Swift Boat Smears

The Washington Post ^ | August 12, 2004 | Meathead Editorial

[neverdem]

DEMOCRATIC nominee John F. Kerry has made his tour of duty in Vietnam -- a stint in which he earned three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star -- a centerpiece of his presidential campaign. To the extent, then, that there are legitimate questions about Mr. Kerry's behavior -- either in Vietnam or back home as a prominent antiwar activist -- those are fair game. Mr. Kerry's four-plus months in Vietnam made for an unusually short tour. He used his third Purple Heart to go home early, and his wounds were relatively superficial. Some veterans remain understandably bitter about Mr. Kerry's antiwar statements; indeed, the candidate himself has said he would rephrase some of his more cutting accusations about U.S. troops committing war crimes.

--snip--

The most potentially damning accusation in the ad concerns the the best-known episode of Mr. Kerry's service, in which he saved the life of Jim Rassmann after the Special Forces officer was blown off Mr. Kerry's Swift boat by a mine explosion. Three people quoted in the ad, all of whom say they were present that day, March 13, 1969, assert that Mr. Kerry ordered his craft to flee the danger and turned around to rescue Mr. Rassmann only after the shooting stopped. "John Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star . . . I know, I was there, I saw what happened," says Van O'Dell, a retired Navy enlisted man. "His account of what happened and what actually happened are the difference between night and day," says Jack Chenoweth, who commanded a different Swift boat. "When the chips were down, you could not count on John Kerry," says Larry Thurlow, another Swift boat commander.

[neverdem]

They're feeling a need to respond. Too bad there's nothing about Kerry's supposed Cambodian Incursion.

[swilhelm73]

I would guess that there is a mammoth effort in leftist circles to see if there is any evidence that American troops were sent into Cambodia under LBJ.

We will find out their results soon when the Cambodian thing is covered as a simple mistake of no import (no evidence found) or a proven certainty (any evidence found of any American troops in Cambodia).

[MJY1288]

Have you noticed that NO prominent Democrats have come forth to defend Kerry?

Where are his fellow democrat Senators?........... crickets

It's hard to defend the indefensible

[neverdem]

From time to time, I’ll post or ping on noteworthy articles about politics, foreign and military affairs. Let me know if you want off my list.

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[Texasforever]

I read that editorial earlier. IF all of this is a "pack of lies" then why isn't Kerry suing them? If all of this is a "pack of lies" then why isn't Kerry releasing the records to prove it? He has already been shown to be a liar about Cambodia. As to his records, I have a strong feeling that they will show that his silver star and Bronze star recommendations would show that they were based on his own after action reports and that at least one of his Purple Heart medical reports were backdated by a nurse when the original medic refused to sign off on the "injury". If the WP is so damned sure that the Swiftys are lying then put some crack investigative reporters on the case to get those records.

[eddie willers]

Where are his fellow democrat Senators?........... crickets

Yep....the old "Deafening Silence".

[NutCrackerBoy]

So their two pieces of evidence for branding the Swifty ads as smears are:

1. other vets contradict what they say
2. some money came from a Republican

Do they maintain such fastidiousness with everything funded by moveon.org?

[AF68]

How did Rassmann get blown off Kerry's boat by a mine explosion occurring some distance away on another swift boat? This editorial is a crock!

[taxesareforever]

In regards to the "life-saving" incident, does anyone else wonder why it is called "life-saving" when the individual rescued was a Green Beret and certainly must have had survival training including swimming. He was not unconsious per his statement that him and John "locked" arms and was pulled onto the boat. Also, John's boat was not the only one in the vicinity to make the rescue. There were other boats there who were rescuing others from the blown up swift boat. Were any of the people on these boats presented with a Bronze Star? If they were we sure haven't heard about it.

[Swampmarine]

The Washington Post. At first blush, Lanny's hopes for containment aren't going well.

[Texasforever]

Do they maintain such fastidiousness with everything funded by moveon.org?

Everyone knows that Moveon.org is a "nonpartisan" group of concerned citizens. Didn't you know that?

[GeronL]

the candidate himself has said he would rephrase some of his more cutting accusations about U.S. troops committing war crimes

33 years too late for that

[Steven W.]

They can't say anything about Cambodia BECAUSE TODAY KERRY CAMPAIGN ADMITTED IT WAS A LIE! all their other new concoctions aside, that is the conclusions of their admissions today!

[secretagent]

Three people quoted in the ad, all of whom say they were present that day, March 13, 1969, assert that Mr. Kerry ordered his craft to flee the danger and turned around to rescue Mr. Rassmann only after the shooting stopped.

Didn't the anti-Kerry Swift Vets say they saw no enemy shooting?

Just a water mine that disabled the one boat, and perhaps cautionary cover fire from the Swifties. No bullet holes in the boats.

[musicman]

You left out the "new" one I heard lanny davis use on Scarbourough Co. w/Pat Buch. as host....

the "co-author" writes "Biggoted Lies on the Internet!!""

..and then quotes posts from FR....

[GeronL]

assert that Mr. Kerry ordered his craft to flee the danger and turned around to rescue Mr. Rassmann only after the shooting stopped

WRONG... BBBZZZZZZZZZZZ. They say there was NO shooting.

Why does the Washington Post insist on lying for Kerry so blatantly???

[rebel_yell2]

This editorial reads like DNC talking points. Oh, yeah, what was I thinking!

The Swifties need to file a new financial report because the WashPost is recycling the lie that the Swifties got 2/3rds of their ($150K total!!!)funding from Perry. At least they didn't parrot Al Hunt's talking point that Perry "frequently crosses paths with Carl Rove."

On the plus side, who'd have thought last week that the WashPost would be using their masthead editorial to smear the Swifties . . . ?

Can you say . . . LEGS!!!

[MJY1288]

To me... That says a lot.

Throughout his life, John Kerry has been an obnoxious, back stabbing elitist who doesn't care who has to crap on to get what he wants or where he wants to go. His comrades in Vietnam know it, his fellow Senators know it, and soon all of America will know it.

We all will owe a debt of gratitude to the 254 Swift Boat Vets who have come forward to speak out for the good of the Country. John O'Neil and Jerome Corsi will be smeared like few have, but they are patriots, and we need to support them.

[Steven W.]

base on what Lawrence O'Donnell was saying tonight, it seems the spin they're trying to say is that it was Kerry's boat which was blown up by the mine and that he was even that much braver for maneuvering around to pick up Rassman (I know it's a crock but that's what he was saying!)

[GeronL]

Were any of the people on these boats presented with a Bronze Star? If they were we sure haven't heard about it.

I don't think it even crossed their minds to request one. =o)