Wednesday, August 4, 2004
So says one of the lineup of swift boat veterans in this nuclear advertisement at Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Wow. Very, very effective. These are the only guys who have the clout to take these shots at Kerry, and their shots are effective. The site is being hammered at the moment (just saw a snip of the ad on Hannity & Colmes), so be patient. It's worth it.
"John Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star. I know. I was there. I saw what happened."
Update: And don't miss this 12 minute assembly of all of John Kerry's flip-flop waffling on his Iraq War position(s). They should do this with a lot of people's records.
If these guys have some concrete charges then they should make them, the over the top way they are incendiarily flaming them out I don't approve of whether or not they are against or for a candidate I don't support. And in the end the incendiary way they are dealing with a controversial issue and time is only going to backfire on the Republicans and them and help Kerry if/when they are proven mainly to be hot air.
Mike
I'm not sure what they're supposed to prove. It's their own testimony, and they're providing it. "I saw x." "I saw Y." If they're lying fruit-loops then that's one thing, but they appear to be reputable guys, and there are more where they came from.
OTOH, I agree with you on the realpolitik aspect. Negativity could backfire, but honestly, I think this is pretty effective stuff.
Read This today -
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/08/06/veteran_retracts_criticism_of_kerry/
http://drudgereport.com/flash5.htm
This writer better have severely misquoted him or else his credibility is shot as far as I'm concerned and this is starting to look like a cheap political stunt without much substance to it by Vietnam Vets who are really pissed at a former Vet for what he did when he got back to the States.
The Boston Globe is desperate to get Kerry elected. They're carrying the guy's water. Kranish is paid by the Kerry campaign - not that that seems to bother the Globe.
I don't care about anyone's Vietnam history (within broad reason), but Kerry has made his military background a central part of his campaign. He just can't shut up about it, and I'm not sure that was such a great idea considering his history, but he's done it. Well now all those guys who are pissed about what he did when he got back and are pissed about the low standard he achieved to receive his medals and his trip home when plenty of other guys did much, much more and never made it back - now those guys are speaking out. I don't blame them.
They've earned the right. They were there. They have a right to speak out, too. What can I tell ya? *I* wouldn't have said what they're saying, and questioned Kerry as they are - hardly anyone can...except these guys. And the fact that there are so many of them is very, very compelling.