I'm beginning to buckle with anger and frustration with all of the hand-wringing over Kerry's did-he-or-didn't-he save a life with his Swift boat leadership in Vietnam. Here are three facts that should open and close the discussion. Three facts that Kerry should be going nuts about rather than continuing to defend and try to describe his actions.
1. There's no longer any plausible denial. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are a shadowy Bush campaign creation.
2. Rove and his crew have been using this tactic forever. Watch this ad. Remember that? Look at the bewildered look on Bush's face. Now McCain hugs him. I don't know how he sleeps at night.
3. Um, last time I checked Bush opted out of Vietnam. Opted out of Vietnam, out of the Texas National Guard, out of serving his country. No URL on that. It's from the archives of WTF.
Posted by mikewolf at August 22, 2004 10:29 AMThe book does not deny that he saved those lives. I t brings into questions whose orders did he follow.
Posted by: Brad on August 22, 2004 09:28 PMWhat book are you talking about, Brad?
Posted by: mrw on August 22, 2004 10:36 PMWhat book are you talking about, Brad?
Posted by: mrw on August 22, 2004 10:36 PMI can relate to your frustration, obviously. If anything were to keep these bastards awake at night, I doubt that sliming people like Kerry and McCain would meet the threshold, you know?
On the bright side, by the time this dustup is over, they'll have permanently linked Kerry's name w/ McCain's, which probably isn't what they hoped to achieve.
Posted by: Vernam on August 23, 2004 12:50 AMVern could be correct. There may be a partial link created between Kerry and McCain. But personally, I'm disappointed McCain has pulled back from his initially strong, anti-swiftian, stance.
He has failed the honor-above-partisan-politics test, when the going got tough. Pity.
Posted by: deano on August 23, 2004 11:42 AMNot meaning to answer for Brad, but I'm assuming the book is Unfit for Command.
And no, the book doesn't question whose orders Kerry followed (I'm not sure what that means, frankly). The book primarily deals with whether Kerry's actions merit the medals he was awarded for bravery and whether Kerry has trumped up his war record, for political gain.
At least he served. And better, after he served, he voiced his opinion that he felt it was an unjust war and that there were atrocities therein. Bush, on the other hand, will not account for his whereabouts for months during his reservist duty. We know more about his DUI and his cocaine conviction. Who is unfit for command?
Just doing my bit, to turn every blog into a political blog, by Nov.
Posted by: deano on August 23, 2004 11:50 AMI was hangin' in Philly on Saturday with a friend who is a very strong Republican supporter. He confessed that he does not like Bush and that his willing to vote Democrat, but that Kerry has just been too quiet on issues like this. And that he hasn't really laid out his plan as President.
Then he went on to say that he things the Dems are deliberately holding back (or trying to) for two things:
1 - An "unforced error". As a former mentor used to describe what you do with a bad employee, "you give them rope - they either climb out or hang themselves." Bush will hang himself.
2 - Closer to the election. They're just trying to not "blow their load."
Man, I hoe he is right!
Posted by: Chiba on August 23, 2004 04:24 PM