Posted on 06/09/2005 8:36:30 AM PDT by CHARLITE
A front page story in the Boston Globe claimed that: "Senator John F. Kerry, ending at least two years of refusal, has waived privacy restrictions and authorized the release of his full military and medical records." In another Globe story Kerry had promised "The truth in its entirety will come out." But did it?
Kerry's election hopes faltered last summer and fall as accusations of fraudulent and incomplete military records were aired. The fact that Kerry repeatedly refused to sign a single-page military form called the Standard Form 180, that would have released all his military records to the public, was taken as proof he had something to hide.
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth head John O'Neill, who raised many of the charges against Kerry during the campaign, was challenged by Kerry on "Meet the Press" in January. Kerry promised he would sign his Standard Form 180, but he wanted former Swift Boat officer O'Neill to sign as well.
All depends on how it's filled out
O'Neill did sign it and provided copies to the Chicago Sun-Times. According to O'Neill, "The Standard Form 180 could release 'the full military and medical records.' Or it could release just a few. It all depends on how it is filled out and where it was sent."
"There is nothing magic about signing a SF 180," said former Naval Judge Advocate General Mark Sullivan. "It is sort of like your checkbook. You can fill out a check for one dollar or a million. It is the same check form."
"And the Globe story says Kerry sent it to the Navy Personnel Command, which is only a limited storage location. So it is not surprising that the Globe then notes that what they received was largely 'duplication' of records previously released. The Navy Personnel Command primarily stores a subset of service records rather than a person's full military records. There is no doubt there are a lot of after-action records missing from what Kerry has released," said Sullivan.
Kerry's not talking
Washington Post reporter Michael Dobbs has already found a discrepancy confirmed by the Department of the Navy of "at least a hundred pages" missing from those already disclosed by Kerry.
"If you take a look at my SF 180," O'Neill said, "you will see I have authorized the total release of all my records to anyone requesting to see them. But without seeing how Kerry's SF 180 was filled out, everyone is only guessing about what was released."
So how an SF 180 is filled out is as important as signing it. But no one in the press has yet claimed to have seen a copy of Kerry's SF-180. When asked if she had a copy of Kerry's SF 180, the Globe's Managing Editor Mary Jane Wilkinson said, "I haven't seen it, and I don't know if anyone here has."
Kerry's Senate offices could not provide a copy of the Kerry SF 180 and would not answer inquiries. Is it possible that Kerry filled it out wrong or sent it to the wrong place?
O'Neill made Kerry an offer. "I'll be happy to bring one to Kerry's office and help him fill it out. And then we can take mine and his and deliver them to the right place together to make sure, as Kerry puts it, 'the truth in its entirety will come out.' "
Now that the Boston Globe has in its possession what it claims are Kerry's "full military and medical records," is the Globe ready to make these records available to the public? Wilkinson replied, "It is my understanding that Kerry will release these papers to anyone else now that he has signed the Form 180. The Boston Globe is not going to make available the papers we have received."
Thomas H. Lipscomb is a senior fellow at the Annenberg Center for the Digital Future at USC.
I'm pretty sure he released everything long before the election, that's why you HAVEN'T heard the screaming. He took that issue away from them. My point is they've tried to find issues with it anyway, but haven't gotten much traction, that's why they fell back on the forged documents. They had to know that was riskier than using real ones, if they had real ones to use. No, I'm pretty sure Bush released everything.
It's pretty standard for President's to release records like health, tax and military. From what I've understood, Kerry has obscured all of those. We would have had a president who had had cancer surgery who would have refused to make his health status public. It's totally unbelievable that he came as close as he did.
NO!
Kerry Lied.
Again.
Exactly! Ketchupboy is neither honorable nor honest. AND he knows he can't afford to expose his whole incriminating file.
Bump!
Thanks, Tonk!
-ccm
I've seen the claim made numerous times that Bush has signed his form 180 but I've never seen any factual evidence to support the claim.
Can you see this as his epitaph?...carved into a piece of granite?
Thanks for the great comment - short, simple and bull's eye accurate!
Char :)
Why wasn't he disqualified from running for the U.S. Senate, let alone becoming a U.S. Senator? Add to this the fact that he met with our enemies (Madame Binh and other Vietcong officials) in Paris, which is probably the cause of the less than honorable discharge, and it is totally mystifying that no one ever challenged his legitimacy as a candidate for the Senate in the first place!......and who is challenging it now?
Talk about things "slipping through the cracks!" This is quite a national security piece of slippage, IMO.
John Kerry can not be trusted, so how is it that he has access to intelligence briefings?
Char
That is what I am seeing as well. It might just be that the MSM doesn't want this fact to be substantiated so they would rather not pursue the story because it only makes Kerry look worse.
Still, I'd like to deal in truths when confronting jackass LIBS...
Look at the requirements to be a Senator - having an honorable discharge is not one of them. As for security clearances, you will have to ask the DNC that assigns committee memebers and pushes through clearances.
Now, why would the Globe not want to make available information it has received - when they, along with other MSM sources so readily jump on a bandwagon of slander and lies against any Conservative Republican?
What gives? Perhaps they have learned things they were not prepared for? Cannot put their money where their mouth is?
It never ceases to amaze me how fast the MSM can shut up when the info they THOUGHT they were going to get does not come through.
Oh, and Kerry hiding something? No way! Why on earth would someone of his Military standing have ANYTHING to hide? (that was me, being sarcastic)
Bottom Line: Kerry LOST in 2004. Kerry will NOT win in 2008. Mr Kerry, let it go. Retire. Buy a boat and go sail away somewhere.
No, wait. If you run again, and Hitlery does too, then we are promised to have another Conservative Republican in the White House, because the Democrats will be so confused, they won't know who to vote for! Go for it, Johnny Boy! JK
'So, it all depends on what the definition of "Form 180" is?'
sKerry signed "Form 180 Lite"
The Boston Globe is not going to make available the papers we have received."
The Boston Glob was quick enough to send out those pictures of the prostitutes and slander the President...
ping
Bookmarked that gem.
Remember how upset he got with his NASA bunny suit?
I don't think he will be thrilled with this one either. It's great!
Oooh! We need kerry in the nasa bunny suit with a pancake on his head!
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