Mr. Rood is an editor for a major metropolitan newspaper. His business is the news. The SBVT firestorm has been building all summer and exploded weeks ago. He has first-hand information about that story. His newspaper could have had this story weeks ago.
Never mind that it took a phone call from Kerry for Rood to speak out. One would think with all the newspapers in this country that some investigative reporter, like maybe one from the Chicago Tribune, would have found out that Rood served with Kerry and interviewed him weeks ago. After all, Rood is mentioned in Brinkley's book about Kerry, Tour of Duty, so there is no excuse that he was a complete unknown.
Bill Rood called Kerry "Ichabod," as in Crane
The circumstances of his coming forward at this time and under these circumstances seem odd to me. I guess he, too, is now "reporting for duty."
If you do a Google search for Rood, you will find him on many left wing boards. In fact, one of the books out there refers to Rood as a highly partisan Democrat even during the Vietnam war. It seems pretty obvious that Kerry has been holding him in reserve until this very moment.