"Near" is stated with full awareness that he lied in the past. "Near" is the term that his writers hope will have "plausible deniability" and make his previous lie merely seem a slip of the tongue. The press will grab onto it.
Plus many, especially the young, don't know the political ramifications of having gone into Cambodia at the time.
And that only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. But that IS what we're chatting about - eh?
"During Christmas 1968, Kerry was stationed at Coastal Division 13 in Cat Lo. Coastal Division 13’s patrol areas extended to Sa Dec, about fifty-five miles from the Cambodian border. Areas closer than fifty-five miles to the Cambodian border in the area of the Mekong River were patrolled by PBRs, a small river patrol craft, and not by Swift Boats. Preventing border crossings was considered so important at the time that an LCU (a large, mechanized landing craft) and several PBRs were stationed to ensure that no one could cross the border. A large sign at the border prohibited entry. Tom Anderson, Commander of River Division 531, who was in charge of the PBRs, confirmed that there were no Swifts anywhere in the area and that they would have been stopped had they appeared.