Exactly. Undercuts ANY CREDIBILITY he may have, protects the swifties,and allows the Administration to Attack him without attacking his war record per se.
Puts all the Heat on Frenchy.
You nailed it and Bush needs to just keep hammering on this.
The Swifties should divert ALL their criticism to this issue alone and state that it shows how this man will lie and that further proves he'd lie about his combat action & records.
A side note. The crewmembers supporting Kerry are more than likely looking at it as winning the lotto.
How many people can say that they know the President personally and would probably be invited to the WH at sometime. This is their BIG chance. Human nature in a way, forget the past sins and problems you had with the guy.