Kerry's War Record (WaPo online chat with Michael Dobbs on Kerry/Brinkley/Swiftees)

Washington Post ^ | 30 August 2004 | Michael Dobbs

[NavySEAL F-16]

Fulda, Minn.: Your investigation is being cited by the Kerry campaign and its supporters as an umambiguous refutation of the claims made by the Swift Boat Veterans. Do you agree with that position?

Michael Dobbs: I assume you are talking about the earlier articles I wrote, not the one I wrote this weekend about Kerry's post-war record. In my previous reporting, I focused on one particular incident, on March 13, 1969, as a result of which Kerry won a Bronze Star. I feel that my reporting refutes some claims of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, but not all. I have not examined all their claims in detail. I also respect the memories of everyone who was on the river that day. Sometimes, people remember things differently. That is part of what is known as the fog of war.

[NavySEAL F-16]

Dublin, Calif.: Seems to me that the Swift Boat Vets are mostly pushing for Senator Kerry to sign a Standard Form 180 so the navy can release all his military record.

Do you feel this is a resonable request?

Michael Dobbs: I think that Sen. Kerry should allow independent access to his military records. If this involves signing a SF 180, as it appears to do, I think that he should do this.

Bingo!

[ProudVet77]

I actually believe he has already signed an SF180, since he has posted some documents that could only have come from his service jacket. But he has cherry picked what we can see. I'd like to ask Brinkley if he has seen copies of Kerry's military records. Would be easier for Brinkley to write the biography if he had access to Kerry's records.

[RobbyS]

There was a question about Ben Barnes. Barnes is crooked, and it stretches things to believe that he would go out of his way to help the son of Goerge H.W. Bush was was then just a run-of-the-mill liberal Republican congressman in a state dominated by the Democratic Party. Barnes is reinventiing the past.

[RobbyS]

Think you are right about the cherry-picking. No, he is not going to turn over the whole package.

[Cboldt]

Michael Dobbs: ... I feel that my reporting refutes some claims of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ...

Heheheh. He doesn't even believe his own BS. He "feels" he wrote a convincing story, that's all.

[RS]

"Michael Dobbs: ... I feel that my reporting refutes some claims of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ..."

Some ? Not all or even most ? Just which ones do you feel that your reporting has NOT refuted ?

[NavySEAL F-16]

He was a member of President Johnson’s Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, U.S. representative to the NATO Conference in 1967, and United Nations Representative to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1968.

In 1969, Barnes was elected lieutenant governor of Texas and served from 1969 to 1973.

Bush went into the National Guard in 1968. I think Barnes is confused. What is it with these dems and their fantasy dates?

[ThanhPhero]

But he did not sign the 180 because the records would then be availabel for the asking.

[conshack]

But he did not sign the 180 because the records would then be availabel for the asking.



And he WON'T. It would be the final nail in his coffin. If he signed the SF180, he'd simultaneously withdraw from the race as a disgraced candidate.

[backhoe]

To read the latest on the Franchurian Candidate's bizzare exploits, click the picture, goto "last," and work backwards:

If you would like to help the Swift Boat Vets ( as I have, and I urge all to do-- even a few dollars will help ) kindly click on this logo:

If, perchance, the top "click the pic" link is not visible, click here:

-John Kerry- some selected, informative links...--

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Judge for yourself- see the SwiftVet ads here:

 Swift Boat Ad #3: Kerry's Own Shipmate Calls Kerry on Lie

 The video

The first two ads:

 http://www2.swiftvets.co m/index.php?topic=Ads

Take a look at these three short video clips, especially the last one. You will walk away with a heavy heart.

POW'S TELL ABOUT TORTURE

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Here is a link to page full of video and audio links.
"Stolen Honor" is at the top.

To read the latest on the Franchurian Candidate's bizzare exploits, click the picture, goto "last," and work backwards:

If you would like to help the Swift Boat Vets ( as I have, and I urge all to do-- even a few dollars will help ) kindly click on this logo: