (R. AZ) and not to the newspaper?
McCain did in himself by attacking Christian Conservatives during his campaign. That is the wrong group to piss off if you want to win the GOP nomination. It was a grass-roots effort the beat McCain, not anything Bush did.
"The Kerry campaign should state clearly that Michael Moore's movie is a disgusting misrepresentation of President's Bush's honorable service to his country,"
How it SHOULD read - IMHO
thanks, I stand corrected.
You "obtain" a PH at the army surplus store, your earn one by being wounded incombat. The writer is a dolt.
It will NEVER be good enough for RATs.
Again, they ignore the real message and go for a side issue of getting Bush to condemn it...as Democrat scum always do.
That's a pretty even account of the story.
Bush should just say "I wasn't there. These men and Kerry were. This is between him and all of them."
I enjoyed this part of the article:
"We had that war won until John Kerry and Hanoi Jane Fonda stuck their nose in it," Gardner said. "He’s a traitor."
Gardner said his criticism is not political.
"If you’d put a good Democrat up there instead of Kerry, I’d probably vote for him, because I don’t agree with everything George Bush has done."
I was a bit surprised at how evenly it was covered, since just about everything around here is slanted to the left. And it was even on the third page!
All who served in WW II, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait and Iraq did not shovel sh't somewhere.
There is plenty reason to whack Kerry for what he did when he returned. However he was in uniform, he was at the front, he risked his life and he was lucky the near misses didn't get him in the head or blow his limbs off. Criticism for front line service is pretty thin political gruel.
AZ used to be a nice Repbulican state. IT has been invaded by Califorina Socialists and illegals and is slowly becoming another socialist utopia like CA.
To me, the problem comes in that Kerry has been using the picture of these men in his campaign. He knowingly continued to use their picture to show how many were behind him, even though most in that picture disagreed with him. Their names have been tarnished, and I think they have every right to say that John Kerry is NOT telling the truth about the swift boat vets' approval of him. That's the message that I get from it.
It's fine that Kerry went and served in Vietnam. I admire and respect all the veterans who fight in any war. They paid for my freedom. What I object to, as I'm sure they do, is that Kerry is trying to say that these men he served with are behind him, and this is their way of saying that they aren't.
I want to know if someone seeking by vote to be the Commander-in-Chief has repeatedly lied about his front line service. I thank these Swift Boat Vets for bringing this out.
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.