Posted on 09/05/2004 10:30:40 AM PDT by wagglebee
Media wags will say it was the successful GOP convention that catapulted President Bush to a double-digit lead over John Kerry in Time magazine and Newsweek polls released this weekend.
But insiders know that even before Republicans gathered in New York to re-nominate Bush, the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth had turned George Bush into a frontrunner for the first time since John Kerry locked up the nomination in January.
The proof that the Swifvets had scored a direct hit against the SS Kerry came Thursday night, when the top Democrat staged an emergency rally to accuse Dick Cheney of dodging Vietnam and complain that George Bush had "attacked my fitness to serve as commander in chief."
But it wasn't Bush or Cheney who challenged Kerry's fitness to lead. It was the Swiftees, whose book "Unfit for Command" now sits atop the New York Times bestseller list for the second week in a row.
For the mainstream press, the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth didn't appear on the radar screen until late July, when the group began running TV ads in key battleground states attacking Kerry's Vietnam story.
But way back in April, when no one had heard of the Swiftees, NewsMax readers knew that the men who served with Kerry in Vietnam were preparing the bombshell revelations that would turn the 2004 presidential campaign upside down.
The story actually broke on talk radio on April 4, when NewsMax contributor and WABC radio host Steve Malzberg interviewed B.G. Burkett - author of the definitive book on false Vietnam War claims, "Stolen Valor."
Under the headline: "Navy Commanders to Cast Doubt on Kerry's War Record," NewsMax had the first print account of the bombshell to come:
Several Navy officers who supervised Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry when he commanded a swift boat in Vietnam are preparing to publicly question his war record - including the circumstances under which he was awarded three Purple Hearts - a noted Vietnam War historian revealed on Sunday.
Burkett, whose book, "Stolen Valor," is considered to be the definitive history of falsified Vietnam War claims, told WABC Radio's Steve Malzberg that Kerry's former commanders would allege that the top Democrat's Purple Hearts were awarded for "self-reported injuries that were virtually nonexistent."
"He never got a day of treatment, he never spent a day in a medical facility," Burkett said. "These were all self-reported wounds, which you're going to hear from some swift boat guys in the future as to the nature of those wounds."
Burkett said he had personally spoken to the Navy commanders who were preparing to go public about Kerry's decorations.
"You're going to get quite a showing [of those speaking out]," Burkett told Malzberg. "I don't know [the number] yet. They're trying to get it to be unanimous of every swift boat guy who ever served."
As to the timetable for the upcoming revelations, Burkett said that Kerry's superior officers "were still discussing that."
Burkett's book was the first to expose Kerry's false claims made in the early 1970s about U.S. war atrocities, as well as Kerry's claim -- later found to be untrue -- that he trashed his war medals.
"You've got some major rallys being planned against John Kerry by Vietnam veterans on the mall, at the convention - this type of thing," he said. "And we're going to make America aware of John Kerry's military record."
Less than a month later on April 26 - and a full week before the Swiftees staged their debut press conference in Washington, D.C. to announce their group's plans - Malzberg interviewed the group's spokesman John O'Neill.
Again, NewsMax was first with exclusive coverage of one of O'Neill's first 2004 media appearances under the headline: "Kerry Boatmate: Vietnam Troubles Just Beginning":
Sen. John Kerry's Monday morning meltdown on "Good Morning America" may be just the beginning of his troubles, according to one of his Vietnam boatmates, who is warning that more of the men who served alongside the Massachusetts Democrat are preparing to go public with their accounts.
Texas lawyer John O'Neill, who served on Kerry's Swift Boat after he left Vietnam just four months into his tour, told WABC Radio's Steve Malzberg on Sunday: "I was in exactly the same unit. There were many people who were there simultaneously with him who are all about to speak."
O'Neill gained brief fame in 1971 when he debated Kerry on "The Dick Cavett Show" and forced him to admit he never personally witnessed the war crimes he'd been accusing U.S. troops of committing.
Though he's been contacted by Kerry's opponents every time the Massachusetts Democrat has run for office in the 33 years since, O'Neill has refused to speak out.
Until now. Referring to reports this week in the Boston Globe questioning whether Kerry may have exaggerated his combat record, O'Neill told Malzberg: "This is just the first opening. They'll be many different people. But I'd prefer to let the people who were actually there speak directly."
O'Neill cited a Jan. 29, 1969, firefight that Kerry claims on his campaign Web site he and his boatmates were in.
"But according to the Boston Globe," said the Swift Boat veteran: "Kerry was not even on the boat that night. The guy that was really on the boat was a fellow officer of ours named Ted Peck. He remembers well that fight because he was terribly wounded in three places."
"There was no Kerry anywhere around," O'Neill said. "And yet it appears on his Web site as some pitched battle that Kerry was involved in."
Noting that the Democratic presidential candidate has made his Vietnam war experience the centerpiece of every campaign for office, O'Neill complained: "It's [Kerry's] self-promotion that infuriates most of the people from his unit, who actually know what he did."
"He would be a terrible commander in chief of U.S. forces in the world at a time of crisis," the Kerry boatmate warned.
skerry will probably get Washington state, Washington DC and possibly Oregon. I don't think he's going to win NY and Romney may be able to deliver Mass.
We need to be careful and work as if we're 7 points down. Anyone know where we can get DVDs of all the swifty ads for distribution/to show to all our friends? I showed a 'rat the first two ads, and the 'rat was NOT impressed with Kerry.
We need to multiply this times everyone of us showing the ads to, say, 50 friends before election day--also ditribute the DVDs to friendlies. This will really multiply, and help as word of mouth gets out.
I missed that... I know of the Crimson Hose reference, but what was the full gist of the thing?
I wasn't sure which side you were on until I looked at your home page. Welcome to FR.
As far as I know, all of the commercials can be downloaded from their website and then you can just put it on a DVD.
kewl!
I guess that 'toon at post 42 can throw folks. I saw it on pookies toons thread.
All right, you're not a newbie--hell, you've been here longer than Kerry served in VN. Have you ever been to Cambodia, or hurt yourself with a stapler? And finally, what exactly is the argument?
Overconfidence again! The MSM will continue to trash the Prez until the election and that will have some effect on the polls. The local RATs are gearing up for more illegal voting of the dead, chad-counting and the enormous vote of the illegals On Nov. 3rd, we can cheer, not yet!
George had it right but the media ruined him when he told the truth.
The argument is that true conservatism need not be watered down by left leaning CINOs (conservatives in name only) in order for the GOP to win.
After all, it looks like the man who will be elected President on November 2 is Pro-Life, Pro-traditional marriage (man and woman), pro-tax cuts, etc. Conservatives are winning the war of ideas :-)
I don't count Washington DC as a state nor is PR nor Guam, because they are not states. You are right sKerry will win DC. I don't think Oregon will go to sKerry, Washington state is harder to predict. I do not think Romney will help much in Mass. That is one state that is in serious need for independence, and don't look for the South to lift a finger to stop um. Unless you can sell it to us as an opportunity to shoot damn Kennedys.
marker bump
I count DC because they have 3 electoral votes.
"the Swift Vets are doing what the PRESS should be doing"
I could not agree MORE.
PR and Guam don't have electoral votes, only DC does.
http://www.fec.gov/pages/elecvote.htm
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