Posted on 08/05/2004 7:57:11 AM PDT by demlosers
Edited on 08/05/2004 8:28:31 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
WASHINGTON (AP) Republican Sen. John McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, called an ad criticizing John Kerry's military service ''dishonest and dishonorable'' and urged the White House on Thursday to condemn it as well.
''It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me,'' McCain said in an interview with The Associated Press, referring to his bitter Republican primary fight with President Bush.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Pray for W and Our Troops
Don't bet on it. My Democrat parents are solidly behind Bush.
It's called freedom of speech, McStain. Get over it.
And se is also their favorite media whore because is is always willing to badmouth another Republican in order to get 30 seconds of face time on TV.
This article makes it seem as though these Veterans against Kerry are just a bunch of gossiping Bush suppoerters at it again. This could have been press release from the Kerry campaign. Spin at its' finest.
Did McCain criticize Moore's fantasy film?
"F" OFF!!!
He should not condemn this.
Bush's response to this is very simple: "I didn't run the ad and I wasn't there. Neither was Sen. McCain. And the men that served with John Kerry defending this country in Vietnam did not lose their freedom of speech the day John Kerry decided to run for office. It's important that none of our veterans' voices are squelched no matter how distateful Sen. Kerry may find their message to be.
Just as Sen. Kerry thirty years ago felt obliged by duty to describe horrific atrocities committed by his fellow servicemen, these servicemen today may feel obliged by duty to describe what they saw."
This is being discussed by Rush at this moment.
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All I can say is that I will be very upset if Bush apologizes. He needs to stick to his guns and fire back at this loud mouth idiot McCain. He must recognize that his core base will support him, whenever he takes on Republican apostates like McCain, Hagel, Collins, etc.
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And this lays out the bad position Bush is put in by 1) McCain and 2) the ads, in that order. Yeah, his core base will support him. Well, that core base can NOT win in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan or Wisconsin. The core base is NOT a majority there, and it is there that the election will be won.
A lot of folks needs to be quiet about this matter. 1) McCain, who despite this faux pas has served the president far better this year in the ugly times of April than any of the "core base" Senators, who were hiding under a table at the time. 2) the core base also needs to be quiet on this because Bush is now in an awkward position and It's Not About Feelings, It's About Winning.
I told everyone that it was only a matter of time before McStain stopped campaigning for Bush adn began actively campgianing against him. He's nuts, and he's Kerry's boy through and through
AP - Ron Fournier, White House Correspondent rfournier@ap.org
Phone: (202) 776-9400
Fax: (202) 776-9570
Address: 2021 K St NW, Washington, DC 20006
This is what I e-mailed him:
"Ron,
In your story about McCain condemning the Swiftvets ad, you have several inaccuracies.
First, Kerry served on two boats, not one. According to Douglas Brinkley, he commanded the 44 and 94. Also, there were ten crewmates, nine of which support him.
However, as you note in your story, the boats were close together. These boats served normally in groups of three, not by themselves. People on other boats would have seen how Kerry behaved. Also, only one out of 20 or so fellow commanders and superior officers supports Kerry's candidacy.
However, he negotiated with the Viet Cong after the war in Paris and missed 38 out of 49 public intelligence meetings when on the commitee, facts which speak more about his poor qualifications to be President than just his war record."
Shut up, McCain! Have you EVER admitted you were wrong, because you are wrong on this. These vets have the same right to speak that you and Kerry do. My dad was a Vietnam vet (and Korea and WW II) and he disliked the reception Kerry helped orchestrate for the vets returning home. Kerry helped forment the "too afraid to win" atmosphere that made life in Vietnam heck for soldiers and a quagmire for our country - a defeatist mindset that only Reagan and the presidents Bush have pulled us from.
So please, McCain, get a life and realize that some 'Nam vets may reasonably differ from your take on what's approved discourse regarding that war and its combatants.
Welcome to my nightmare.
now that mccain has turned this against bush what will matter is the aggressivness, credibility, and charisma of the book authors. its up to them now to bring this home. if they fail their book will be just another nail in w's coffin.
Ditto.
Actually, I think that McCain is speaking up because McCain has always been afraid that opponents would dredge up his cooperation with the Viet Cong while he was incarcerated at the Hanoi Hilton. As a matter of fact, I saw McCain on FOX in December of last year, claim that the post service actions of Kerry had been used to taunt him while he was a POW. Then a few months later, they were best friends again. My guess is that the Kerry campaign threatened to respond in kind if McCain kept it up.
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