Gen. Tommy Franks Shuts Up Mark Shields on Swiftees in Interview on NewsHour on PBS(my title)

The Online NewsHour ^ | Sept. 2, 2004 | transcript

[wildbill]

I will say that I have confidence in the swift boat guys, the people who are saying what they are saying and have written what they've written. So I have confidence in them. I wasn't there, Jim, to be able to see and judge all of that myself...

MARK SHIELDS: Just so I understand, General, you talk about the swift boat, Kerry served in the swift boat, 13 guys, 12 of them said great skipper, great comrade, trust him, trust him with my life, saved my life, and so forth. But you say you are going to lead with the swift boat guys. Just so I understand --

GEN. TOMMY FRANKS: Just the balance between the two. You have some number, and I won't do the math with you, on one side of the argument that say this happened, and on the other side of the argument that, no, this happened. And rather than --

MARK SHIELDS: Even though the ones who were there with him in the same boat --

GEN. TOMMY FRANKS: I think people were with him on both sides of the equation. And so rather than sort of picking, I've decided to not get into the hyperbole of that particular piece. I simply don't have a view about anything other than a degree of respect for the men who were there with the senator serving -- no matter which side they were on of this argument.

MARK SHIELDS: Okay. And you yourself being a bronze star, silver star, purple hearts, I mean, you don't think those are passed out like --.

GEN. TOMMY FRANKS: Well, I say -- in fact in my book, I made a comment to my father when I came back from Vietnam, he was commenting on -- I was putting my medals on my uniform about to go to my next duty assignment, and my dad made some comment about well, you have a lot of medals. And I made a comment to him, well, they pass them out in Cracker Jack boxes. And my dad looked at me and said, I don't really think they pass them out in Cracker Jack boxes, and so on the one hand, there are many of us who received awards in Vietnam who would self-deprecate and say don't make that big a deal out of it.

And I think a lot of Americans would do that. And so I don't take a hand on either side of the thing. We were all there together. And, like I said today, what I care about in this election season is looking at my friends and looking at men and women who returned from Vietnam, and telling them something we should have told them as a country a long time ago. And I mean, you know the semper fi thing. Look at them and say welcome home -- because so many Americans didn't get that welcome home when they came back from Vietnam.

When I look at Sen. John Kerry and I tell, John Kerry, welcome home. Thanks for having served our country, and then if I want to pick a bone with him, to use the West Texas parlance, I'll pick the bone relative to what we've seen since he left the military or since he came back from Vietnam. And that's where I --

MARK SHIELDS: Just -- do you consider it an act of patriotism for a warrior who has served to come back and object to a war that ended up with Vietnam as a communist nation and 58,000 American dead?

GEN. TOMMY FRANKS: Let me say that comments that do not add to the situation of the people who are continuing to serve, I do not receive favorably. I did not react well to what I saw the now senator do when he came back from Vietnam. I did not react well to that because on the one hand, I can give Sen. Kerry credit for having stood up against a war he believed was unjust. I would give him credit for that. Ain't this a great country? It's a right that the senator had to do that.

When one crosses over the line and begins to describe in detail and the conduct of people for whom he was responsible as a leader, men in uniform with whom he worked, then that's the piece that I react badly to. And so I actually do see the positive and the negative of all of that, and what I think is most Americans are actually able to sort this for themselves and look at things that have happened later during the life of Sen. John Kerry and not become quite as fixated on this period as we may all be. Sorry for the long answer.

[wildbill]

Shields looked like he was about to have a heart attack. The more he pressed for an answer that would absolve Kerry, the more the General buried him (nicely). Shields was glad to relinquish the floor to Brooks who was his usual wishy washy self.

Pass this around the internet.

[MEG33]

The first time I heard Franks speak about Bush,I knew we had a good spokesman...If you recall, Franks stayed well out of the limelight during his war reponsibilities so I had no idea how well he could present his views.

[AlbionGirl]

I think I'm in love with both General Franks and Senator Miller. Too bad General Franks has no Presidential aspirations.

[ultima ratio]

Actually, I was not impressed with Franks' response which showed a super-cautious deference to the left. He should have said straight-out that Kerry's entire chain of command supported the Swift Boat claims and that what Kerry said and did after he came home--claiming our men routinely committed atrocities--and then meeting in Paris with the Vietcong--was tantamount to treason. The left has gotten so accustomed to Franks' type of circumlocution that it is horrified when it hears the actual truth--as articulated by the swifties--or by somebody like Zell Miller. It's high time the truth were spoken more directly.

[harrycarey]

there are many of us who received awards in Vietnam who would self-deprecate and say don't make that big a deal out of it.

You mean most Vets didn't come home and order a vanity license plate "Purple Heart 3"?

[Mach9]

Sorry--that was no burial. What's the matter with Franks? "By their fruits ye shall know them." Kerry's behavior--before Vietnam, during Vietnam, after Vietnam--has been the unrented garment. How is it unreasonable to presume that a traitor is also capable of lying? I'm wondering if Tommy's comments are media-consultant imposed or his own. Either way, I find him as despicable as new-AF-uniform-Kerry-supporter McPeak. How do you read "Unfit for Command" and come out neutral? Wonder what state he'll choose to run from.

[bereanway]

Yeah, I saw that interview with Franks after his speech. Shields is just terrible and Brooks has been a part of the MSM for too long. Later on Shields was commenting on Zell as being the face of the Pubbies and basically referred to him as an angry old white man and how Obama was such a fresh upbeat new face. I guess Brooks agreed as he didn't say much.

Finally, they both agreed that the Pubbies in 08 would have to nominate a pro choice, pro gun control candidate such as Pataki, Schwarzenegger or Guliani as they are the real rising stars and there are no young conservatives coming through the ranks. The constitution was seen as a minor impediment for Arnold which would be dealt with. They both seemed thrilled with the prospect of one of the aforementioned.

[NavVet]

This "but the guys in his boat" line is getting old. First of all the guy who was on kerry's boat the longest is a member of swiftvets for truth. Secondly, there is a reason subordinates don't write evaluations on their superiors. If you want to know the kind of officer a person is, ask his superiors and his peers, not his subordinates, who own medals, evaluations etc, were written by Kerry.

[elbucko]

MARK SHIELDS: Just -- do you consider it an act of patriotism for a warrior who has served to come back and object to a war that ended up with Vietnam as a communist nation and 58,000 American dead?

"Elbucko would have replied:

"NO! Mark By reason that the great majority of anti-war protesters were on LBJ's side in the election of 1964. If you voted for or were in favor of Lyndon Johnson instead of Goldwater, you got the very war you're protesting. The irony has become manifest".

[GoLightly]

I believe he had no need to cover all SBV's, nor Republican talking points. Instead, he spoke from his own strong core beliefs.

He is a guy who laid his life on the line to defend the rights of people who disagree with the government, disagree with his own POV. Tommy Franks gets it.

During his speech at the RNC, I started thinking it would be wonderful to have this soft spoken gentleman at the top of the Republican ticket in 2008.

[wildbill]

You simply would have to have been there. TV is a visual medium and a transcript doesn't do it justice.

You don't have to use a bludgeon when you can use a stilletto. Shields was sputtering and kept trying to ask a question that would give Kerry some cover--but the incoming kept coming:

"Let me say that comments that do not add to the situation of the people who are continuing to serve, I do not receive favorably. I did not react well to what I saw the now senator do when he came back from Vietnam."

IMHO you could see Shields decided to quit digging a deeper hole and passed the witness.

[Noachian]

The constitution was seen as a minor impediment for Arnold which would be dealt with.

I like Arnold and I respect him. But, I wouldn't change our Constitution for one man today, and leave that door open for foreign liberals in the future.

[GoLightly]

I'm with you.

[SmithL]

Gee, I wonder who General Franks will be voting for.

[onyx]

Posted by onyx to NavySEAL F-16
On News/Activism 09/03/2004 2:52:15 PM PDT · 2 of 37


I'd like to point out one important detail:

Several of the Swiftie officers, are USNA graduates,
and as such, they do NOT lie. Back then, lying and
cheating were dealt with severely (expulsion).
God, duty, honor, country,... perhaps not in that order. Can't say for sure
because husband is not home and he is the USNA graduate.

[elbucko]

Actually, I was not impressed with Franks' response which showed a super-cautious deference to the left.

I agree. His response was very considered and tepid.

[sanjacjake]

Why? Is no one reporting that Kerry had four draft
deferments and applied for a fifth deferment wnd was
turned down..then he had to enlist or be drafted
with the grunt squad? And he pounds Cheney for draft
deferments....He joined Navy (safer)..then the swift
boats and their mission patrolling the Mekong Delta..
agains..sounds safer..Info..check the UK's Telegraoh
on July 7, 2004....Jake.

[savedbygrace]

I would've been speechless, too. As in, "I have no idea what the heck this guy just said."

[Lancey Howard]

MARK SHIELDS: Even though the ones who were there with him in the same boat --

LOL, what a simple mouse turd Shields is, still sticking with his long-ago-discredited talking points:

[bereanway]

I see no way that restriction is lifted for Arnold or anyone else. Arnold has already come out and said he feels the limitation should be done away with.

I agree, such a move would be dangerous.