What happens is, a left-wing group like MediaMatters does story and declares the SwiftVets' claims "debunked," which is enough, true or false, for more reputable and mainstream sources like ABC to simply repeat that. It requires constant repetition in the reverse to debunk the debunkers, but since GWB won, most folks have "gone home" already. Some folks, like Patterico, are still on the case.
Sam Fox: Senator Kerry, I very much respect your dedicated service to this country. I know that you were not drafted -- you volunteered. You went to Vietnam. You were wounded. Highly decorated. Senator, you're a hero. And there isn’t anybody or anything that's going to take that away from you.
But yet 527s tried to.
Now which 527 was Mr. Fox refering to if not the Swiftboat Vetrans?
To quote Joseph Welch: 'Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"
Fox's answer to Kerry revealed his cynicism, and moral dishonesty. Was Kerry being vengful by exposing Fox's hypocracy? By the way your blog is usually very good, and I read it every day, but the right-wing stuff deminishes your effectiveness.
I'm glad you like the blog, but you're just going to have to put up with some stuff you don't like. Some of us have removed our Democratic Party slave collars.
It's ironic that you chose to quote a citizen standing up to the bullying of a Congressional committee only for the purpose of applauding that very same cynical bullying. Fox contributed and participated in a political campaign, something every citizen is supposedly encouraged to do, and now he's being pilloried by those people he opposed simply because they now have the power to do so. Do you have any idea how damaging this kind of thing is? You're supposed to make your political decisions NOT based on fear that you're going to suffer retribution for the wrong ones, yet that's exactly what's happened here. If he were a Lefty we'd be hearing all about how the evil Republicans were taking their revenge, crushing dissent, poisoning the political atmosphere in Washington, etc., etc...
*I* don't know whether John Kerry was a hero or not, I suppose he was, but there were over 200 OTHER heroes with enough metal on their chests to crush a normal man who obviously hated that guy enough to oppose him, even though there would be much more of a percentage in it for them if they had HELPED an acquaintance or friend become President. Maybe you can be a hero AND do some disgraceful things, too.
Mr. Fox was given the Ambassadorial appointment because of his monitary comtributions to the Republican campaigns. Since his monitary contributions were what qualified Fox for his appointment, it is certanly within the right of the Senate to enquire into how Mr. Fox's money was used, and what Mr. Fox understood about the way it was to be used. From that perspective Senator Kerry's questions were justified.
Senator Kerry also believes himself to have been slandared by the Swiftboat Vetrans. Does Kerry have a right to defend his reputation? Appearantly not by your account. Kerry, given a chance to question the man who put up $50,000 to pay for a public slandering of Kerry, should just give him a pass? Is that what you are telling us?
What I find objectionable is the appearance of a double standard, and the manifestation of hate for Mr. Kerry, which I believe clouds your judgment. Had Mr. Fox contributed to a Democratic slander of a Republican Kerry, I wonder if you attitude would been the same. You accuse Kerry of bullying Fox, but you don't point to spacific questions that manifested bullying.
If you are really concerned about Senators bullying witnesses, why did not you protest the way Senator Inhofe bullied Al Gore, by refusing to let Gore respond to the string of questions Inhofe kept firing at the former Vice-President? Does your objection to Senatorial buyllying only apply to Democrats?
If as you contend, Fox was being forced to lie about his openion of Kerry's military record, what does it say about Fox? Is Fox a man who would lie in order to be appointed ambassador to Belgium? Does he need to job in order to feed his children? If Fox paid to spread what he believed to be lies about Kerry, he is a cynical manipulator. If Fox lied about his oppenion of Kerry's reputation in order to become the ambassador to Belgium, he is also cynical manipulator. There you have it.
The flaw with your argument is that I don't believe Kerry was slandered by the SwiftVets. Of course HE believes he was slandered by them (ironic that John "Jenjis" Kerry is now complaining about slander and distortion of war records -- somehow I think that's just what the SwiftVets are angry about). What a surprise that a candidate emerges angry at the way they were ill-used during their campaign. I have a feeling if everyone held a grudge on this stuff Washington would be nothing but a non-stop circle of revenge. Fortunately, most people in politics get over it.
Hey, he can go right ahead and take it out on anyone he wants, and I'll go right ahead saying that there was quite a bit to the accusations that they made against him. Of course Kerry can bring it up since he's still losing sleep over it, but is that any reason to deny him a post? That he dared stand with those opposed to the Great Kerry? I don't think so. It might be better just to let the past go, but if he wants to keep it fresh I'll take the blogging opportunities.
Obviously, I can't possibly take a stand on every bit of Washington bullying that goes on -- I'd be writing about nothing else -- but I can write about the ones that catch my attention, on issues I'm interested in. The spectacle of watching our other Senatorial embarrassment, Ted Kennedy, read out of context quotes from a college publication and somehow ascribe them to Sam Alito was another event that got my goat. I wish I'd seen Inhofe bully Al Gore, he deserves a little bullying among all that fawning he usually gets. I doubt he was any the worse for it.
Big surprise, Fox was nominated because he was an insider and a big donator. Dog bites man. I suspect he's as political and prurient as the next guy, giving money to whatever cause people he respects tell him to give to. Fortunately, he was nominated to a political "do what we tell you to do" position in chocolate land, not, say, the presidency.
The Democrats and their allies in the MSM want to continue their treatment of the SwiftVets, slandering them when they're not ignoring them (yes, I still remember the Boston Globe's ignoring or slandering the SwiftVet heroes while they ran front page story after story investigating whether George Bush dotted every i in his military record), and I don't intend to just forget about it and let them craft reality. When this issue comes up, I'll be one of the people out there reminding readers that there's another side to it.
All the best to you.
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Sam Fox: Senator Kerry, I very much respect your dedicated service to this country. I know that you were not drafted -- you volunteered. You went to Vietnam. You were wounded. Highly decorated. Senator, you're a hero. And there isn’t anybody or anything that's going to take that away from you.
But yet 527s tried to.
Now which 527 was Mr. Fox refering to if not the Swiftboat Vetrans?
To quote Joseph Welch: 'Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"
How humiliating. Fox got down on his knees in obsequious capitulation and that vengeful loser still took it out on him. That Kerry's all class.
Fox's answer to Kerry revealed his cynicism, and moral dishonesty. Was Kerry being vengful by exposing Fox's hypocracy? By the way your blog is usually very good, and I read it every day, but the right-wing stuff deminishes your effectiveness.
I'm glad you like the blog, but you're just going to have to put up with some stuff you don't like. Some of us have removed our Democratic Party slave collars.
It's ironic that you chose to quote a citizen standing up to the bullying of a Congressional committee only for the purpose of applauding that very same cynical bullying. Fox contributed and participated in a political campaign, something every citizen is supposedly encouraged to do, and now he's being pilloried by those people he opposed simply because they now have the power to do so. Do you have any idea how damaging this kind of thing is? You're supposed to make your political decisions NOT based on fear that you're going to suffer retribution for the wrong ones, yet that's exactly what's happened here. If he were a Lefty we'd be hearing all about how the evil Republicans were taking their revenge, crushing dissent, poisoning the political atmosphere in Washington, etc., etc...
*I* don't know whether John Kerry was a hero or not, I suppose he was, but there were over 200 OTHER heroes with enough metal on their chests to crush a normal man who obviously hated that guy enough to oppose him, even though there would be much more of a percentage in it for them if they had HELPED an acquaintance or friend become President. Maybe you can be a hero AND do some disgraceful things, too.
Given a choice, I'm with the 200.
Mr. Fox was given the Ambassadorial appointment because of his monitary comtributions to the Republican campaigns. Since his monitary contributions were what qualified Fox for his appointment, it is certanly within the right of the Senate to enquire into how Mr. Fox's money was used, and what Mr. Fox understood about the way it was to be used. From that perspective Senator Kerry's questions were justified.
Senator Kerry also believes himself to have been slandared by the Swiftboat Vetrans. Does Kerry have a right to defend his reputation? Appearantly not by your account. Kerry, given a chance to question the man who put up $50,000 to pay for a public slandering of Kerry, should just give him a pass? Is that what you are telling us?
What I find objectionable is the appearance of a double standard, and the manifestation of hate for Mr. Kerry, which I believe clouds your judgment. Had Mr. Fox contributed to a Democratic slander of a Republican Kerry, I wonder if you attitude would been the same. You accuse Kerry of bullying Fox, but you don't point to spacific questions that manifested bullying.
If you are really concerned about Senators bullying witnesses, why did not you protest the way Senator Inhofe bullied Al Gore, by refusing to let Gore respond to the string of questions Inhofe kept firing at the former Vice-President? Does your objection to Senatorial buyllying only apply to Democrats?
If as you contend, Fox was being forced to lie about his openion of Kerry's military record, what does it say about Fox? Is Fox a man who would lie in order to be appointed ambassador to Belgium? Does he need to job in order to feed his children? If Fox paid to spread what he believed to be lies about Kerry, he is a cynical manipulator. If Fox lied about his oppenion of Kerry's reputation in order to become the ambassador to Belgium, he is also cynical manipulator. There you have it.
The flaw with your argument is that I don't believe Kerry was slandered by the SwiftVets. Of course HE believes he was slandered by them (ironic that John "Jenjis" Kerry is now complaining about slander and distortion of war records -- somehow I think that's just what the SwiftVets are angry about). What a surprise that a candidate emerges angry at the way they were ill-used during their campaign. I have a feeling if everyone held a grudge on this stuff Washington would be nothing but a non-stop circle of revenge. Fortunately, most people in politics get over it.
Hey, he can go right ahead and take it out on anyone he wants, and I'll go right ahead saying that there was quite a bit to the accusations that they made against him. Of course Kerry can bring it up since he's still losing sleep over it, but is that any reason to deny him a post? That he dared stand with those opposed to the Great Kerry? I don't think so. It might be better just to let the past go, but if he wants to keep it fresh I'll take the blogging opportunities.
Obviously, I can't possibly take a stand on every bit of Washington bullying that goes on -- I'd be writing about nothing else -- but I can write about the ones that catch my attention, on issues I'm interested in. The spectacle of watching our other Senatorial embarrassment, Ted Kennedy, read out of context quotes from a college publication and somehow ascribe them to Sam Alito was another event that got my goat. I wish I'd seen Inhofe bully Al Gore, he deserves a little bullying among all that fawning he usually gets. I doubt he was any the worse for it.
Big surprise, Fox was nominated because he was an insider and a big donator. Dog bites man. I suspect he's as political and prurient as the next guy, giving money to whatever cause people he respects tell him to give to. Fortunately, he was nominated to a political "do what we tell you to do" position in chocolate land, not, say, the presidency.
The Democrats and their allies in the MSM want to continue their treatment of the SwiftVets, slandering them when they're not ignoring them (yes, I still remember the Boston Globe's ignoring or slandering the SwiftVet heroes while they ran front page story after story investigating whether George Bush dotted every i in his military record), and I don't intend to just forget about it and let them craft reality. When this issue comes up, I'll be one of the people out there reminding readers that there's another side to it.
All the best to you.