Posted on 08/25/2004 4:47:21 PM PDT by kezekiel
WASHINGTON - The chief critic of John Kerry (news - web sites)'s military record told President Nixon in 1971 that he had been in Cambodia in a swift boat during the Vietnam War — a claim at odds with his recent statements that he was not.
Photo AP Photo
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"I was in Cambodia, sir. I worked along the border," said John E. O'Neill in a conversation that was taped by the former president's secret recording system. The tape is stored at the National Archives in College Park, Md.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, O'Neill did not dispute what he said to Nixon, but insisted he was never actually in Cambodia.
"I think I made it very clear that I was on the border, which is exactly where I was for three months. I was about 100 yards from Cambodia," O'Neill said in clarifying the June 16, 1971, conversation with Nixon.
Chad Clanton, a spokesman for the Democratic presidential candidate, said the tape "is just the latest in a long line of lies and false statements from a group trying to smear John Kerry's military service. Again, they're being proven liars with their own words. It's time for President Bush (news - web sites) to stand up and specifically condemn this smear."
O'Neill served in Vietnam from 1969-70 and says in a recent book that he took command of Kerry's swift boat after the future Massachusetts senator returned home from the war.
O'Neill has emerged as a leading figure in the attacks on Kerry's war record. He is co-author of "Unfit for Command," which accuses Kerry of lying about his record, and is a member of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which has aired two television commercials harshly critical of Kerry.
In the book, O'Neill wrote that Kerry's accounts of having been in Cambodia on Christmas Eve of 1968 "are complete lies."
"... Kerry was never ordered into Cambodia by anyone and would have been court-martialed had he gone there," he wrote. O'Neill wrote that the Navy positioned its own craft along the border area to make sure no American vessels strayed across the border from Vietnam.
In an interview Sunday on ABC's "This Week" O'Neill said: "Our boats didn't go north of, only slightly north of Sedek," which he said was about 50 miles from the Cambodian border.
Kerry's campaign has acknowledged that he may not have been in Cambodia on Christmas Eve of 1968, as he has previously stated. The campaign says Kerry does recall being on patrol along the Cambodia-Vietnam border on that date, although it's unclear if he crossed into Cambodia.
Referring to the tape of the Oval Office meeting with Nixon, O'Neill criticized Kerry for making claims, including in the Senate, that he was in Cambodia.
"I've never represented on the floor of the Senate, or told people 50 times like John Kerry did that I was in Cambodia. That never happened. And I don't think he was ever there either," O'Neill said.
The snippet of taped conversation surfaced after more than a week of controversy surrounding claims that Kerry lied about his actions in a war in which he won five military medals. The Democrat and his allies have vigorously attacked such claims as a smear, laboring to undermine the charges as well as cast doubt on the men who are making them.
For his part, Kerry accused the swift boat group of being a "front group" that was doing Bush's dirty work.
The Bush campaign denies any involvement with Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
Don't you love it? The lamestream media comes through for Johnny Boy again. Must be nice.
Medved covered this today.....it's sKerry campaign....GRASPING at straws......sheesh.
I hope O'Neill is going to sue the headline writer for libel. The writer of the story is very careful not to accuse O'Neill of lying, but not so for the headline writer.
Don't you love the snippet out of context?
It doesn't work anymore, MSM. There are too many other venues for information.
Aren't the LSM tired of wearing their kneepads?
If only the AP and others in the MSM would INVESTIGATE Kerry 1/10th as much as they are the SWIFTIES there would be a level playing field. Can you believe they are looking at the NIXON tapes to find something on these guys. Unbelievable!!
Harold Ickes at the helm............
yes and notice how Kerry claims he was in Cambodia but he wasn't and that wasn't a lie while O'Neill said he was along the border and he was so that is a lie.
The democrats are in a smear campaign against John E O'Neill, they are investigating HIM, NOT John Fraud Kerry like they are supposed to be doing for the voters. It isnt the medias JOB to DEFEND KERRY!
They fear the TRUTH and with good reason. The TRUTH will always win out and it will here as well.
O'Neill was very clear in that he was on the Cambodian border and not in Cambodia. Long John Silver lied about being in Cambodia.
Where have you been, K? This is old news. The statement was taken out of context. Immediately following that statement he said that he wasn't really in Cambodia, but close to it. Of course the last part isn't being quoted by the MSM. Sheesh, get with the whole truth.
Headlines about Kerry misstatements never say "Lied", they say it in other ways...
O'Neill says something off the cuff--once. Kerry tells us a long, dramatic story and again and again.
When Nixon saw him on the Dick Cavett Show debating JFK, he invited John O'Neill to the White House only to realize that he was a democrat and therefore had no use for him. The MSM won't tell you that only that he met with Nixon. A half truth does not create a lie.
First Kerry says, "Bring it on." Then Kerry says, "Make them stop, Bush." He sounds like the biggest damn girlie man there has ever been. "Quit it. You're hurting me. Stop picking on me" All this after Moveon.org, Michael Moore, and George-the-billionaire-Soros have made scurrilous attacks on Bush. Where was the lame stream media then?
I didnt hear O'Neill saying he was 5 miles inside Cambodia like kerry did...
I also hope that O'Neill slaps a suit on Yahoo so fast it makes their head spin. Let them know there are some consequences to their lying slime.
Some have speculated, not O'Neill, that the draft of a swiftboat would have barred such a boat from getting near the Cambodian border on the Mekong, which I doubt.
Anyway, in "1970" actual incursions into Cambodia were permitted - but not when Kerry was there.
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