O'Neill Dares Kerry: 'Sue Me'

NewsMax .com ^ | 8/22/04 | Carl Limbacher

[kattracks]

Swiftboat Veterans for the Truth spokesman John O'Neill dared Sen. John Kerry on Sunday to sue him for libel if, as Kerry's presidential campaign maintains, key claims in O'Neill's book "Unifit for Command" are not true.

"I invite him to sue me for libel," O'Neill, who co-authored the overnight bestseller with Jerome Corsi, told WABC Radio's Monica Crowley. "If he was actually in Cambodia on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day he should sue me. If, in fact, those other five [Swift]boats, on March the 13, [1969], if they all fled like he did, instead of staying like he knows they did, he should sue me."

O'Neill continued:

"If he didn't wound himself with a grenade - causing sort of a rice-fanny wound - and then reported it to the Navy as a water mine - if he didn't do that on March 13th should sue me."

O'Neill issued the challenge after noting that Kerry's campaign has gone to extraordinary lengths to supress the information in "Unfit for Command."

"On our first [Swiftvet] ad, he had two huge lawfirms send letters to every [TV] station, threatening to sue the stations themselves" if they ran the ad, the former Swiftboat commander told Crowley.

"The next thing he did was challenge the book's publisher, Regnery, indicating he would sue them if they continued printing the book," he added.

The bestselling author said that while Regnery declined to stop printing "Unfit," it offered to republish Kerry's 1971 book "The New Soldier," which chronicles the top Democrat's anti-war protests with a group bankrolled by Jane Fonda.

Kerry has declined to have "New Solidier" republished over the years and reportedly bought up most of the available copies in 1972, after his opponent in a congressional race used it to paint him as anti-American.

[Clara Lou]

You're right that O'Neill is good. He stood toe-to-toe with Podesta this morning. Podesta is a pro, and O'Neill made him look bad.

[Ciexyz]

Ooo, the Enquirer spoof, how nasty! (Post 28)

[Carolinamom]

Lawyer Edwards won't be able to channel O'Neil, who's a much better lawyer AND he's been in firefights before. War is Hell, and Edwards hasn't been there. Duck this one, JohnBoy.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

"I invite him to sue me for libel," O'Neill, who co-authored the overnight bestseller with Jerome Corsi, told WABC Radio's Monica Crowley. "If he was actually in Cambodia on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day he should sue me. If, in fact, those other five [Swift]boats, on March the 13, [1969], if they all fled like he did, instead of staying like he knows they did, he should sue me. [...] If he didn't wound himself with a grenade - causing sort of a rice-fanny wound - and then reported it to the Navy as a water mine - if he didn't do that on March 13th should sue me."

This is just sheer, absolute stone brilliance. It effectively counters the ENTIRE weekend's worth of blatant line blocking the MSM has been attempting to muscle on Kerry's behalf.

The question is no longer "What will the Swift Boat Vets say in response to XXX"; rather, it is once more what it logically always SHOULD have been: "What will John Kerry say in response to O'Neill's frank and open designation of him as a gutless and manipulative liar...?"

Not that Kerry could ever manifest courage enough even to feint a motion towards the nearest courtroom, in response to O'Neill's righteous challenge. John Kerry, after all, is nothing but a big, ugly

[Lady In Blue]

Good news ping!

[BunnySlippers]

Bump

[blackie]

Yes!

[isthisnickcool]

O'Neill is a much smarter man than Podesta. O'Neill graduated 1st in his law school class of 554 and had the third highest score in the schools history.

See here

[headsonpikes]

I'll bet JFnK could tell us what the French for 'road-kill' is.

He could use it for the title of his next autobiography.

[Mo1]

Lawyer Edwards won't be able to channel O'Neil, who's a much better lawyer AND he's been in firefights before. War is Hell, and Edwards hasn't been there. Duck this one, JohnBoy

Plus there is the fact the Johnny Reed was in college when the draft ended in 73

[BulletBobCo]

Kerry's campaign.

[CyberAnt]

I count Regnery among the brave also. They have been on the forefront of printing the conservative point if view. It has made them lots of money .. it was a risky gamble .. but they took it. A little sniveling twit like Kerry is nothing to them.

[TJC]

Where did you get the rat? I like it, can you post a link to it. That is something I would use on all my e-mails.

[savedbygrace]

Kerry picks trial lawyer Edwards as VP and O'Neill says, "Sue me." This is rich.

It's like half the country is laughing at Kerry and he doesn't get the joke.

[Boundless]

> I think Kerry will sue to make himself look innocent.

Doubtful. If that was an effective strategy, they'd have
done it without O'Neil suggesting it.

When they filed the FEC complaint, my very first thought was:
Ah, they DON'T have grounds for a libel action.
Case closed.

[2nd amendment mama]

I really feel that the POW ad is softball

I guess you were looking at a different ad than I was. I thought it was very powerful! Made me send in another donation.

[OldFriend]

Kerry will file a suit. Drag this out for a while then drop it when it no longer matters.

[CyberAnt]

That is shocking .. CSPAN has been replaying this debate over and over. They just played it last week or earlier this week IIRC. I'm beginning to wonder if CSPAN is beginning to realize the MSM is not touching this. Hmmmm?

[spokeshave]

"The SBV's have to quit advertising after Sept. 2, IIRC, but a lawsuit would keep this in front of the news for the foreseeable future. Kerry is trapped"

I don't think so...the Swifties are not political....just stating the facts.

In any case advertisement No 2 is John F'n "flip-flop fop" Kerry's own words.

Anyone got the answer for post Sept 2nd.....?

[Unam Sanctam]

The whole tone of the Swift Vets strikes me as nasty. I really think they are going to turn people off, even if they are right.