Swift Boat Heroes Respond
Kerry has tried to force ads featuring the Swift boat Heroes off the air. He has gotten John McCain, a veteran who didn't serve in the same unit as Kerry, to tell veterans who did serve in the same unit that they cannot criticize Kerry -- on the ground that those who were in the same unit didn't serve on the same boat with Kerry and the men from the boat support him (which leads us to ask why McCain thinks he has anything to say on the matter -- he didn't serve on the boat either). And Kerry surrogates, funded by George Soros millions, attempt to discredit the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth by pointing to a single $100,000 donation from a Texas Republican. Now comes an article by Boston Globe reporter Michael Kranish claiming that one of the vets, Kerry's former commanding officer, has retracted his statements about Kerry. That vet, Lieutenant Commander George Elliott, has denied doing so, and claims that Kranish has distorted his words.
I'm not sure what to make of this situation. Kranish himself writes in his book on Kerry that the senator admits he shot a fleeing VietCong because he feared the man would turn around. Where would that means Kerry shot him? Unless my understanding of anatomy is totally flawed, he would have had to shot the guy in the back -- a possible war crime. And given his other admission of war crimes (blogged on here), I find the charges leveled against him plausible.
But in the end, it is his post-war actions that need closer examination. Go read about the Winter Soldier investigation. Go read the book Kerry wrote in 1971 but doesn't want you to read today, The New Soldier. And go read the transcript of the 1971 Dick Cavett interview/debate between Kerry and Swift Boat Hero John O'Neill. I won't even get into the use of Kerry's statements by the North Vietnamese as part of their torture of American POWs, or of their continued use for propaganda purposes by that Communist dictatorship today.
I just want to know when the press will look at these issues with the degree of seriousness they deserve.
I'm not sure what to make of this situation. Kranish himself writes in his book on Kerry that the senator admits he shot a fleeing VietCong because he feared the man would turn around. Where would that means Kerry shot him? Unless my understanding of anatomy is totally flawed, he would have had to shot the guy in the back -- a possible war crime. And given his other admission of war crimes (blogged on here), I find the charges leveled against him plausible.
But in the end, it is his post-war actions that need closer examination. Go read about the Winter Soldier investigation. Go read the book Kerry wrote in 1971 but doesn't want you to read today, The New Soldier. And go read the transcript of the 1971 Dick Cavett interview/debate between Kerry and Swift Boat Hero John O'Neill. I won't even get into the use of Kerry's statements by the North Vietnamese as part of their torture of American POWs, or of their continued use for propaganda purposes by that Communist dictatorship today.
I just want to know when the press will look at these issues with the degree of seriousness they deserve.
posted by Greg at
8/07/2004 12:00:00 PM
