That’s Gonna Leave a Mark
Robert Bidinotto finally weighs in on John Kerry’s war record, but wishes he didn’t have to:
Rather than dwell on 1/3 of one year in his 60-year life, voters should be asking him instead: Okay, Mr. Kerry, so what have you done with the other 59 3/4′s years of your life? What have you done, for example, during 20 years in the U. S. Senate, except to compile what the National Journal describes as the most liberal voting record of any senator? Or do you, in fact, focus everyone’s attention on those 17 weeks in Vietnam precisely because you don’t want anyone to pay much attention to the rest of your career?
I only wish that John Kerry’s philosophical courage had been equal to his physical courage. His political career has been characterized by the lowest sort of opportunism–a pragmatic choreography that has led him, step by calculated step, to serially marry two future campaign war chests, and to take a Heinz-like 57 varieties of positions on every conceivable issue.
Read the whole thing here.
Devastatingly on point, a point the media is trying to hide under its hat to no avail …
All of these underhanded attacks against Kerry are having the opposite effect.
Kerry just keeps going up in thepolls, and Bush goes down.
You might want to start looking at the issues, instead of running a smear campaign. Voters hate this negativism.
Akefa, if that’s what you want, then Kerry needs to:
1. Take a stand on the issues instead of his constant waffling.
2. Quit trying to run only on the fact he is a Vietnam Vet.
If I hear another word about that friken boat im gonna puke! At least Kerry had a few years under his belt. What the hell did bush do before he was pres. oh, govern a state daddy ownes and “its ok he doesnt know anything, he’s surrounded by such qualified people”
yep- hurl,hurl,hurl
Wow, panic is setting in.
Very good post. Sen. Kerry does resemble a weathervane swinging into whichever direction the breeze comes from.
Akefa,
Mind sharing with us all these polls you’re seeing where Kerry is gaining? Last I saw, Kerry had lost his miniscule convention bounce and is losing ground in key states.
Besides, if these ads were so appaling and generating a backlash against Bush, wouldn’t liberals *want* to keep them on the air? Why would Kerry be trying to get the SBVFT ads off the air if they were helping his poll numbers?
When you bend yourself into intellectual knots trying to justify your position, it’s all to easy to fall into simple traps of logic. Bush has you chasing your tail.
What I’m sick of: “at least he went while that lilly-livered pampered Bush hid out in the Guard.”
1) Kerry applied for deferments and was turned down. The Clinton avoidance path closed to him, he enlisted in the naval reserve. Imagine his surprise when he ended up in theater! That wasn’t part of the plan!
2) Bush may have been “hiding” in the Air Guard, but that’s about as safe as hiding in a volcano. I’m a licensed pilot and I’m passionate about flying, but there is no way in the world you would get me into an F-102. I don’t know where people get the idea that flying an obsolete POS like that is safe/cushy duty. Air Guard units were also routinely sent to Nam. Not a very good hiding place, but maybe he didn’t know any better because we all know how stoooooopid he is.
Is it a Smear if it is True and Kerry Now Admits It
Captain Ed has a great write up on this latest twist, with a link to the interview where a Kerry spokesman backs off of his claims on his first Purple Heart. First the Kerry camp had to admit to lying…
RE:
1) Kerry applied for deferments and was turned down. The Clinton avoidance path closed to him, he enlisted in the naval reserve.
——-
Can you provide a link to a legit source of this info? The Naval Reserve part and request for deferment? This is the first time I have heard it. If this is true, then it is another huge hole in an already leaky boat.
Thanks
Oscar, you might want to start visiting rantburg. And John Moore’s place.
That’s the story, number was coming up, wanted to go to gay Paree to finish school, no, signed up before drafted.
NR should be on his own website. Thru 1978, it was up, tho he might have taken it down.
I’m passionate about flying, but there is no way in the world you would get me into an F-102
But don’t you see? That just goes to show how stoopid Bushie is (insert talking point here).
Is it just me or are a couple of the Nuanced, Deep-Thinking Lefties (see above) completely emotional and irrational? Talk about your room-temp IQ’s…
Thanks Sandy P.
I know of Rantburg but must have missed the story…I’ll go check. As for John Moore…never heard of him…guess I’ll go Google him.
I did check the Kerry website and it didn’t mention the Naval Reserve at all…at least the timeline of his service…it only mentions active duty time.
Thanks again,
Oscarbravo1
From a commenter in a previous post by Michael Kranish, Boston Globe June 16/03 (http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061603.shtml):
“I didn’t have any real feel for what the heck was going on [in the war],” Kerry has recalled. His ship returned to its Long Beach, Calif., port on June 6, 1968, the day that Robert F. Kennedy died from a gunshot wound he received on the previous night at a Los Angeles hotel. The antiwar protests were growing. But within five months Kerry was heading back to Vietnam, seeking to fulfill his officer commitment despite his growing misgivings about the war.
Kerry initially hoped to continue his service at a relatively safe distance from most fighting, securing an assignment as “swift boat” skipper. While the 50-foot swift boats cruised the Vietnamese coast a little closer to the action than the Gridley had come, they were still considered relatively safe.
“I didn’t really want to get involved in the war,” Kerry said in a little-noticed contribution to a book of Vietnam reminiscences published in 1986. “When I signed up for the swift boats, they had very little to do with the war. They were engaged in coastal patrolling and that’s what I thought I was going to be doing.”
But two weeks after he arrived in Vietnam, the swift boat mission changed — and Kerry went from having one of the safest assignments in the escalating conflict to one of the most dangerous. Under the newly launched Operation SEALORD, swift boats were charged with patrolling the narrow waterways of the Mekong Delta to draw fire and smoke out the enemy. Cruising inlets and coves and canals, swift boats were especially vulnerable targets.
Comment was posted by JAG here:
http://vodkapundit.com/archives/006496.php
“When he approached his draft board for permission to study for a year in Paris, the draft board refused and Kerry decided to enlist in the Navy.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/07/wkerr07.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/03/07/ixnewstop.html
‘ “I didn’t have any real feel for what the heck was going on [in the war],” Kerry has recalled. His ship returned to its Long Beach, Calif., port on June 6, 1968, the day that Robert F. Kennedy died from a gunshot wound he received on the previous night at a Los Angeles hotel. ‘
I read somewhere on the web today (can’t find the place right now; perhaps somebody else can) that the ship actually returned to port on June 8. Kerry’s evidently fudging again. This particular instance doesn’t make a lot of difference to me, but I think that it’s part of a pattern of having too much respect for the truth to profane it with his presence very often.
IIRC, the ship recieved the news via radio before it docked. I’ve got no problem with criticizing Kerry- strongly- when he’s off base, but this is legit, as far as I can tell.
As I woke up to “Fox & Friends” this morning they had a segment with two attractive political strategists, one from each side, doing their usual trying to out shout each other thing, but what interested me about it was that the Kerry Chick was literally begging for the subject to be changed from Vietnam, that after a week of fighting over Vietnam, they wanted to talk about more recent issues. Fine by me, babe, the only reason we’re talking about it this long is your guy is using his Vietnam record to cover up his weaknesses elsewhere. The “moderator” Kiran Chetry, had some poll numbers that showed Bush gaining ground nationwide.. AND LEADING IN FLORIDA!! In a week when all the fighting was in the one area where Kerry has an advantage. Coming battles in the areas the Kerry babe is begging us to go to won’t go any better for her guy.
George W. Bush didn’t serve in Vietnam – he’s served 2 years and 11 months in the War on Terror.
John Kerry has now had to admit, begrundgingly his ‘seared, seared’ memory of Christmas in Cambodia is FALSE. His 1st purple heart MAY have been caused by a ‘unintentional self-inflicted’ wound and finally, his speech at the DNC Convention he WRONGLY stated that ’5 boats were on the river that day, I returned to save Jim’ – NOT! There WERE 5 boats on the river that day – John Kerry fled – the others stayed and helped the #3 boat crew. THEN, Kerry returned. For someone who last week said strongly, “BRING IT ON!” Why is he now begging GWB to “STOP THE ATTACKS?”
Swift Boat Vets financials
MoveOn.Org financials
Well, I’m certainly not the only person perusing blogs today, but now I’ve seen “afeka” on 3 or 4 different comments sections doing his drive-by routine.
Someone else pointed our that “afeka” is an anagram for “a fake.”
Oh, and “afeka”, do bring on the accountants. Ass.
It appears to me that John Kerry was active UNR during his entire service. He was merely on extended active duty when in Vietnam, like Guard and Reserve personnel presently stationed in Iraq.
From his site: http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/jkmilservice/Service_Record.pdf
I suggested jokingly before that Afeka was a Rovian shill.
Robert Bidinotto’s column is a succinct analyis of what probably will be the final consensus. It was a monstrous mistake for John Kerry to make Vietnam a central theme of his campaign.
Why he chose to do so is beyond explanation. I almost have concluded that Kerry was so far removed from reality that he thought he wouldn’t be contradicted. To explain this would require a psychiatrist. To survive it will require a magician, and there are no more Jim Rassman’s to pull out of the hat.
Mr.Bidinotto shouldn’t be too concerned just yet. I suspect Mr. Kerry’s Senate record will be up for review over the next 60-odd days, after the GOP convention.
Wait just a darn-gosh minute here. Decorated war hero and presidential contender John Kerry was in the Senate? The U.S. Senate? For 20 years? Someone should alert the media
I bit the bullet and went to Kerry’s web site. Many of the selected documents he’s posted refer to John Forbes Kerry, USNR.
Does that mean that when he accused President Bush of “hiding out” in the National Guard, he was blasting himself too?
God you righties are still talking about this- hurl, puke,hurl,puke- get a life!!!
Hey there, Pete–when you write “talking about this,” does “this” refer to the subject John Kerry keeps bringing up every time he opens his mouth?
cause he is asked about it everywhere he goes- wake up
Robert Bidnotto
I attended your lecture at the Ayn Rand Institude in NYC a few years back. What an impact you have made on my life. Thanks for waking me up.
Pete
“It” is the only thing Kerry knows anything about, sort of.
Why not ask Kerry to release all his miltary records pertaining to “it”. If anything, this will help Kerry remember his own facts about “it” and clear his ever so foggy mind.
Max Cleland has arrived at President Bush’s ranch to deliver a letter asking the President of the United States to stifle freedom of speech!
Kerry must be really freaking right now by his trying to cut the tongues out of dissenter’s mouths. Why Kerry ever brought up his 4 months in Vietnam is beyond reason.
Cleland just said “If the president does not stick up for those who serve” When Kerry returned from Vietnam he spit on the returning Vietnam Veterans, he disgraced and dishonored them, he inhumanely treated the POW’s and Cleland has the balls to make the statement he did.
Orwellian!
Gee, last time I checked Bush said that Kerry “served admirably” in Vietnam.
So Bush not only complimented Kerry, he’s already come out against the 527 ads. But is mere rhetorical support not enough? Is Cleeland implying that Kerry needs Bush to fight his battles for him as well?
But it gets better! A quote from the letter: “Our pain from seeing these slanderous attacks stems from something much more fundamental, that if one veteran’s record is called into question, the service of all American veterans is questioned.”
So they’ve basically gone on record saying that Kerry, in his anti-war activities, insulted every single American soldier ever to serve while Bush has had nothing but good things to say about Kerry’s and every other soldier’s service?
And I though this couldn’t get any worse for the Democrats…
By the way, folks–in answer to those who are having “hissy fits” (as Stephen would say) about the investment by 527s of a few hundred grand in “soft money” ads against Kerry:
Please go to this link, then click the subsequent links for each of the Lefties listed to see just how much cash they’ve been donating to fund ANTI-BUSH ads by liberal 527s:
OpenSecrets.org
‘Nuff said.
Has anyone seen even a single reference to even ONE living Medal of Honor recipient supporting Kerry?
I know that Bush has several that work for his Veterans for Bush:
Robert O’Malley
James Fleming
both are MOH recipients……there may be others.
I have also seen at least 2 that are part of the POW community that have come out against Kerry…(though they might not support Bush…the article did not mention it.).
It would be interesting if someone did the work and found all living MOH recipients and find who they support. There can’t be that many.
I guess Bob Kerrey (Dem Senator from Nebraska) would be for Kerry…so that is at least 1 MOH for Kerry. Any others?
24 MOH winners signed a letter for W, it’s on his site.
Thanks for the perspective Mr. Bidinotto.
Bushes have always relied on Rovian dirty tricks to win their elections, from smearing Dukakis to smearing McCain, and now smearing Kerry’s impeccible war record. The last laugh will certainly be on you Bushies, because come November, the fact that ALL the swiftboat veterans claims are completely ridiculous ( http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&u=/ap/20040825/ap_on_el_pr/kerry_critic_swift_boats_1&printer=1 for starters ) will be common knowledge, while Bush’s ties, and the pattern of smearing in past elections, will be the fresh new conventional wisdom. Just here so I can tell you I told you so come November.
Scaring the piss out of everyone and insulting our allies is NOT foreign policy, its incompetent bullying.
Paul, that hack job doesn’t deserve a response.
Wait…OscarBravo1…OB1? Obi-wan?
RE: Obi-wan
LOL Not quite. It was a call sign that was given to me while in the Army. It relates to part of my name.
Mark D. wrote:
“The “moderator” Kiran Chetry, had some poll numbers that showed Bush gaining ground nationwide.. AND LEADING IN FLORIDA!! ”
This moring I heard he’s also ahead by 4 points in Iowa, 4 in Wisconsin and 6 in Michigan — three states he lost in 2000. Right now a good :guesstimate is that Bush will take 58% and 40 states, roughly 420 electoral votes if the trend continues and Kerry continues to lose momentum.
I seriously expect a Bush blowout. If it is clear after convention, maybe the Deaniacs won’t meltdown and riot when he win.
I think Bush should buy votes by spending his campaign money on the troops or Iraq.