Veteran disputes newspaper report of recanted Kerry charges

CNN Inside Politics ^ | Friday, August 6, 2004 Posted: 6:33 PM EDT | CNN Inside Politics

[RicocheT]

BOSTON, Massachusetts (Reuters) -- One of presidential candidate John Kerry's Vietnam war comrades, who had appeared to back off his criticism of Kerry's war record, recanted Friday and said, yes, in fact he did question whether the U.S. senator deserved his medals.

Last week at his nominating convention, Kerry painted himself as a decorated war hero capable of leading the nation in troubled times and a man better qualified to be commander-in-chief than President Bush.

That portrayal of his time as commander of a Navy Swift Boat sparked a heated exchange this week between those who support him and those who question that image.

This week a group calling itself the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth launched a television spot accusing the Democratic candidate of betraying his country by speaking out against the war when he returned home.

On Friday, a member of that group who was one of Kerry's supervisors in Vietnam, George Elliott, appeared to back off an earlier affidavit in which he suggested Kerry did not deserve the Silver Star. In the affidavit, he said, "I was never informed that he had simply shot a wounded, fleeing Viet Cong in the back."

...snip...

Elliott later issued another affidavit -- witnessed and notarized -- this time saying he was misquoted by the Globe and reaffirming his belief that Kerry has "not been honest about what happened in Vietnam." Elliott also wrote: "Had I known the facts, I would not have recommended Kerry for the Silver Star for simply pursuing and dispatching a single wounded, fleeing Viet Cong."

[RicocheT]

With George Elliott back on board, the Swift Boat Vets should be able to put a few shots in Kerry's canoe.

[COEXERJ145]

Amazing that CNN actually acknowledged this story. I assumed that they would report the story out of the Boston Globe and leave it at that.

[Steven W.]

he never was off-board ... RATs tried a coordinated media takedown with Globe reporter to start and then the likes of Al Judy Woodruff Hunt on follow-up.

[OneTimeLurker]

How many of the Swift Boat Vets that came out against Kerry served on his boat? Some dumb lib. told me none but I told him I assumed most if not all must have.

Anybody know the exact number?

[jra]

That's like asking how many of the 9/11 victims lived in the same house...simply doesn't matter.

[what's up]

One...the tail-gunner, I believe.

However, something like 22 out of 23 of his fellow officers are against him along with his superiors.

And many of these were there on the scene and saw first-hand what happened with Kerry in Vietnam.

[oolatec]

Well, one of the guys, Steve Gardner, was his machine gunner... and your Libbie friend really needs to get a clue (as do all of mine, of course)... the swifties went out in groups of 3-5 boats at a time... they were always within eyesight of the other boats, never far apart... whoever was in Coastal Division 11 knew all about Kerry, believe me.

[Congressman Billybob]

Notice that CNN could not bring itself to tell the whole truth with it staring them in the face. This man did not "recant." That word has a meaning. It means saying or writing something and then taking it back.

The honest statement is that the Swift Boat Vet stuck to his original story, and accused a reporter who said otherwise of being dishonest. But CNN cannot bring itself to tell that truth, now can it?

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "Says the Wuss: Ma, He's Touching Me"

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[concerned about politics]

How many of the Swift Boat Vets that came out against Kerry served on his boat?

Only one in Kerry's ad picture out of the whole team supports him. I'm not sure if even he was on Kerry's boat, but those who were all received medals more than any other members of the team. Odd, isn't it?
One is deceased, a few (3?) have no comment about Kerry, and the rest say he's unfit to command.
There's only room on a boat for 4 people and one commander. The boats float side by side making up a team.
The Swift boat Vets were in boats beside his. There were about 4 boats most of the time. The Vets saw everything from their adjacent boat, because they had to. They all protected each others back. They knew Kerry very well. That's why they're in the picture Kerry used for his campaign. Kerry had no idea they would speak up.

The book "Unfit to Command" can be pre ordered at Amazon.com. Otherwise, I believe the release date is mid August. The book will explain who these people are, and what they saw.
It's good the other side of the story is out. All we had was one story from a politician lusting for political power.

[concerned about politics]

The honest statement is that the Swift Boat Vet stuck to his original story, and accused a reporter who said otherwise of being dishonest. But CNN cannot bring itself to tell that truth, now can it?

No. The reporter works for the Kerry campaign. He was the one writing the Kerry/Edwards biography due out before the election (It's release has now been delayed).
Can't let that info out on CNN, now can we?

[Homer_J_Simpson]

This man did not "recant."

You just beat me to it. These guys never stop blowing smoke. The wackos over in Iraq launching banzai attacks on our Marines at least have the courage of their convictions, such as they are. Leftist journalists here in the U.S.A. get to wallow in consequence-free evil to their black hearts' content. Although the consequence-free part may be limited to this world and N/A in the next.

[Malesherbes]

"Recanted" the fact that he "appeared to back off." I'm forever amazed at what use the liberal media make of the English language.

[Chaguito]

"Notice that CNN could not bring itself to tell the whole truth with it staring them in the face."

No, and they still misrepresented the reason the vets are upset with Kerry:

"...Swift Boat Veterans for Truth launched a television spot accusing the Democratic candidate of betraying his country by speaking out against the war when he returned home."

The beef is not with "speaking out against the war." That's his prerogative. The beef is with betraying his fellow soldiers, sailors and marines with scurrulous lies.

[gilliam]

People need to think of them like we do fighter pilots. No one asks who was in a pilot's plane. They ask, who was their wing man.

Same with buddy boats.

[freekitty]

I wonder why Kerry is acting front for the Clintons?

[Nick Danger]

There is a lot of noise concerning whether these charges from the SwiftVets could "backfire" and end up helping Kerry.

But there is another kind of backfire that is possible, and CNN may be smelling it. This concerns the way the public might judge the media as they react so very diffierently to these charges, compared to the way they all leapt into investigative fury when one lone individual raised doubts about George Bush's service in the National Guard. Back then, we couldn't "investigate" this enough. The media asked tough questions, demanded records, repeated the charges endlessly for weeks. "George Bush AWOL" was the mantra of the day.

Now come 250 men, every one of them a Navy veteran from the Viet Nam war who served on a SWIFT boat or in an affiliated command. But their charges are against a Democrat. And now there is no investigative fury. There is only fury at the Swift Boat veterans. They are denounced from every pore in the media as liars and thieves. Their motives are suspect; they are agents of the RNC.

The public is not so stupid that they don't notice this.

And now we have a reporter charged with lying to discredit the Swift Vets. And the "reporter" from the "prestigious" Boston Globe turns out have a side business writing for the Kerry campaign. And suddenly the idea that "reporters" are a bunch of shills for the DNC takes on some credence.

Journalists are already held in fairly low esteem by the public, and now we see at least one of them literally lying to advance the cause of the Democratic Party. And the rest of them immediately picked up the lie and ran with it... with glee. And everyone saw it.

As much as the liberals who infest CNN would like to continue with the Swift Vet bashing, they may be sensing that there is another kind of "backfire" that can happen, and it is against them, for being so obviously, blatantly partisan in the way they have treated these two sets of charges.

People remember that these same reporters were demanding to see Bush's dental records, for crying out loud This time the only thing they want to know is who is funding the Swift Vets. This isn't journalism. This is Democratic partisans pretending to be running a news operation, when what they are really doing is spraying mud on the Republicans while trying to keep it off of the Democrats. And it's obvious. And it's blatant.

This "Swift Vet" thing could foment something that this country needs very badly... and that is a thorough housecleaning of the press. It is time to get these mouthpieces for the Democratic Party out of the way of the news.

So while the Swift Vets pursue their case against Kerry, the rest of us ought to be banging on the media for being such blatant once-sided shills about the whole thing. Let's see some reporters calling for Kerry's records. Let's see some reporters asking Kerry point-blank, "Did you burn down a village? Did you order your men to shoot the villagers' animals? Did you throw a hand grenade into a rice barrel because you're a hotshot, and is that how you got a Purple Heart?" Where the Hell are the hard questions this time?

[popparollo]

We simply must supplant the media and take the truth directly to the American people!!!

[Travis McGee]

They also remember the stained blue dress they pointedly ignored for too long.

[ArmyBratproud]

Elliott later issued another affidavit -- witnessed and notarized -- this time saying he was misquoted by the Globe and reaffirming his belief that Kerry has "not been honest about what happened in Vietnam." Elliott also wrote: "Had I known the facts, I would not have recommended Kerry for the Silver Star for simply pursuing and dispatching a single wounded, fleeing Viet Cong."""

-FREEPERS, E-MAIL THIS NEWS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW.

THE BOSTON GLOBE ATTACK PIECE against the Swifties came out on a Friday. THE LIBERAL MEDIA KNOWS THAT IF THEY CAN KEEP THE FACT THAT THE BOSTON GLOBE REPORT WAS BOGUS THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND, they might have a chance to bury the Swift Vet issue for Kerry. JUST LOOK AT OUT THE BERGER STORY GOT BURRIED BY THE DEM CONVENTION.

CALL the local and national talk radio shows this next week if you have a chance. HELP KEEP THE SWIFTIES AN ISSUE.

[Intolerant in NJ]

Get your lib friend to read this Link to Thread...be sure to have a towel handy for when he/she bursts into tears.......