Posted on 08/12/2004 9:09:45 PM PDT by 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.
He is right of the political center. That is without a doubt. As more of a centrist on television, he falls left of many conservatives, but he will always vote with the conservatives.
""....it might well backfire on the Kerry haters"
Anyone with an interest in the truth is a Kerry hater? Nice try.
Incidentally, I do hate him.
"but at the moment it is a "he said, they say" match."
But in the "No Spin Zone" it is the Swift Boat Vets who are the bad guys.
Geez, I just read the article again, and see Mr. Nospin is spinning the reason Kerry didn't report the shooting of the Vietnamese child (who was hidden under his father) was to protect Gardner. What crap.
Kerry was the commander of the boat and was responsible for the actions of those under his command. He didn't report it because it would have made him look bad, not Gardner.
Come on, Bill, even you know you've got to be a female general in charge of a prison camp in Iraq to be able to avoid blame for what your subordinates do.
O'reilly is in poor taste. He is waffling becsue his ratings are taking a hit as more cred info comes out.
"at the moment it is a "he said, they say" match."
Kerry could prove his side by releasing ALL his military records. Why doesn't he?
Anyone with any common sense knows the answer: that what's in those records would prove what the SwiftVets are saying, and thus would be much worse for Kerry, than the words of the Vets.
Does anyone really think, that if Kerry's records would DISPROVE the "allegations" of the SwiftVets he wouldn't release them?
O'Reilly wasn't born yesterday. Why isn't he calling for Kerry to release his records to prove his side?
Bill O'Reilly is an arrogant a-----e!!
O'Reilly may be slightly right of center, but it is a stretch to call him conservative. I think O'Reilly calls it as he sees it, but tends to shoot from the hip without all the facts. I really don't think O'Reilly moderates his views in any way.
Right. The fire was coming FROM the boats.
Hardly!
I'll grant you that he is not a liberal, but he is certainly not a conservative.
What he is would be best described as a populist. He is a centrist populist who try's like hell to straddle the fences between the parties.
This way, he can go either way without anyone having a clue. This works for politicians and it seems to serve him well as a news talking head.
My guess, is that he voted for Gore, but will not vote for Kerry. But that is just my guess.
B) O'Reilly also condemns the ad but never acknowledges that what got these men's dander up in the first place was the fact that Kerry tried to use a photo of these men as an endorsement of his candidacy. Would O'Reilly stand idly by if Al Franken tried to use some sort of photo of him standing by O'Reilly as proof that O'Reilly is a Franken fan?
C) Nobody is saying President Bush is all good or Mr. Heinz-Kerry is all bad. Why can't O'Reilly stick to the facts?
D) O'Reilly is not a Conservative. He believes in global warming and he thinks owners of SUVs should pay higher taxes. Obviously he's never bought a set of tires for an SUV.
Huh? He's an enviro-waco land grabber (liberal), a pro-homo (liberal), an anti-Bush (liberal), a vet hater (unless the vet supports Kerry), and a guy who can't even get his facts straight. He jumps in first, and spins his way out later.
There's nothing conservative about the guy. Nothing at all! He just wants you to believe that, but pay attention next time. He's not even close.
That is all we are asking. The emotional outbursts are coming from the DNC political hacks like Carville,Davis,etc... trying to drown out anything unfavorable to Kerry.
"I'm fuming."
I am so too fuming after the Matthews re-run. I will seriously never watch him again. He used to amuse me. Now he just makes me want to yell and scream like he does. And please, I can do that on my own.
I saw the Matthews interview. Matthews kept harping on the fact that "the navy gave Kerry the medals so it must be true." He was offered all sorts of counter evidence but Matthews just stuck to his lame theory.
Who is navy?
What nonsense. He could have the government gave Kerry those medals.
GOVERNMENTS DONT GIVE MEDALS, PEOPLE GIVE MEDALS!
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