Posted on 08/16/2004 9:03:20 PM PDT by Reagan Man
Contrary to the polite, watered-down dismissals of much of the beltway pundit community, there is simply no way to chalk up the opposing stories of John Kerry and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth as mutually honest differences of opinion.
I've now read the book "Unfit for Command," and am here to tell you that its multitudinous allegations against Senator Kerry are breathtaking. You cannot read this book without concluding that its co-authors John O'Neill and Jerome Corsi -- and the scores of Vietnam veterans they cite by name throughout the book -- are making specific indictments against Kerry that cannot be rationalized away.
John O'Neill doesn't timidly suggest that Kerry might have lied occasionally or exaggerated in Vietnam and afterward during his antiwar crusade. Rather he paints an unmistakable picture of Kerry as a ruthless, self-promoting egomaniac who systematically placed his own interests above his fellow soldiers and who was obsessively involved in building his resume at all costs during the entirety of his short tour in Vietnam.
O'Neill depicts Kerry -- with mountains of documented evidence -- as a pathological, unconscionable liar whose penchant for dishonesty in Vietnam was only exceeded by his brutal, unmitigated slander of his fellow soldiers when he rushed stateside to lobby against them, their superiors and the entire military establishment.
You can certainly say that John O'Neill and the some 250 Swiftees supporting his position are lying. Or you can say that John Kerry was lying about Vietnam and continues to today. But you cannot honestly say that both groups may be telling the truth. That choice is simply not open to us, as anyone who reads the book will be forced to admit.
You can also dismiss these charges out of hand by accepting the propaganda of Kerry's supporters, whose primary tactic has been to discredit the Swiftees as paid Republican mouthpieces who "did not serve on the same boat as John Kerry."
But John O'Neill himself denies that he's a Republican and says that many in his group are Democrats. Let the investigative reporters of the partisan media run that down if they dare.
And to suggest that the Swiftees had to have been on the same boat is flagrantly specious, as the boats traveled in close proximity to one another, affording the Swiftees firsthand knowledge of the events they describe. In one case, O'Neill charges Kerry with taking credit for the heroics actually performed by members of another Swift Boat. You can see how you wouldn't have to be on the same boat with Kerry to testify to that one.
In evaluating the respective disputants' credibility we should note that neither Kerry nor his defenders have even attempted to refute the great majority of the factual assertions in the book. They tried with the "Christmas in Cambodia" incident and dug themselves a far deeper hole, and they're still digging.
They haven't been willing to engage in a debate with Mr. O'Neill. Instead, they have shouted him down. Just review the transcript of O'Neill's appearance on CNN's "Crossfire," where James Carville and Lanny Davis ceaselessly berated O'Neill and literally wouldn't let him speak.
And Chris Matthews, though he allowed O'Neill to speak between interruptions, couldn't seem to get past his perception that Kerry had to be a hero because the Navy, as an institution, bestowed multiple awards on him.
But if Chris had read the book, he would have understood that one of its premises is that Kerry often circumvented those who had actual knowledge of events and duped his superiors into giving him honors by falsifying reports and presumably recommending himself for these awards when his superiors refused to do so.
Kerry could clear much of this up by releasing all his medical and military records, but so far he has been quite selective with their release. We need to know, for example, if he filed false reports, such as claiming that certain self-inflicted wounds were a result of enemy fire.
But what's even more damning to John Kerry's credibility is his unsubstantiated defamation of his fellow servicemen in his opportunistic Senate testimony and elsewhere upon his return from Vietnam. Kerry not only indicts his fellow soldiers as war criminals, but the entire command structure of the U.S. military as directing these types of activities.
Yet Kerry has never been able to produce specific names and dates of those who committed these actions, nor any real proof of systematic, much less top-down orchestrated atrocities. Kerry has never apologized for these slanders.
If just one tenth of what the Swiftees assert is true, we should shudder at the prospect of a Kerry presidency. Where are the media?
ROTFLOL! Ohhhhh! myyyyy!
Thanks I needed a good laugh!
I agree .. the media is hanging themselves.
Good question. They sure wanted to investigate Bush's military records.
Why not Kerry's?
I thought they were biking with him today? Didn't Teraysa buy bikes for all the ABCNNBCBS reporters?
I keep saying this .. but I'll say it again .. every day Kerry reminds me more and more of Clinton. This thing with the hairdresser reminded me of Clinton's $200 haircut on the tarmack .. holding up other flights so he could get a haircut.
What makes you think Kerry would be resigning from anything ..??
I think part of his coolness under fire is his attorney training. I suspect he spends a lot of time in court.
You mean where is the impartial-always concerned about the truth no matter how hard it hurts-we don't play favorites media? Excuse me but my insides are hurting from laughing at the suggestion of a bias-free media. The real truth is Big Media is complicit in actively promoting ANY!!! Democrat campaigning against Pres Bush. The idea that the average American can expect the truth and fair reporting from ultra-liberal Big Media is a huge myth that should be laid to rest. I just don't know how your typical lib "journalist" can get up in the morning and look themselves in the mirror knowing what a deceitful, liberal prostitute he or she is.
It's just a hunch/feeling I've had for many months. I have no firm foundation for it.
index bump
The bottom line.
Ping...............
Interestingly enough, this was followed by little Bobby Reich, Clinton's former whatever, who surprised Joe by melting down right on the air over the issue, which he wasn't even supposed to discuss.
The Dems are in full Panic Mode, folks. All it will take is one "major" reporter digging up some facts and getting some headline time, and the entire house of Kerry Vietnam cards will collapse.
The Dems may get away with it yet (they usually do), but as the book emerges as a #1 best seller it will be harder and harder to run from in the midst of a campaign.
Ya think David Gregory will go after and demand answers from Sen. Kerry like he went after President Bush on his service records???
You'll see them as soon as the media can present 200 Texas Air National Guard Veterans For Truth. Oh, there's not one? Well, to be "balanced", we can't show the Swift Boat Veterans either.
Interesting. What happened?
He took right off after Joe, claiming "you Republicans" are behind this outrageous and scurrilous attack against a war hero, blah, blah, blah.
Joe was nearly speechless, but countered right back, saying he was very fair in the interview (he was) and not part of any orchestrated Republican Attack Machine!
Reich was unrepentant and kept up the attack on Joe, O'Neill, the Swifties, and the Republicans in general. Then Joe really got mad and reminded him he was on the show to discuss his book, not this unrelated topic. Reich backed off a bit when confronted with an outraged Joe, but the interview was downhill from there.
Reich is a smarmy, vicious, partisan, little ninny who likes to pretend he is an intellectual and enlightened man. But he sure showed his stripes last night as a Democrat dupe and part of their propaganda organs.
I've always disliked the man. I detest him even more today. He is a typical Liberal, nasty, New York Rat who was raised in privilege and thinks he's smarter and more enlightened than everybody else simply because he thinks so.
ROBERT REICH, AUTHOR, “REASON”: Joe, they‘re the Republicans who are running the White House and Congress. Let me say one thing. I‘ve listened to the last 45 minutes of your show. And why you Republicans would want to question John Kerry‘s valorous war record when even John McCain says there‘s nothing to these charges and President Bush—I mean George Bush doesn‘t even have a war record, doesn‘t even have a war record --
SCARBOROUGH: I‘m sorry, Robert, wait, wait, wait.
REICH: It‘s absolutely extraordinary.
SCARBOROUGH: What‘s extraordinary is that I tried my best for 45 minutes to be down the middle and let both of these gentlemen have their say. I talked to them between breaks even. They both said I was being fair, and you come on here and in two seconds you say why are you Republicans questioning John Kerry‘s war service. Did I say anything that questioned John Kerry‘s war service?
REICH: For Republicans to question his war service is like somebody my size questioning John Kerry‘s height. I mean George Bush—
SCARBOROUGH: I‘m asking you a question, though.
REICH: George Bush doesn‘t have a war record.
SCARBOROUGH: I‘m asking you a personal question, though. Do you think I questioned John Kerry‘s war record here tonight?
REICH: Look it, Joe, let‘s be clear.
SCARBOROUGH: Yes or no.
REICH: You gave 45 minutes to a controversy that‘s not even a controversy. It‘s not even worth talking about. I mean if this is - by elevating this to the level of controversy, you are contributing to making -- creating the impression that it is a controversy.
SCARBOROUGH: So what about George W. Bush‘s National Guard service in Texas, do you think that‘s an issue?
REICH: I certainly do and I think...
SCARBOROUGH: What‘s the difference, Robert?
REICH: You want to have 45 minutes talking about that, Joe?
SCARBOROUGH: We did. We did. We did six months ago, Robert Reich.
REICH: Put 45 minutes, about 45 minutes talking about what happened to George W. Bush...
SCARBOROUGH: ... these generalities?
REICH: Oh, come on Joe, you‘re a nice guy, but you‘re a Republican.
SCARBOROUGH: Robert, six months ago.
REICH: You‘re a Republican.
SCARBOROUGH: Robert Reich, six months ago, we talked about George Bush‘s war record. You know, and it went on and on. The only difference between six months ago and now is that the national media, “The New York Times”, the NBC, CBS, ABC were enthralled with that story. Now you don‘t hear that much about this story. Let‘s talk about your book, though.
The little Reich just witnessed the democrats getting their clock cleaned. He lost it.
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