Posted on 08/17/2004 7:59:52 PM PDT by neverdem
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Senator John Kerry denounced an advertisement by the liberal group MoveOn.org questioning President Bush's Vietnam-era service in the Air National Guard yesterday, a move likely to raise pressure on President Bush to condemn a recent commercial accusing Mr. Kerry of lying about his war record.
The new MoveOn advertisement, running in three states, accuses Mr. Bush of using family connections to get into the Air National Guard to escape combat in Vietnam and revisits accusations that he did not adequately meet his service requirements - charges that he denies.
Mr. Kerry's statement came hours after surrogates for his presidential campaign made similar accusations and was prompted by a plea from Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, a friend of Mr. Kerry and a fellow combat veteran in Vietnam.
Earlier this month, Mr. McCain similarly called on Mr. Bush to denounce the advertisement criticizing Mr. Kerry, by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. That spot, in which fellow Vietnam War veterans said Mr. Kerry lied about the incidents for which he won his combat medals, stopped running last week but the group says it plans to run another one soon.
The Bush campaign has declined to denounce the Swift boat advertisement, saying it had nothing to do with the spot.
That decision created an opening for MoveOn, whose spot ends with a quotation from Mr. McCain about the Swift boat commercial earlier this month: "I think the Bush campaign should specifically condemn the ad."
In an interview with The Associated Press yesterday, Mr. McCain said Mr. Kerry should condemn the MoveOn spot because it's "the same line of scurrilous attack" leveled against Mr. Kerry by the Swift boat veterans.
Shortly afterwards, Mr. Kerry's campaign released his statement: "I agree with Senator McCain that the ad is inappropriate. This should be a campaign of issues, not insults."
Yesterday, Mr. Bush's campaign again refused to repudiate the Swift boat advertisement. Democrats say that spot was largely paid for by Bob J. Perry, a Texas homebuilder with longstanding ties to Mr. Bush's top political aide, Karl Rove. Mr. Perry has donated $200,000, the group said.
The Bush campaign and the group say they have had no contact and are not working in coordination, which would be a violation of campaign finance rules.
"The campaign has not questioned and will not question John Kerry's service in Vietnam," said Steve Schmidt, a campaign spokesman. "The president made clear on national television that he honors John Kerry's service in Vietnam."
Mr. Schmidt painted Mr. Kerry's repudiation of the spots as disingenuous, given that at a campaign-sponsored news conference earlier in the day Gen. Wesley K. Clark, who competed against Mr. Kerry in the Democratic primaries earlier this year, and Adm. Stansfield Turner, the director of central intelligence for President Jimmy Carter, echoed MoveOn's accusations that Mr. Bush used family connections to avoid combat.
"Kerry's condemnation reeks of hypocrisy given the fact that his campaign surrogates are on the attack echoing the same baseless charges," Mr. Schmidt said.
Echoing a line that the Swift boat veterans have used, Mr. Kerry's campaign said General Clark and Admiral Turner had earned the right to speak their minds.
"With their service, they've more than earned the right to speak out," Mr. Clanton said. "We're still waiting for the president to condemn the smear campaign against John Kerry's military service."
As of last night, it did not seem as if Mr. Kerry's condemnation of the Moveon advertisement would have any effect on the group's plans.
Eli Pariser, the head of the Moveon political action committee responsible for the spot, said of Mr. Kerry, "We feel he's entitled to his opinion."
But Mr. Pariser said he did not believe that the Moveon spot and Swift boat veterans' one were in the same league.
The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has provided affidavits for the men making claims against Mr. Kerry in its first and last advertisement. But while some of the men served near Mr. Kerry's Swift boat, none in the advertisement served on it.
Yeah, that is a crock for sure. There was nothing special about the way he went into the service. No different than many of us, except that he exploits it.
"Shortly afterwards, Mr. Kerry's campaign released his statement: "I agree with Senator McCain that the ad is inappropriate. This should be a campaign of issues, not insults." "
And the Kerry campaign is absolutely correct. This should be a campaign of issues. Kerry made his Vietnam service and issue. Let's discuss this more... Hmm??????
Denouncing ads by 527s would be coordination, would it not? It essentially signals to them that the ad should be pulled.
Thanks for your service to our country.
Yeah, and don't forget WHOOPIE and her terrible remarks about our dear Laura. Cad!
haha! I clicked "I like it" and captioned it:Kerry: "Someday, I'll run for President!"
How big of Jean alQuery. Was that before or after he sent Wesley Clark out to repeat the same tripe before the national media?
He tried to get a year in France, I believe, to study (probably wanted courses on how to surrender gracefully). When he was turned down, he went to the Navy.
Big difference here...GWB has released his military records...Where are Kerry's?
I bet even this minor act by Kerry has pissed off the DUhers. Its good for that reason, if no other.
If you have the patience, this thread has a bunch of references.
So what? Kerry himself has questioned the President's Guard duty and commented on him being "AWOL". He's sending Max Cleland, Wesley Clark and Terry McAwful out to continue on with this. They are a party that celebrated having Michael Moore at their convention. Kerry can't distance himself from it because he is doing it himself.
As reported in the FL Times Union, The Boston Herald, and other concurrent sources:
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, wounded in Vietnam, contended it's also a matter of character that Bush avoided duty oversees by joining the Texas Air National Guard. No documents have been found to show he reported for duty as ordered in Alabama in 1972.
"Those of us who were in the military wonder how it is that someone who is supposedly serving on active duty, having taken that oath, can miss a whole year of service without even explaining where it went," said Kerry.
When is the WH going to call this man to account for his OWN WORDS on this issue?
And hence, the REAL reason Kerry did it.
Bush should continue to condemn the 527s and stay out of the fray.
The big deal here is that the "paper of record" is finally addressing the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
But did Kerry agree to release all his military records? No!
Did Kerry agree to disclose his senate attendance record? No!
How long has MoveOn been smearing Bush? 7+ Months? Let the SBV have until November, less than 90 days, and it is no smear!!!
LOL! That is so funny, and so kerry-like! I know we're all thinking the same thing. LOL!
This one's different. This is "I'm against it even though I'm still for it."
It's typical that the RATs' most active 527 propaganda organization is named like the kind of medicine I would prescribe for some bowel-obsessed crank despondent that he hasn't been able to move his bowels for a day.
--WTR, MD
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