Did NBC Edit Out Kerry's Admission on Military Records? (removed 'because my record is not public')

Powerline ^ | 10/31/04

[Cableguy]

Many readers have written us, expressing outrage that when NBC's Dateline rebroadcast Tom Brokaw's interview with John Kerry, which was previously shown on MSNBC, Kerry's admission that not all of his military records have been released was edited out. Other bloggers are accusing NBC of covering up Kerry's admission that he has repeatedly lied about making all of his records public.

There is no question that a key line got edited out. Here is the original exchange as it appeared on MSNBC:

Brokaw: Someone has analyzed the President's military aptitude tests and yours, and concluded that he has a higher IQ than you do. Kerry: That's great. More power. I don't know how they've done it, because my record is not public. So I don't know where you're getting that from.

And here is how the exchange was shown on the much more heavily-watched Dateline:

"Someone has analyzed the president's military aptitude tests and yours, and concluded that he has a higher IQ than you do." Kerry: "That's great. More power. I don't know how they've done it."

Superficially, this is rather damning. But if you read the complete transcripts of the two versions of the interview, you will see that they are quite different. The Dateline version included some exchanges that were not played on MSNBC, and MSNBC included others that were cut from the Dateline version.

Power Line readers are news junkies who are tuned in to the issues surrounding Kerry's military service that have been raised by the Swift Boat Vets and others. Realistically, however, the number of non-junkie listeners who would have understood the significance of the sentence that Dateline cut from Kerry's answer is close to zero. My guess is that whoever edited the video footage for Dateline had no idea that the omitted material was significant.

There is no question that the mainstream media covered up for John Kerry with respect to his military service. But they didn't do it by this minor bit of editing. They did it by never--ever--asking him the basic question: "Why won't you make all of your military records public?"

It's true that the Kerry campaign has falsely claimed that all of his records are publicly available, but they can't seriously maintain that position if it is subjected to any scrutiny. The Navy has said that it has around 100 pages that have not been released because Kerry has not signed the necessary form. That is an indisputable fact. So if a reporter asked Kerry the question, he would have to come up with some kind of an answer. And it is hard to see what answer he could give that would not lead no additional, more penetrating, questions.

But the mainstream media, while constantly slandering the Swift Boat Vets as disseminators of "discredited" information, have slammed the door on "legitimate" discussion of Kerry's military record by refusing to ask him the most basic of questions: what is in your records, and why won't you let the voters see them?

That's the real cover-up. And because that cover-up has been so successful, NBC could have played the full version of the IQ exchange, and hardly any viewers would have been the wiser.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[cookcounty]

Quite a few noticed this.

I have a differing theory as to the reason for the edit-out.

I believe Brakaw didin't hear it. That he (like his fellows) has become so lazy at asking tough questions of Democrats that he's simply tone deaf in these situations, and that NBC edited it out to keep Brokaw from looking like an idiot.

[cookcounty]

"Also note the original contains reference to Gephardt's own gay daughter and that comment by Kerry, right before the records "slip" was completely eliminated from the "edited" broadcast and transcript..

Mary is "fair game". Chrissy is not.

Well he doesn't want do draw attention to Dick Gephardt who HID OUT in the Air National Guard during Vietnam, and while doing so, served less than half the number of duty days as George Bush, and who took a safe job, while Bush took on the most dangerous job in the ANG.

[Blue_Ridge_Mtn_Geek]

Whatever the reason for the "edit out", it's good that someone bothered to capture this little "gaffe" (accidental truth telling). Too bad its's probably too late to drive this point home, with 20% of the votes already cast.

[Use It Or Lose It]

"Someone has analyzed the president's military aptitude tests and yours, and concluded that he has a higher IQ than you do." Kerry: "That's great. More power. I don't know how they've done it."

How about asking who that "someone" is??? It means Kerry's records have been made seen. His surprise at the revelation also means it had to have come from someone on the "inside."

[boxerblues]

I believe Brakaw didin't hear it.

Brokaw heard alright, on the orginal video the camera panned to Tom right after Kerry answered and the look on his face was priceless, he knew Kerry slipped up, but was to stunned to follow up with another question for details

[iopscusa]

I don't believe any lie is beyond Brokaw, Kerry and their fellow travelers. I am amazed that this Traitor's record was disquised so well. Something smells here.

[Luke21]

The whole thing smells. Our campaign smells too. You have it right. We never shot any howitzers at Kerry, either. Everybody thinks Rove is such a genius, but I think he should have had a conservative as one of those debate hosts, and that Bush should have been making daily demands for Kerry to release his records. This campaign was a joke, ala Bush Senior in 92.

[mewzilla]

Note to NBC's affiliates: Screwed again.

[Twinkie]

No. Not necessarily. We know President Bush. We also
know Senator Kerry enough to have resisted Kerry strongly.

[Gondring]

Even if President Bush manages to win the election, I agree with you. The fact that those messages didn't make it out is ridiculous, and a lost opportunity to expose the left's duplicity (to help future campaigns). I'm disgusted that even seeing how Bush's debate performances were better when he was on the attack and calling Kerry on his lies, that lesson wasn't carried over into the campaign.

[Gondring]

Where can I see the president's military aptitude test results?

[snooker]

Yes they did. Neat isn't it.

So why not make this the issue of the day?

End the election exposing another Kerry lie.

[Gondring]

Agreed!

[Use It Or Lose It]

Dunno. Info was posted last week or the week b4.

[daguberment]

The MSM edited out his whole selfishly calculated rotten life. Welcome to 'The Rabbit Hole'!

Big yes to that. Unprecedented failure to tell the populace a damn thing about a candidate.

[fuzzy122]

Hear Christopher in Northern Ireland!
HE GETS ITS!!! DO YOU?

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Here is a link to page I put together full of video and audio links.

The Swiftvets news conference on C-SPAN can be found here.

"Stolen Honor" video clips are at the top.

An interview of Steve Gardner (the gunner that served under Kerry) is next and then the SwiftVets.com ads

There are many other links.

I put together a page of info here about Kerry.

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Arm yourself with ALL the facts. Then enlighten someone else - spread the knowledge.

Disclaimer: I do NOT make any money off of my site. It's just a place for me to play.
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Fuzzy122

[Gondring]

Either way, Kerry flops on his face with his comments. The information was actually taken from johnkerrry.com, despite his efforts to cover up his academic and military record.

Here's the link: Kerry's Navy Officer Qualification Test Score. It's Dead Average (right on the mean standardized score, 50).

[jws3sticks]