Posted on 08/12/2004 7:13:16 PM PDT by wagglebee
**Exclusive**
TOUR OF DUTY author and John Kerry historian Doug Brinkley is rushing a piece for the NEW YORKER: to set-the-record-straight on Kerry's Christmas in Cambodia tale, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
Kerry has turned to author Brinkley for a "modification" after it was exposed that Kerry was not in Cambodia during Christmas of 1968, as he once claimed from the Senate floor.
The Brinkley piece for the NEW YORKER will now say that Kerry was not in Cambodia during Christmas, but rather in January, publishing sources tell DRUDGE.
MORE
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."
John O’Neil’s, author of UNFIT FOR COMMAND, comments on the “clarification:”
“John Kerry describes Christmas Eve in Cambodia as a critical turning point in his life. We now know that his story is completely false. My question is how many people do you know have invented a turning point, one that is seared in his memory? While it makes sense for John Kerry to come clean about the Cambodia story, it is one of several tales that the Kerry campaign will have to face and clarify.”
“By claiming we were engaged in a war crime and crossing international borders, John Kerry damaged the credibility of all the commanding officers above him and insulted the sailors who served with him,” said John O’Neill, member of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.”
Developing...
This makes a lot of sense to me. This early on, nobody was supposed to know we were operating in Cambodia. Why would you risk going up the Mekong by boat, where you could be seen and stopped.
I watched Hardball earlier (and only to see O'Neill). I have never seen Chris be so nasty.
Kerry is making Clinton look like a piker in the liar's scale of things.
I agree with you about the medals. That will never go anywhere, there's too much deniability there. The Cambodia thing is the one that's going to stick, as far as his actual service. That's why getting him to move into ever-shifting, narrower timelines on the circumstances of his 'Cambodia trips' is pretty important. You and I both know he was never there, but taking away all remote plausibility is another.
It probably can't ever be conclusively disproven to the satisfaction of those who don't want to hear, but it needs to be tried.
Nah, it was MLK's birthday, wasn't it?
It was January 29th. Doesn't leave much time for a brand new skipper to move up the Mekong from the base and into Cambodia. He probably didn't do any missions until February, bacause the boat itself was fairly shot up as well as the previous OIC, from whom Kerry took over.
Ah, that's it. The South Vietnamese are Orthodox.
Not good enough. He didn't take over the -94 boat until the 29th, that according to the man he took it over from.
As soldiers, away from their families, the Vietnamese would be unlikely to get excited about or even remember a day like Christmas. They would however, never forget Tet or Lunar New Year.
Here's an analogy that might work: Christmas to most Asians is kind of like Hannukah or Yom Kippur to many Westerners. The majority of the population lets the holiday pass without understanding its significance. If you are Jewish, however, you will observe the occasion, probably with more solemnity than revelry. That's how Christmas was (traditionally) viewed in Asia--a Christian religious occasion--not something to celebrate with a lot of revelry. Today the holiday much more commercialized, but Asians don't see it as important as Lunar New Year/Tet.
probably not since he was just moving over from the -44 boat. His website does say he and the other skippers went to Saigon on the 22nd to meet with Admiral Zumwalt and General Abrams, it does not say what the meeting was about.
WHY DON'T THE SWIFTEE'S GET SOMEONE LIKE BO DITTLE, ETC.
AND TAKE LIE DETECTOR TESTS., AND CHALLENGE KERRY TO DO THE SAME.
Kerry had PCF 44 in Dec & January (before pcf 94)with gunner Skip Barker who says they didnt go to cambodia..
Not some sort, there is only one sort. Top Secret. Now their are compartments that require an SBI (special background investigation) whereas the normal TS only requires a BI, which is what Kerry had. I had two of the former at the same time! One for my civilian job, one for my Reserve assignment. One was renewed and reinvestigated. When the investigator came to the house, because he happened to be in the area and it happened to be a company holiday, but not a federal one, he scared my daughter (then a college freshman, but living at home) half to death. She walked in while we were sitting at the kitchen table, and he had failed to conceal his firearm. She later drug me outside on some flimsy pretext involving looking at her car, to ask me what was going on. She thought he might have bugged the house! :).
Should be interesting.
The photo of Kerry and Alston graces a DVD!
http://samplecdstore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=JK-BIA&Category_Code=
Matthews outdid even himself in shamelessness tonight.
Which was it? Were the Vietnamese allies (ARVN) shooting at him or were they (ARVN) celebrating Christmas while in Cambodia.
I was in Vietnam Christmas of 1968 and I don't remember any Vietnamese celebration of Christmas with gunfire as if it was TET.
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.