The Swift Boat Blues by Bill O'Reilly {Barf Alert)

BillOReilly.com ^ | Bill O'Reilly

[Jenya]

The Swift Boat Blues

The partisans are running wild over this Swift Boat business, talk radio is crazy with it and the smell of blood is in the air. John Kerry has made a major deal of his Vietnam War record and now his opponents have opened fire on the Senator's experiences. It's all tawdry and distasteful of course, but let's examine things unemotionally.

First off, I believe Jim Rassmann when he says that Kerry saved his life by pulling him out of a Vietnam river while under fire. Rassmann is a former Green Beret, a former police officer and a long time registered Republican until earlier this year. If he says John Kerry is a hero, nobody should doubt it. Rassmann has earned the right to be trusted and insulting his testimony is way out of line.

But I also believe Steve Gardner, a former Navy gunner who was also present on one of Kerry's Swift Boats. He says the Senator wrote up a false report, neglecting to inform the Navy that he, Gardner, had accidentally shot a Vietnamese child during a firefight. This is a tough one. Gardner is implicating himself and has no reason to do so. But perhaps Kerry was looking out for him by not reporting the incident. Only Kerry knows.

It is very possible to perform heroically on some occasions and do less than admirable things on others. All human beings are flawed and we are capable of both valor and deceit. That's what I think happened here. John Kerry was brave, but was also calculating. His heroism impressed most of his Swift Boat mates, but his civilian anti-war activities and perceived grandstanding also alienated many other Vietnam Vets. And so the battle lines are drawn.

What should we, on the sidelines, make of all this? Well, it's a judgment call. It is absolutely wrong for Americans to condemn Kerry's war record because he demonstrated provable valor. However, those who distrust him do deserve to be heard although facts not emotion should be demanded.

I think the Swift Boat political advertisement calling Kerry a charlatan is in poor taste, and if this kind of thing continues it might well backfire on the Kerry haters. Most Americans are fair minded, and bitter personal attacks do not go down well with folks who are not driven by partisanship. Remember, General Wesley Clark was knocked out of the Presidential sweepstakes when he would not disown Michael Moore's insane remark that President Bush was a "deserter." Mr. Bush received an honorable discharge from the National Guard. Admiral Elmo Zumwalt pinned a medal on John Kerry's chest. The record is the record, unless rock solid proof refutes it.

The lesson here is that blind partisanship is not an attribute. No person or candidate is all good or all bad. In America today, with both sides peddling lies and defamation and spin, it is alarmingly difficult just to get simple facts on which to base a responsible vote.

Somewhere Jack Webb is weeping.

[RottiBiz]

LOL!!! You beat me to it.

For me, O'Reilly's show "jumped the shark" when he interviewed Swifty Steve Gardner.

[#3Fan]

I think the Swift Boat political advertisement calling Kerry a charlatan is in poor taste, and if this kind of thing continues it might well backfire on the Kerry haters.

It's not about whether it backfires, it's about TRUTH!

[RottiBiz]

I suspect coconutt IS Bill O'Reilly.

;-)

[Cboldt]

Has Rassmann been interviewed in person on any shows?

Yes he has. He tends to repeat the DEM talking points. I have yet to see a clear probing of the actual points of contention (e.g., whether or not there was any enemy fire during the incident that included assisting Rassmann out of the water). Rassmann has been laying low for the past few days, however.

[Cboldt]

Has Rassmann been interviewed in person on any shows?

A few links .. Rassmann appeared on O'Reilly's television program earlier this week ...

O'Reilly is having Rassman on as a guest tonight <-- August 10, 2004
Jim Rassman claimed he submitted John Kerry for the Silver Star on Hannity/Colmes <-- August 5, 2004

And this link, while not discussing a television appearance, purports to have Rassmann's words, in light of revelations regarding Kerry's wounds of that day ...

Rassman throws doubt on 3rd PH award - kinda <-- Aaugust 6, 2004

[NavySEAL F-16]

Thank you.

[Saundra Duffy]

O'Reilly is not being fair and balanced in this regard, and he's starting to get on my last nerve. I can only take so much of him. I refuse to listen to his radio show. Too much already!

[OESY]

Excellent point-by-point refutation of O'Reilly's argument.

* * *

The Spun-Dry O'Reilly writes: "The record is the record, unless rock solid proof refutes it."

Just one man's word against 254? O'Reilly has cow pie on his face for not demanding Kerry release his service and medical records so we can examine "the record".

Obviously, he has not read the book, "Unfit For Command," which I picked up yesterday. It is a fair and balanced presentation, giving credit to Kerry when due.

So it is especially troubling, but not out of character, for O'Reilly not to accord the same respect to O'Neill and the Swift Boat Vets that he bestows on Rassmann, despite Rassmann's much more limited contact with Kerry. The SBB Vets also fought for their country. If only O'Reilly knew how to read.

Bloviator Maximus

How many people can this guy lose to before he shapes up? Al Franken, Michael Moore, Paul Krugman, and now even, John O'Neill (the good guy). He is also the butt of all jokes made against FoxNews, and is the "star" of the agit-propanda film, "Outfoxed." O'Reilly's lack of preparation and disappointing performances are embarrassing.

[Cboldt]

O'Reilly is not being fair and balanced in this regard ...

The story doesn't fit well with tabloid journalism. Bill should stick to subjects that he is able to manage. I hope he stays off the Swift vet issues, and stops calling "us" right-wing kooks or however it is he expresses his contempt. Showing ones contempt does not win or hold viewers.

I think his ratings are best when he gets into subjects like sex at high school proms, the trial de jour, etc. Something, anything less weighty than a search for serious truth.

[F.J. Mitchell]

O'Reilly is a Kerry shill, for a reason- Phonies stick together like mud balls, or certain other substance that can be rolled into balls.

Neither is what they pretend to be.

[F.J. Mitchell]

O'Reilly is a Kerry shill, for a reason- Phonies stick together like mud balls, or certain other substance that can be rolled into balls.

Neither is what they pretend to be.

[Bonaparte]

" In the last century, there are only two defining men, FDR and JFK."

Huh? Aren't you forgetting Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan? The accomplishments and influence of both of these presidents dwarf those of JFK, who succeeded in lowering taxes, giving our space program a boost and little else. He permitted Khrushchev to intimidate him into giving up our Turkish bases in return for withdrawing Russian missiles from Cuba. He completely botched the Bay of Pigs, throwing away our last real opportunity to rid ourselves of Castro.

"FDR changed the political landscape. (Centrist)"

FDR a centrist? You must be dreaming. He expanded the federal government and the welfare state beyond anybody's wildest hallucinations. He knew full well that his administration was chock full of communists and their sympathizers/abettors. This was repeatedly brought to his attention and he left them right where they were. He spent most of his time on his knees to his beloved "Uncle Joe," handing over all of eastern Europe to him at Yalta -- with Alger Hiss at his side. One look at his closest advisors should dispel any notion of "centrism," eg. Harry Hopkins. Then there was his Vice President, the so-called "progressive," Henry Wallace.

Anybody picking FDR as "Man of the Century" is no conservative.

" Conservatism isn't only about Christianity."

Nobody said it was. In fact, I didn't even mention Christianity in my post. What I pointed out is that Mr. "pro-choice" O'Reilly is a relativist and a hypocrite, as demonstrated by his shameless cafeteria Catholicism. Pandering to the homosexual agenda and throwing the unborn to the wolves do not qualify as proof of a "high regard for life and family."

O'Reilly's moral and religious positions are clearly on the left.

"Conservatism is about effective government, and an ineffective death penalty is a problem. On this, OReilly is a centrist."

You're putting words in O'Reilly's mouth. You have no idea what his rationale is for opposing the death penalty. The fact is that he does oppose it and that is, once again, a position that nobody can legitimately identify as conservative.

Questions of "effective government" and lengthy appeals process are entirely beside the point.

On the issue of capital punishment, O'Reilly once again throws in with the liberals.

Your other comments put you squarely in the liberal camp.

• Your instrumentalist view of government is a case in point (see utilitarianism, pragmatism). Nowhere in your overblown argument for federal intrusion do you mention the enumerated powers of the federal government. Like most who seek to justify unwarranted federal trepass on the rights of the states, you cite the Civil War as justification. But this was a case in which an unresolved Constitutional issue (right to secession) yielded only to a military solution. By its very nature, it was an extra-constitutional controversy. That circumstance does not equate with federal intrusion into the abortion question by Supreme Court activism, ie. the spurious introduction of a "right to privacy" to advance federal implementation of a liberal social agenda.

• Then there's this gem:

  "Far right conservatives frighten moderates into the arms of liberals, and when that happens people like Clinton get elected."

  Really? GHW Bush was a "far right" conservative? Could've fooled me. For your information, Clinton got elected because many conservatives either stayed home or voted for Perot in November of 1992. And they did this because Bush betrayed them, particularly on fiscal policy.

  Ronald Reagan was a true "far right" conservative and I don't recall his "frightening moderates into the arms of liberals." On the contrary, he won the moderates over in two successive landslides.

  Your attempts to demonize true conservatives are lame.

  Just one more before I sign off...

  "You know OReilly is on the 'right' team because liberals hate him."

  I could just as easily maintain that O'Reilly is on the left because so many conservatives are disgusted with him. The truth is that many of his viewers are liberals. The ones who "hate" him are the more radical and doctrinaire on the left, such as the DUers.

  This is a forum consisting almost exclusively of conservatives of various stripes. How many O'Reilly fans do you find here? Right. Almost none.

  QED.

  O'Reilly is about as "conservative" as you are, which is to say, not at all. He's a phony.

[Palladin]

Thanks for that info. Suddenly, things become crystal clear.

To hell with O'Reilly, Hannity and the rest of those bought and paid-for fools.

When did Rupert Murdoch hand over the reins to this guy Chernin?

[Palladin]

Rassman fell off kerry's boat because kerry fled the scene so fast. That's what I heard, too. Assman was sitting in the stern eating a cookie; when the firing started, yellow-belly Kerry took off like greased lightning, while the other swifties stayed put. The hasty exit threw Assman in the drink. You know by the dumb 'Rat look on his face that Assman is being well-paid-off with Teraza'a bagillions.

[Palladin]

Lay off the coconut juice!

[Bonaparte]

"Lay off the coconut juice!"

The first step is for him to admit he's a juice-aholic. In post 152, I had to send him to detox. If initial therapy fails, I may have to increase his dosage and confront him with O'Reilly's distinctly leftist views on gun control and global warming.

[woody9]

Anyone who defends O'Reilly scares the h*ll out of me...you included.

[brazzaville]

Good afternoon.

I've seen interviews with Rassmann but I don't remember where (more than likely Fox since their logo is etched on my screen). in one bit of film I saw he looked a little uncomfortable and I noticed that he was home in Oregon, not with the campaign.
The black ops story may be more than he can stomach.
Michael Frazier

[wardaddy]

[NavySEAL F-16]

I hope you're right.

I keep waiting for the guys who got their medals because of Kerry finally having it be too much for them as well. They have not been available to speak to anyone, including John O'Neill's PI.

All it takes is one to say that their medals were presented to them under questionable circumstances.

Kerry seems to continue to ruin lives no matter where he goes or what he does.

Some legacy for a life!