A Must Read: Unfit For Command

Investors Business Daily ^ | August 28, 2004 | bookreview

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Campaign '04: The media finally have discovered Swift boat veterans. Not to tell their story, mind you. But to attack them for daring to criticize John Kerry. That's why "Unfit for Command" is such an important book.

To listen to the mainstream media, you'd think nothing of note came from "Unfit for Command," the book written by former Navy commander John O'Neill that sums up the case made by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

In fact, it's full of damning detail about Kerry's career in Vietnam and his anti-war activity afterward. The overall picture that emerges isn't one that should be comforting to Kerry supporters.

Some in the media have tried to discredit the book's author, or to impeach the rock-solid testimony of the dozens of former Navy men who have stepped forward to question Kerry's record, or to even suggest somehow it's all just a plot by President Bush and his evil political hit man, Karl Rove, to steal yet another election.

We've seen supposedly objective media try to deep-six the book by making false claims about its contents and calling on Bush to "repudiate" its message — as if that would make the charges less true.

Bush, for his part, has played the gentleman, giving candidate Kerry a pass. But the charges in "Unfit for Command" are too numerous to ignore. There are literally dozens, all attested to by individuals who served alongside Kerry.

Despite Bush's gracious gesture to a faltering political foe, the allegations deserve a serious hearing by the media — just as they picked apart Bush's National Guard records this year and in 2000.

We've read the book front to back and have been impressed with not only its thoroughness, but also the extraordinary number of people who contributed to it. This is not one man's story, but the accounts of dozens of credible witnesses.

Yes, as with virtually all books, minor inaccuracies have crept in. But the larger message still holds: Kerry appears to have exaggerated his wartime heroism for political gain, distorted his record by filing false reports, and lied repeatedly about his presence in Cambodia in December 1968.

After the war, in his 1971 testimony before the Senate and again in his book "The New Soldier," Kerry lied about atrocities he claims he saw others routinely commit while in Vietnam.

His later actions as an anti-war activist included meeting with North Vietnamese communists and the Viet Cong during the Paris Peace Talks. And after the talks were through, he sided with the enemy.

These aren't mere quibbles, or beer-bar disputes. They go to the very heart of the qualifications of a person who seeks the presidency. It's a question of believability, of integrity, of character.

It would be easier to discount "Unfit for Command" if it were just the work of O'Neill, whom Democrats have portrayed as a kind of GOP stooge set in motion 33 years ago by President Nixon. But O'Neill is merely the most public face of a large group of men — more than 250 — who have mostly verified O'Neill's details.

These men are Democrats and Republicans. They include enlisted men and admirals. They are honorable men, eager to set the record straight. Yet they've had their honor and honesty questioned by journalists eager to exonerate Kerry.

The Kerry campaign can't understand the fuss. Why the sudden anger over things that are, after all, decades old? And why are veterans so angry?

The answer to both is that these issues never got a fair hearing before. And many of the nation's 28 million veterans care less about what Kerry did during the war than how he betrayed them in word and deed afterward.

If Kerry really wants this to go away, he could start with an apology to the vets he slandered 30 years ago. Then he can come clean on what he did, and didn't do, during the war.

A man who would be president can do no less.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Really?

[GailA]

Wal-Mart is supposed to be getting them any time now.

[Right_in_Virginia]

BTTT

[Right_in_Virginia]

Amazon just notified me of a delay in filling my order.

Me, too. I got an email that the ship date from Amazon would be October 2--5. I cancelled with them and bought it locally. I had a two day wait...but, hey, I've got the book!

[Dr. Scarpetta]

I'm waiting for mine to arrive from Regnery.

[PogySailor]

If Kerry really wants this to go away, he could start with an apology to the vets he slandered 30 years ago.

Ah, there's the rub. If Kerry says he was wrong then that means his post-war activities were a fraud. He admits he is a phony.

He'll never do that. He's John Kerry.

[depenzz]

I got mine Thursday from Booksamillion.com, I had about a week wait as they were out of them when I ordered it. It showed in stock but it wasn't, I sent them an email asking them if they were playing games and they answered that they were not and I would get the book when it was received by them.

[doug from upland]

This one really says it nicely.

[CaraM]

... then withdraw his candicacy.

NO!!...We want him to run and lose. If he withdraws we will have to deal with someone else and start all over again, possibly with insufficient time to expose their weaknesses.

[CaraM]

I just got my two copies yesterday, shipped to my local little coffeeshop (with a conservative, ex-military owner). Regnery is now printing over 500,000 copies, so there will be enough books soon to fill all the backorders.

[CaraM]

Just ask your book store to order it for you

[Buffalo Head]

Thanks for the excellent post.

[Chieftain]

The postman just delivered my copy of "Unfit for Command" - WHOO - HOO!

[Chieftain]

Tired of the lamestream media and the DemocRATS 'smear the messenger' campaign?

Do SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Do what Reagan did - GO AROUND THEM AND GO DIRECTLY TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!

Get your own "EXPOSE KERRY'S FRAUD SWIFT BOAT VETERANS FOR TRUTH" STICKER!

I put this sticker on my truck the other day. I get lots of honks and 'thumbs up'!

The sticker serves 3 purposes:
1 - Shows visible support for "Swift Boat Veterans For Truth" to passing motorists, (encourages our side discourages the libs).
2 - Gets the swiftvets.com website visible to the public, so they can and find out more about 'Hanoi John' Kerry.
3 - Circumvents the lamestream media BIAS filter!

Made by fellow FReeper disabled vet who has a bone to pick with Kerry, like we all do!
Large (24" Wide 12" Tall) $20 (like mine above)
Small (12" Wide 6" Tall) $10
Profits go to SwiftVets.com

Ping your FRiends, let 'em know about this!

FReep mail / private reply for details on how you can get one for your vehicle!

[jmstein7]

Ver nice.

[Stentor]

I have not seen one copy in my small Southern city.

Got one of my copies on Ebay. The guy same day shipped by priority mail and I had it two days later.

[Countyline]

"His later actions as an anti-war activist included meeting with North Vietnamese communists and the Viet Cong during the Paris Peace Talks. And after the talks were through, he sided with the enemy."

Traitorous! ... (to hand over; betray; side with the enemy) ... this man is not worthy of the Presidency under any circumstances.

[backhoe]

Ebay. The guy same day shipped by priority mail and I had it two days later.

Good idea- thanks!

[CyberAnt]

I sincerely do not believe the destruction of MILLIONS of the lives of our precious military can be settled with anything as EASY as an apology.

You can't apologize for all the suicides. You can't apologize for all the wounds perpetrated on our military from people spitting on them and throwing rotten tomotoes. There is no apology to cover those things.

Mr. Kerry needs to be shamed and disgraced and driven from office.

Since Mr. Kerry loves the French so much .. maybe he should just move there, along with the "shove it" person he calls his wife.

[Rum Tum Tugger]

I'm only on chapter two of Unfit For Command, but the books is bringing back lots of memories of the Vietnam era and of the anti-war movement.

I didn't serve in Vietnam but many of you did. I've got some questions and observations for those who were there or for those who weren't there but know enough about it to comment.

One of the first things that struck me about the book was how different John Kerry is from the rest of the Swift Boat Vets in culture and ideology. I didn't realize that Kerry was already anti-war when he went to Vietnam. I thought that happened when he was there. It's easy to see how Kerry would alienate himself from his comrades with all his anti-war whining and criticism of officers. Even if he didn't lie, Kerry is so different in culture and ideology from the other Vets that few of them would have ever liked him.

I also now understand how angry the Swift Boat Vets would be by Kerry's anti-war activities after he left Vietnam. The anger is so strong that it has lasted for over 30 years and has caused the Swift Boat Vets to speak out for many reasons, including just getting even with the SOB.

I'm embarassed to say that there's one big issue which confuses me. In 2004 are we supposed to be in favor of the Vietnam war or against it? I know there's been a lot about this topic in recent years, but I haven't followed it closely.

In recent years, it has been revealed that the Johnson administration lied about certain facts that caused us to increase our level of activity in Vietnam. Isn't it true that our own government wouldn't allow us to take sufficient military action to win the war? Then, when we pulled out of Vietnam, the Viet Cong took over and everything we tried to achieve went down the drain. So, in hindsight, it appears that our Vietnam strategy was a huge failure. Do those of you who were there agree? If not, what am I missing?

Look, I am by no means a Kerry supporter. I've never voted for a Democrat and I never will. However, a question that must be asked is "if in fact we now believe that our Vietnam strategy was a bad idea and a failure, wasn't Kerry right to oppose the war?"

The one thing that is the big problem for me in answering that question is that Kerry's antiwar activities did give comfort and aid to the enemy and cost American lives. That's really unforgivable. Perhaps, the answer is that it was probably OK to be antiwar as along as one's actions didn't aid the enemy. So far as I've read, Kerry's comforting and aiding the enemy is the most damning thing in Unfit For Command.

Finally, for those who read Unfit For Command and who did live through the Vietnam era, the book does open old wounds regardless of what your position on the war might have been in 1968.