NR's Instapundit covers Kerry's proximity to Cambodia

National Review ^ | 8/9/04 | Jim Geraghty

[hh007]

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS JOHN FORBES KERRY? [08/09 10:14 PM]

As many of you saw this evening, Fox News' Carl Cameron asked the Kerry campaign about his tale of spending Christmas 1968 across the border in Cambodia. Apparently, the Kerry campaign tried to assert Kerry had only said he was "near" Cambodia. "Campaign Carl" confronted them with the Boston Herald interview and Kerry's remarks in the Congressional Record (don't these people read Instapundit?) , in which Kerry claimed he was in Cambodia. The campaign didn't have an answer for why Kerry said on those occasions he was in Cambodia, still asserting he was just "near," and didn't get back to Carl by airtime.

Instapundit has more thoughts. As one of his readers points out,

"When Kerry brought up Cambodia, he was always doing it in the context of presidential lying — i.e. "I was in Cambodia, listening to the president say we had no troops in Cambodia".

With this re-write, it becomes "I was *near* Cambodia, listening to the president say we had no troops *in* Cambodia, which, okay, was true as far as I could tell, but if I'd been just, like, sixty miles further west, it would've been a LIE!"

I hestiate to make big predictions, but if it turns out Kerry was never in Cambodia, and he's been talking about a trip that never happened for years to illustrate his views on presidential lying, I think his campaign will be hurt badly. I suspect that for much of the campaign, many of his "soft" supporters have concluded, "well, he may not have a sparkling personality, maybe he flips and flops on some issues, but he's a genuine war hero and he demonstrated honor and integrity in that." Now, if it turns out he's been making up stories for years, his war record gets tarnished.

But maybe Kerry can explain all this.

[Chad Fairbanks]

But maybe Kerry can explain all this.

"I was in Cambodia, before I was near it.

[Area51]

But maybe Kerry can explain all this.

---

Or Maybe he will just hold his breath right after screaming "TAY-RE-SA, pay the bad man from writting mean things about me, bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"

[caisson71]

"Genuine war hero"? That he is not!!

[ladtx]

But maybe Kerry can explain all this.

He could, but it would be too nuanced for the riff-raff to understand.

[Piranha]

InstaPundit is the best, and most widely-read, blog there is.

[tuckrdout]

What I love is the fact that Kerry said, "President Nixon" was denying that he was in Cambodia! LOL!

Oh the irony, lying to condemn a government for lying! In the Senate, Kerry lied to condemn Reagan for being dishonest!

I hope his arrogant, dishonest, self-righteousness continues to express itself.

[OldFriend]

Wasn't he recently praising an Ohio sports team when he was in a different state.

Poor guy, he's lost the last of his marbles.

[Snuffington]

Fo what it's worth...Instapundit, (i.e. Glenn Reynolds) doesn't write for National Review. Jim Geraghty is just quoting him.

[Darkwolf377]

"I WAS in Cambodia. It's shrunk since then."

[Conspiracy Guy]

Link to Kerry Song Parody. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1185436/posts?page=100#100

[N. Theknow]

Still seems like Kerry was saying and doing what he was after VN to try and get into Jane Fonda's pants.

He has been a regular visitor to her ski lodge during Christmas recess for years when he hasn't been married to someone richer.

[Darkwolf377]

Byron York: "... in September 1997, during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific affairs, Kerry said, "I first was introduced to Cambodia when I spent Christmas Eve of 1968 in a river in Cambodia during the Vietnam conflict, and I found it to be a rather remarkable and very beautiful country...."

[Bob]

The best thing about a provable lie like this is that it boosts the Swift boat vets' credibility while, at the same time, it diminishes his.

I told a friend last night, "The wheels haven't come off his campaign yet, but he just lost a couple of lug nuts."

[Williams]

Quick points: 1 The REASON Kerry lied: to undermine America's foreign and military policy by alleging that America was waging an illegal war.

2 Kerry's Attitude is pathetic: A military officer in a war zone is (supposedly) sent on a "super secret" mission. Is he proud? Does he keep his mouth shut? No, he cries how awful it was to have the president deny there were any soldiers in Cambodia. Does that sound like the attitude of an adult military officer? It's ludicrous.

[Petronski]

Campaign rally poster:

CAMBODIA:
Are we there yet?

[Jumpmaster]

He must be confusing that "seared...seared" memory with the burn of self-inflicted rice in his backside.

[js1138]

I want to know what he had against LBJ, a democrat.

[1Old Pro]

if it turns out he's been making up stories for years, his war record gets tarnished.

Oh it's tarnished alright and the liberal media is feverishly trying to kill these stories becuase they know it spells doom for the kerry campaign.

[Conspiracy Guy]

He has lied so long he believes himself. Her's my Hero Kerry poem.

First Down Kerry




This is how I flew above, the jungles there in Nam.
I held the skid and fired my gun, bam bam bam bam bam.
We approached the landing zone, I was the first man down.
“First Down Kerry”, I was called, Air Cav had come to town.
I designed the Huey, the Cobra, the Jolly Green.
Still I went to fight VC, I was a lean machine.
Swift boats, choppers, bombers too, ah yes I did it all.
For four months I was busy, but still I took the call.
I served with honor, brave, and true, saved so many men.
Viet Nam is safer now, I would go back again.

Conspiracy Guy aka DIF 8/5/2004