JOHN O'NEILL ON NIGHTLINE TONIGHT (Dems are e-mailing Ted Koppel to stop it!)

Nightline e-mail ^ | 10/14/04

[areafiftyone]

The Swift Boat Controversy: New Witnesses

October 14, 2004

John Kerry's service in Vietnam has become a campaign issue. The group calling itself Swift Boat Veterans for Truth alleges that Kerry has distorted the truth about what happened during the war and questions whether he deserved the medals he received. Tonight, you'll hear from eyewitnesses who have not spoken before: the Vietnamese who fought against him.

We've had the debates and the race is a virtual dead-heat. This is the part of a campaign when there are daily fires--issues that rise, flare, and then go away, only to be replaced by a new one the next day. But for a while, this campaign was dominated by Vietnam, a war that ended, at least the fighting, thirty years ago. John Kerry made his service in Vietnam a major part of his campaign. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth fired back. They have alleged that Kerry was not truthful about his actions in Vietnam. Then questions were raised about the group's connections to people linked to the GOP. And so the story just kept spiraling in different directions. But the polls clearly showed that Kerry was hurt by allegations that he was not candid about his actions in Vietnam.

Which brings us to an old expression: the fog of war. People, in general, are not always great eyewitnesses. Memories fade, especially as the years go by. Two people standing next to each other may have very different recollections of something that happened right in front of them. But in the whole Swift Boat controversy, there is one group that hasn't been heard from at length: the Vietnamese. Producer Andrew Morse went to Vietnam, to the coordinates taken from the U.S. military after-action report from Kerry's battle for which he won the Silver Star. And there Andrew found several people who had either witnessed the events of that day, or in some cases, had actually fought against the swift boats. And it is their accounts that you will hear tonight. Do their accounts favor one version or the other? Can these questions be definitively settled? You'll have to judge. One of the surprising stories we were told? One of the Vietnamese men in the area says he was visited by a man claiming to be a swift boat veteran and a cameraman. He says the veteran was disparaging towards Kerry's conduct in the war, and asked him in an interview about the events of that day. We do not know who that man is, or whatever happened to that tape.

Ted will be anchoring tonight, and he will be joined by John O'Neill, a leader of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and the author of Unfit for Command, a book critical of Kerry. I hope you'll join us.

Leroy Sievers and the Nightline Staff,br> Washington D.C.

[cgk]

Just da**.

That reminds me of when something happened on Meet the Press this summer... I think it was Hillary? Something happened where when I read about it that morning and went to watch the scheduled rebroadcast - every reshowing had been pulled. All 4 of them.

[Mo1]

I just had to repeat it on every nightline thread. :)

It's always good to get the news out there :0)

Thanks for bringing it to our attention

[CyberAnt]

Yes, and it was a Kerry brother I believe who received contracts worth bizillions of dollars for construction in Vietnam. Which would certainly have been a motive for restoring relations with that country.

[mykroar]

Here's Ted's final statement:

"One of our own producers this morning raised a question that I suspect a number of you may have on your mind. ‘Why, just when the presidential candidates are starting to focus on real, substantive issues - devote yet another program to what John Kerry did or didn't do in Vietnam?’ Here's why. Questions have been raised about John Kerry's character and honesty. We were offered the chance to set the record straight on one discrete chapter in Mr. Kerry's war record. We didn't know what we were going to find when our crew went into Vietnam. You have the right to expect that we would have reported it either way. And we would. Because not reporting something you know can be just as much of a political statement – as reporting it. Imagine how outraged supporters of Mr. Kerry would’ve been if we had concealed what we found. Our interviews don’t prove that John Kerry deserved his Silver Star, but they are consistent with the After Action Report and his Citation for Bravery. Finally, once we’ve checked things as thoroughly as we can, we’re in the business of reporting what we learned – not concealing it.”

Some observations:

1) How far has the mainstream media sunk when they have to plead with their viewership (what's left of it), that their program that night wasn't a hack job?

2) Are we really supposed to think that if this would have backed up the vets it would've run? As far as that goes - I'd say it was pretty safe to assume that was never going to happen the way they handled this.

3) Can we just go ahead and close the doors at CBS and ABC news now?

4) Finally, does Ted really think that "having a chance to set the record straight (ie - save our boy)" is a legitimate reason for a news story. As O'Neill pointed out, why not check with all of the surviving vets in this country - and all of the available documentation, instead of going on a fishing expedition to Vietnam?

[dannyboy72]

Listen, minus the lurkers, we all want the same thing. A fair portrayal of the facts and issues that concern America. How we get their is the debate I would honestly like to begin. No more whining. There is a cancer on our country and there are two ways to fight it.

1. Try to isolate the problem and repair the damage; or
2. Cut it off

Actions, I'm tired of rhetoric

[Mo1]

Under fire and on live TV, he dismembered the ABC attempt to resurrect Kerry as war hero and trash the Swift Vets as liars. As O'Neill pointed out, the Vietnamese were telling a story completely inconsistent with the story in Kerry's own book and the Boston Globe book.

Ted blew it and by the look on Ted's face when the interview ended .. he knew it too

Thanks for the picture of your Freep !!

[Mo1]

How we get their is the debate I would honestly like to begin

Freepers have been taking on the media ..

[mwilli20]

Any idea on how one might go about seeing this show? I missed it and these bastages are airing infomercials all night instead of rerunning the evening shows!!!

any ideas?

[CyberAnt]

I think you're right Kristinn .. and I'm wondering if this attack on O'Neill had anything to do with ABC trying to counter Stolen Honor?

[onyx]

I am standing by to watch.

I have NOT read this thread,
but I posted earlier that I suspected a set-up.

[Travis McGee]

I think this show (from what I've read) says it all: ABC will go any distance to interview communist VC stooges in front of CPVN handlers, and treat their "testimony" as Gospel, but they wouldn't interview any of the SBVs.

[A CA Guy]

Kerry and Edwards are attorneys and are fast and loose with the facts/truth, so the profession alone isn't the key, it's the person in the suit that makes the difference.
O'Neill is a good man trying to prevent people without integrity integrity integrity from gaining the people's house.

[Former Military Chick]

With technology as it is, I am surprised that there is not a transcript on FR, let alone the entire video of the show.

We need to get that on the net to let the soldies over seas see what Kerry is all about. shheeshh

[bahblahbah]

Can anyone cap this interview and put up an mp3 or video file?

[AmarilloMorning]

Some observations:

1) How far has the mainstream media sunk when they have to plead with their viewership (what's left of it), that their program that night wasn't a hack job?

Very good question. Koppel's final statements were just awful. He really needs to retire. I'm still weighing whether or not this is worse than Rathergate. It just might be.

2) "Are we really supposed to think that if this would have backed up the vets it would've run? As far as that goes - I'd say it was pretty safe to assume that was never going to happen the way they handled this."

Of course, they wouldn't have aired it. Their mission is to get Lurch elected by any means necessary.

3) "Can we just go ahead and close the doors at CBS and ABC news now?"

They really, really should. I wonder what terrible thing NBC is gonna due before Nov. 2.

4) "Finally, does Ted really think that "having a chance to set the record straight (ie - save our boy)" is a legitimate reason for a news story. As O'Neill pointed out, why not check with all of the surviving vets in this country - and all of the available documentation, instead of going on a fishing expedition to Vietnam?"

In many ways, I don't think we can fathom how biased they are. People like Bernie Goldberg assert that they are "unconsciously" biased-- and that there is no conspiracy. I don't believe that for a minute. These networks are Leftwing
and every moment of every day is spent helping the Dems and screwing the GOP.

[onyx]

I hate getting mad this late at night,
but this sounds like an ambush we must
see.

[Raquel]

"I forget ...were the Vietnamese the good guys or the bad guys?"

Depends who you ask.

[CyberAnt]

Good grief .. what do people think CNN was doing all those years in Iraq .. they had minders with them everywhere they went.

[CyberAnt]

1969

[TeleStraightShooter]

We need to check the date.

5.12.1969

No doubt about it.