The Fraud Factor: O'Reilly Slams Swift Boat Vets Kerry Ad

Self | 8-6-04

[Conservative Coulter Fan]

Last night, Fox News Commentator Bill O’Reilly launched a broadside on a new blistering Television Commercial produced by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth saying that sharply criticized Kerry’s service in Vietnam. Literally, the first words out of his mouth were about the “brutal attack ad” and he introduced the segment about the ad that “savagely attacked” Kerry. He kept up his endless denunciation by saying that he promised to deliver the “fairest election coverage” and said he covered left wing slander and now this ad as if to say it is right wing slander.

Bill O’Reilly, if my recollection serves me correct, has taken a position a while back saying he wouldn’t allow anyone or any information about Kerry’s role as the leader of the radical pro-communist VVAW, his connection to Jane Fonda, his bogus Winter Soldier Investigation, his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971 or anything else to be aired on his program. Yet, Bill O’Reilly can have Douglas Brinkley, Kerry’s authorized biographer, and author of “Tour of Duty” come on and paint a glowing portrait of Kerry. This is what he means by “fair and balanced.”

Of course he has allowed Democrats to come on his program and make their argument that President Bush went AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard. The whole assertion that Bush was AWOL has been refuted, but the fact remains that he allowed such claims to be aired and when it come to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth – O’Reilly was all style and no substance.

He said that facts are that John Kerry volunteered to serve in Vietnam and that he had a Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. If he had paid attention to what the group was saying he would know that Kerry received the Bronze Star for killing a lone teenage VC and burning down a village. I recall in the Boston Globe that Kerry reportedly shot a wounded VC in the back. O’Neil says in ‘Unfit to Command’ that it was awarded two days after the incident, it wasn’t vetted by review, and it was designed to boost morale.

Odell was on Hannity and Colmes explaining that Rasmussen wasn’t pulled by Kerry from the water under fire, but that four people were in the water due to a boat hitting a mine and that his boat had picked up two of those people. Kerry had gotten the Bronze Star for this and Rasmussen has been following Kerry almost everywhere beating his drum.

Then there are the Purple Hearts. John Kerry was on a training mission and he fired either a mortar or a rocket at some rocks on shore and a piece of shrapnel ricocheted hitting him in the arm. The doctor pulls it out and puts a band aid on – the Kennedy Family writes a letter and he gets a Purple Heart for a self-inflicted wound requiring a band aid. The he attacks a flotilla that was carrying rice – I suppose that dangerous rice wounded him somehow – second Purple Heart. The third wasn’t related to enemy fire either.

So Bill O’Reilly needs to do his homework a little better before he talks about how “awful” it is with guest Dick Morris. One only wonders why he didn’t allow the group to defend itself or the ad. Dick Morris, not surprisingly, says the ad is “stupid” and dangerous.” O’Reilly continued his righteous indignation saying that he condemned the Left. What is awful or stupid about Veterans that served in Coastal Division 11 telling us the truth about Kerry and his service in Vietnam? It seems all we got from O’Reilly were these emotional attacks while Morris pondered the elusive connection between the group and the Republican Party.

He had the audacity to say that Rasmussen is unimpeachable, but I say to the contrary. He’s been out there on the campaign trail helping the Kerry Campaign sell Kerry as a “war hero.” He’s a willing political whore. Now we have accounts by Veterans, Kerry’s fellow officers, which contradict the account given about Kerry saving his life. Why isn’t that unimpeachable? Bill O’Reilly didn’t do his homework.

Dick Morris held the contention that you don’t attack Kerry on his “strongest suit.” Well, if what Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is saying is true – then the centerpiece of Kerry’s campaign becomes his weakest. My goodness, he has relied on this to inoculate himself against any criticism that he is weak on defense. I was outraged that he said no one is interested, because I’m immensely interested. What I wasn’t interested in was this circle jerk between O’Reilly and Morris trashing the Ad.

This ad will effect how people vote – showing Kerry is a liar and that his service was dishonorable and he didn’t earn those medals. Interestingly enough, Kerry said in a 1971 interview that he gave his medals back, but then he flip-flopped in 1984, 1988, 1996, 2003, and 2004 with evolving stories that he gave his ribbons back and those medals weren’t his and it is an issue “instigated by the republicans.” The 1971 footage blew him out of the water, but now he wants to highlight the medals he supposedly threw away or “gave back.”

I urge everyone to email Bill O’Reilly and fulfill his prediction that he would get tons of angry email from right wingers who think this sort of attack is okay.

[Tribune7]

Do you think they are telling the truth? One wasn't.

Not necessarily :-)

[beyond the sea]

O'Reilly EATS SH*T!

Kerry is a FRAUD and the voters need TO KNOW!

[Lexington Green]

O'Reilly was unfair and unbalanced. I shall chastise him with my remote. Zap!

[sdk7x7]

OH, i just meant the text transcript. Thanks though.

[MyBrotherIsAnAmericanHero]

I sent this email:
Dear Mr. O'Reilly,
I am writing you to address the comments you made regarding the commercial produced by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The "fair and balanced" approach you claim to take does not seem the case this time. While you might feel that this is a "right wing attack" I feel that these veterans who have defended our freedoms have every right to exercise their freedom of speech. I am proud that they are standing up for what they believe in especially considering the shame that was shown on them by the majority of Americans upon returning home from war (VVAW ring a bell?). Not to mention that there message is not given attention by the media and that there are many facts surrounding Mr. Kerry receiving his awards that the media neglects to report. If Mr. Kerry is going to claim that he will protect America when he is president just like he did when he was in Vietnam than I think that the public needs to know the following especially if Kerry chooses to use "being a war hero" for political gain:
1) Kerry was only in Vietnam for 4 MONTHS before he chose to come back
2)it is more than "questionable" the injuries he received to obtain the 3 purple harts in the 4 months in Vietnam
3) Kerry was an instrumental figure in how are troops were treated when they came back
I would wonder if you might be willing to step back and take a look at this for a moment, for this issue is one that hits home for me. My Brother, Sgt. Brian Wood was killed in action April 16, 2004 and was awarded a bronze star and 1 purple heart posthumously. If giving your life to this country gives you the honor of one purple heart than excuse me as I question how you might obtain 3 in 4 months. If you want to be fair and balanced than why don't you discuss these things and let your viewers decide.

[gcruse]

Gephardt's lesbo daughter.

Don't be churlish.

Gephardt's drop dead gorgeous lesbo daughter.

[wasp69]

O'Hubcap is an elitist windbag that tries to pass himself off as a populist. I haven't listned to him for a long time. And Morris? Well, I don't put much faith in him either.

[wasp69]

Christ the moment you people hear something you dont agree with you immediately act like they are liberal or democrat or communist or the mainstream media or something....

Not quite. Many of us here have thought for a long time that he is a smarmy, pompous, ass. This isn't the first time we have slammed something he said.

[jmaroneps37]

Never liked/trusted him for a minute. Lumping in this spot with the lies from the left is simply pandering. Where's that jerk franken when we need him?

[I still care]

The feeling I was getting from Dick Morris when he was saying the ad was "dangerous" was that he felt it was dangerous to Bush - that it would backfire because people wouldn't believe it, and think less of Bush for it. That's his opinion.

But O'Reilly I expect better from. Where are his vaunted "researchers"? I thought Tony Snow handled this great today - he said we need to verify all this before we jump all over it. If it turns out to be accurate, we need to push it and push it big. But the book isn't even released yet. By the way, it's #1 on Amazon, and not even released.

But Bill was discounting it before even doing the proper legwork. Shame on you, Bill.

By the way, he said he expects his email to be out of control today. That sounds like an accurate prediction to me.

[GVnana]

I don't worship at the alter of O'Reilly and I think he's dead wrong about a lot of things. Especially gay marriage, which he gives a dismissive pass.

But FOX has given more air time to the Swift Boat Vets than any other news organization. Immediately after O'Reilly, Hannity and Colmes played the entire video and yes, Susan Estrich tried to bash the whole thing and yes, Hannity called for more public scrutiny.

I believe the network is giving the Vets fair play. I also think we can do more harm than good by getting too emotional on this.

Getting O'Reilly's agreement is not my agenda. Let the public be informed

[Mudboy Slim]

"(Sucker...) Har, that will always be Morris's legacy."

Yep...El Rushbo referenced it again today relative to a new law in Taiwan making unsolicited toe-licking illegal...apparently, it's become quite the scourge in the Far East...LOL!!

FReegards...MUD

[I still care]

She was in "lawyer mode". She's a good one, too.

Just remember, the object of a good lawyer is not to get the truth out. It's to win your side. And her side isn't ours.

Fortunately, while she drew blood a couple of times, the vet also did quite well.

Susan: Weren't you more than a football field away?

Vet: No, I was a lot closer.

[lonevoice]

O'Reilly was even worse on his radio program yesterday afternoon than he was on the O'Reilly factor last night.

Among other things, he repeated as true the claim that George Bush was "missing" during several periods of his National Guard service. He tried to make it sound like he was saying this to reinforce his position that neither side should subject the other to criticism of their military service.

Proving beyond a doubt his utter lack of background information, when a caller asked O'Reilly what he thought of the cover of Kerry's 1971 book, The New Soldier, O'Reilly said he'd never heard of the book! Someone on his staff then provided him with a picture of the book's cover, upon which O'Reilly said, "Yeah, I see where that could be controversial. But, we all did stupid things when we were young."

[Cboldt]

I was hoping freepers could band together on this one and send O'Reilly to the cleaners with some pithy comments. He needs a reality check.

The only "reality check" O'Reilly understands is ratings.

[Cboldt]

Jenna Jameson told a story once about appearing on his [O'Reilly] show where he bashed her and trashed her for being a porn star who contributed to the moral decay of society. After her segment, he complimented her, and told her he was a big fan and enjoyed her work, and asked her to send him all her latest videos. Typical.

Bump to that. Wonder if her story is true. It sure is believeable.

[Cboldt]

Elliott, has already retracted an affidavit he signed regarding Kerry's medals.

You shouldn't believe everything YOU hear, either.

[Lady Heron]

Go back and check out the story. Boston Globe reporter caught in a lie.

[Ann Archy]

You are in IRAQ??? Wow. Thanks for your service!! Nice to know that things aren't as bad there as the media makes them out to be!!

Please be assured, and tell your group that WE ARE BEHIND YOU 1000% !!!!

Do you have most of what you need? Let your fellow Freepers know if we can do anything. Keep us posted on all the good things going on.

[jincarolina]

For some reason he didn't stop until he got micheal moore on when he did he was really soft with him, and let m.m
put him on the defensive.