Posted on 08/08/2004 5:09:55 PM PDT by Steven W.
XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX SUN AUG 08, 2004 19:04:35 ET XXXXX
SWIFT OFFICERS AND VETS: KERRY LIED ABOUT SPENDING CHRISTMAS IN CAMBODIA
Since the early 1970s, Kerry has spoken and written of how he was illegally ordered to enter Cambodia. Kerry mentioned it in the floor of the Senate in 1986 when he charged that President Reagan’s actions in Central America were leading the U.S. in another Vietnam. Here’s what he said as excerpted from the new book, UNFIT FOR COMMAND:
I remember Christmas of 1968 sitting on a gunboat in Cambodia. I remember what it was like to be shot at by the Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge and Cambodians, and have the president of the United States telling the American people that I was not there; the troops were not in Cambodia. I have that memory which is seared--seared--in me.
DRUDGE has learned from the accounts of Swift Boat officers and Kerry’s crewmembers that Kerry was never in Cambodia. UNFIT FOR COMMAND authors charge that Kerry made it all up.
“Despite the dramatic memories of his Christmas in Cambodia, Kerry’s statements are complete lies,” according to John O’Neil, co-author and the Swift Boat commander who took over Kerry’s boat. “Kerry was never in Cambodia during Christmas 1968, or at all during the Vietnam War. . . . he was more than fifty miles away from Cambodia.”
Kerry was stationed at Coastal Division 13 in Cat Lo. Coastal Division 13’s patrol areas extended to Sa Dec, about 55 miles from the Cambodian border. . . . Tom Anderson, Commander of River Division 531, who was in charge of PBRs (small river patrol crafts] confirmed that there were no Swifts anywhere in the area and they would have been stopped had they appeared.
All the living commanders in Kerry’s chain of command . . . deny that Kerry was ever ordered to Cambodia. They indicate that Kerry would have been seriously disciplined or court-martialed had he gone there. At least three of the five crewmen on Kerry’s boat, Bill Zaldonis, Steven Hatch, and Steve Gardner, deny that they or their boat were ever in Cambodia.
O’Neill observed that the Cambodia incursion story is not included in Tour of Duty (Kerry’s recent biography). Instead, Kerry replaced the story with a report about a mortar attack that occurred on Christmas Eve 1968 “near the Cambodian border” in a town called Sa Dec and Christmas day was spent at the base writing entries in his journal.
After conducting interviews and research, authors of Unfit for Command conclude, “The truth is that Kerry made up his secret mission into Cambodia.... the lie about the illegal Cambodian incursion painted his superiors up the chain of command. . . . as villains faced down by John Kerry, a solitary hero in grave and exotic danger and forced illegally against his will into harm’s way.”
Developing...
Thanks, but my prediction was a bit on the pessimistic or cynical side. My prediction was that one person out of six, in the US, would view Kerry as a phony. That means 5 of 6 would view him as sincere and truthful.
The media is a powerful force. Suckers are born faster than one a minute, and stupidity is one of the most abundant elements in the universe.
I agree with your analysis. I sit here shaking my head at some of the things that come out of his mouth.
Just starting this thread so forgive if this has already been posted. This does seem to be taken directly from the upcoming book.....UNFIT FOR COMMAND.
or stay home...
That too. :-)
Exactly. Some people just don't seem to understand that is not about Pres Bush (he obviously knows that) and that it is about setting the records straight on an outright liar -- Kerry. McCain should have kept his mouth shut but that never stopped him before. I don't understand the people talking about recanting either since a statement said the Boston Globe was wrong in their story unless something happened in the last 24 hours I don't know about.
Message to Michael Kranish: So many words. So many lies. If you're going to write fiction, call it fiction.
IIRC, this is the same guy that lied about one of the SBVs for Truth supposedly recanting.
G-d help us, how did this man tell so many lies for so long? It's no wonder he has nightmares......he's lost and cant figure out who the he(( he is.
Ummm, I'm a bit fuzzy on my history. Would have to look up which president made fairly public pronouncments that "troops were not in Cambodia." I don't recall Johnson making that sort of statement ... but maybe he did. It's a good history "look up," FWIW.
I say "FWIW," because it is clear that Kerry is a phony, that he makes things up to suit the moment, and he is willing to wildly inflate facts, even about himself, in order to obtain personal gain.
Pop-up adds?? What the hell is that? I have not had one of those in 2 years. I use Mozilla. What a wondeful browser.
Vietnam is a loser."
Me thinks you think the 10% 'swing' voters are so intellectually astute that they'll be able to digest the discrepancies of his '20 year Senate vote history'. No way Jose --- Vietnam / war / lies / stories / and more lies --- is the way to go!
Swiftboat vets..."full speed ahead!"
You remember correctly.
...but the fact that the race is even close gives me pause...as a strict constructionist I am used to losing at the polls. Ronald Reagan was the last ray of political hope I have experienced...and now a majority of freepers look at a GWB victory with glee, he who is happy to let Ted Kennedy write the education bill when education is clearly not within federal jurisdiction. (see article 1, section 8 and the 10th amendment) and that is just one example of many.
He's the MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE...except he never had implants (a la the new version)nor brainwashing (the old version),but was born and bred to it by his own parents and helped by the Kennedy clan and the money of a DEAD Republican.
As far as I know, no change in facts. The media trumpted false innuendo, and has whispered what they call "standing by their original story" (that Elliott recently waffled in his position regarding the awarding of the Silver Star). It is no wonder people are confused, when the media sets out to deliberately confuse them.
Nope. But, we can disagree.
No one said we were in Cambodia in 1968 as far as I know. We started secretly bombing Cambodia in March 1969. We didn't invade Cambodia until April 1970.
Rather than implants, it would seem that Kerry's brain has been rendered inoperable, that is, if he ever had one.
True.
Swiftboat vets certainly do not agree.
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.