WP: Kerry Team Lines Up Vietnam Witnesses

[kskiska]

Bush Again Declines To Condemn Attack Ad

Tuesday, August 24, 2004; Page A01

The Kerry campaign ratcheted up its defense of the Democrat's military record yesterday, producing three veterans to attest to John F. Kerry's valor in Vietnam while pointing reporters to other veterans who expressed disgust at the attacks on the presidential nominee.

In a conference call with reporters arranged by the campaign, three Navy Swift boat officers who served with Kerry 35 years ago but who said they have not been in touch with him for years defended his service and his bravery. Rich McCann, Jim Russell and Rich Baker said Kerry served honorably and took issue with questions raised by the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth about his commendations.

(snip)

William L. Sweidel, a decorated Korean War veteran who appeared with Sandusky, said later that he voted for both Bushes for president but will support Kerry because of these attacks. "I called the campaign to express outrage. I was disappointed. I was diminished," Sweidel said. "Nobody was talking about how it was hurting all veterans to have them criticize Kerry's medals. The whole system is now suspect based on what these people are saying. It's pernicious."

Phil Butler, who spent eight years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, took issue with second ad by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which suggested that Kerry's antiwar protests caused the POWs to be treated badly. "I lived with two of the POWs who are now in that group -- Mr. Courdier and Mr. Gallanti -- and I am telling you, they are full of it. We never heard a blooming thing about John Kerry while we were there," said Butler, who contacted the campaign months ago to support Kerry and only recently heard back from Kerry's veterans coordinator, John Hurley.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26519-2004Aug23.html

[David Zephyr]

1. Karl Rove Is Back Peddling Like Crazy.

They brought this shit up, now let's turn the fan on.

[Born Free]

16. smoke bush out of hiding...

we need to taunt bush enough to smoke him out of hiding and force him to face Americans. The bush team wanted to make this a character issue, then make it a character issue, force bush to stand up like a man and discuss military records, let Americans compare the two and see which one was a hero and which one is the coward hiding behind others.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

2. BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO KERRY, GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CarolynEC]

3. This is all very encouraging...

... the JK campaign picking up the phone, telling the press to sit down, shut up and listen.

The task now, for the campaign, is to use all this as leverage to wring further coverage out of them, on issues of actual substance.

[Longhorn]

17. What a disgrace to Longhorn fans!

He's trying to do a "Hook 'em, Horns!"

He needs to remember that UT wouldn't have him!

[Judi Lynn]

24. Sideview!

[goclark]

28. Is he a Crip?

In Los Angeles when we see someone dressed in Blue and throwing gang signs we know that it is a Crip.

What is this fool doing?

[Judi Lynn]

34. It's just so sad, isn't it? Poor bastard. n/t

[movonne]

4. They are just going to keep this going...no news on of economy,

no news on Iraq...just what this filthy administration wants.

[Cocoa]

7. not exactly, imo

we could very well be in the midst of a backlash, in which case what this administration wants is for the media to say Bush condemns the ads, and then move on.

[alcuno]

8. Tom Oliphant says he thinks Kerry wants this to keep going.

BTW - I love the fact that the guy said, "It's pernicious." Excellent vocabulary usage.

[krkaufman]

10. * * TOO LATE for Shrub to denounce the Swift liars * *

Flip-flop => Bush Campaign defends Swift Boat Liars

[Cocoa]

11. "the moment of truth came and went"

as the great John Edwards put it so well.

"The moment of truth came and went, and the President still couldn't bring himself to do the right thing. We need a president with the strength and integrity to say when something is wrong. Instead of hiding behind a front group, George Bush needs to take responsibility and demand that the ad come off the air. Its funded by his own supporters, and casts one of own campaign officials. President Bush, it's time to do the right thing."

[CarolynEC]

36. Oooh, baby!

That is a great quote!

"The moment of truth came and went, and the president... couldn't bring himself to do the right thing."

[NoBorders]

31. there will be plenty of time for those issues

but for now, Kerry is going to take a pound of flesh out of bush on this one.

[w4rma]

32. We need to keep this going to kill off the lies that the BFEE has put out.

You can't leave the lies sitting out there. We have to spend the time neccessary to kill them off as quickly as possible. The issues will still be there, later. But this needs to be dealt with now.

[malachi]

38. Exactly. Kerry has to crush these shitheads to powder. If he doesn't

I can guarantee you that rove has many other smears lined up that he will release between now and the election. The worse the Dems can make the repugs look the better. They're credibilty, if they have any, will be shot to hell, and Kerry can return to slamming on the real issues.

[Cocoa]

5. kudos to the Post for the subheadline

"Bush again declines to condemn ad."

What a bizarre situation we have. The various headlines for what Bush said today totally contradict each other. Most say "Bush condemns anti-Kerry ad" and some say "Bush declines to condemn anti-Kerry ad."

[RamboLiberal]

9. Then we get this BS from the WH

President Bush said on Monday that political advertisements run by a broad swath of independent groups should be stopped, including a television advertisement attacking Senator John Kerry's war record. But the White House quickly moved to insist that Mr. Bush had not meant in any way to single out the advertisement run by veterans opposed to Mr. Kerry.

Oh and Sgt Carter - Surprise, Surprise! Woman who set it up affiliated with Dick Armey!

The president spoke on a day when Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, in another indication of its web of ties to the Republican Party, acknowledged that a woman who helped set it up and works for it is an officer of the Majority Leader's Fund, a political action committee affiliated with the former House majority leader Dick Armey of Texas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/24/politics/campaign/24swift.html?hp

[Pirate Smile]

6. Ohhh - I like the comment from the POW with the two POW's in the

SBV ad - "they are full of it. We never heard a blooming thing about John Kerry".

Where did McCain go on this issue? What a friend.

[zuzu98]

12. y'know, I wondered that myself.

When the SBLiars said "we were demoralized" I wondered how the networks managed to broadcast into POW camps....

[Pirate Smile]

15. I'm very glad a POW has stood up to say that is just bullsh@#.

More lies exposed in the ads.

[Politicub]

13. I think the pendulum is swinging in the other direction

Finally - this is stuff that Bush can't undo with a sound bite. Truth is powerful, and it's hard to argue with, "The whole system is now suspect based on what these people are saying."

The spotlight is on Bush's slash and burn politics with Rove at the helm. And it's looking pretty ugly. The portrait of Dorian Gray is finally starting to see the light of day.

This, coupled with the utterly stupid GOP policy of taking away overtime from 6 million families who depend on it, may just cause popular sentiment to turn. And more importantly, for the media to notice it.

The GOP convention NEXT WEEK is going to be droned out by the Swift Boat scandal and the overtime policy. My prediction is the congressional dems will push this as an issue in their districts, and moderate repubs will have to support having the policy repealed. It's a winning issue for the Democrats, and something that we really needed. Thanks Bush.

It may be Bush's first veto. Can you imagine? The boy king having to choose between his first veto or pissing off his base?

[vickie]

20. I agree that this Swift Liar fiasco could drown out the convention.

I think it has grown bigger than KKKarl and the Dim Son can control - and that when they want to discuss their wretched 'agenda' they won't be able to.

It would certainly serve them right...

[CarolynEC]

37. Remember, the overtime cut came about via executive order

Bush signed this into law by executive decree. :grr:

[Politicub]

43. I didn't know that

Thanks for the heads up. That's an extemely important point.

[cthrumatrix]

41. swift boat "bush backers are liars"...just like the "boy king"

[Doosh]

14. I really hate the fact that this is dragging on

I mean c'mon, the news has been horrible for Bush. Swing states are purging jobs, the mess in iraq continues, enough with the Swiftboat distractions!

[Teaser]

18. we want this to drag on.

It'll deflect attention from the Republican convention.
And it will highlight Kerry's exemplary military service.

Folks, this was rope-a-dope.

[Doosh]

21. well, if we can extend this another week...

...then yea it is a good strategy, but I feel the media will use it to inflict as much damage on Kerry as they can, then quickly switch gears to positive Bush stories at the convention in New York.

[juajen]

25. Indeed it was, as I posted days ago

And, look at all the free publicity when the Kerry campaign was prohibited from spending its own money! Brilliant! He will now turn it around, slowly, and head into the river bank and squelch the opposition. Yep, I want him for my President; smarts up the wazoo.

[Tommy_Douglas]

40. Why would you want to draw attention from the Repub Convention...

They're all disgusting, blue blood, pigs. Let the world see them for what they are. Anyone who believes these flip-floppers is already a write off anyways.

[qwertyMike]

19. Jeez Kerry

GET ON WITH THE FRIGGIN' CAMPAIGN ALREADY

Say the issue is closed as far as you are concerned. Over. Done.

Get to the issues where you can kill Bush: Jobs, Health Care, Outsourcing, Security, Exit plan for Iraq.
Let them rave on about Vietnam if they want to.

POUND THE ISSUES

[juajen]

26. Nope,

It needs to drag on for about two more weeks, until the pug convention is over and they're both spending money from the 75 million. It's about time for everybody to dance with the guy that brung us!!!

[Occulus]

30. those things are too complicated for the vast majority

The people of this country, sadly, are only willing to think about ten words or less at a time on any single issue. Those other issues you mentioned require paragraphs.


example: I used to post at mlive.com's "town talk" and "news talk" forums. I don't anymore, because I was literally too smart to be understood. I wrote in paragraphs instead of personal attack one-liners, so nobody listened to what I had to say.

[deacon]

22. He needs to pound on how they violated campaign laws big time n/t

[wabeewoman]

23. What I don't like about this whole thing

is that Rove and thugs are controlling the agenda. I read something earlier saying that someone in the WH said that by the time they got done with Kerry the American people wouldn't know which side he had fought on during Vietnam. I just wonder how many people are 'getting it' and how many are 'buying it'....

[reprobate]

39. Rove only THOUGHT he was controlling the agenda.

The rope a dope Kerry pulled on them has turned many people against them. Now he has headlines telling that bush and his campaign violated campiagn financing laws. That bush was connected to Swift Boat Liars organization. That Rove is connected to Perry who financed the Liars. And americans don't like liars. Especially when the liars are shown up in public and are not repentant.

No, the WH can make all the threats that they want. I think that Rover has finally met his nemisis in John Kerry, who is apparently a far better political strategist. So far, every dirty trick KKKarl has tried has backfired on him. And its so much fun to watch that bastard getting his due.

[The_Casual_Observer]

27. Put this to rest before the campaign gets into full swing

Fully discredit chimp and his paid assassins before September.

[Norquist Nemesis]

29. Yes! Hit the credibility issue!

That was what it was at the beginning, and so it shall be again! Thanks, Georgie!

[VirginiaDem]

33. Kerry would be crazy to stop now

We're just getting warmed up.

[Keirsey]

35. Adm. Hoffman, one other thing

Adm. Roy Hoffmann, a founder of the anti-Kerry group, issued a statement in response to Bush's comment: "It would make no difference if John Kerry were a Republican, Democrat or an Independent, Swift Boat Veterans would still be speaking the truth concerning John Kerry's military service record in Vietnam, his actions after returning home and his lack of qualifications to be the next Commander in Chief."

Admiral Hoffman, do you think George Bush served honorably in the TANG when records show that he went missing for almost a year?

[saigon68]

42. Adm. Roy Hoffmann IS A SERIOUS WHACK JOB WHO WANTS WAR

He wants to go back to FIGHT AND WIN in VIET-NAM. There are a lot of Crazy Veterans out there and he is one of them.

I'll bet if you got him in a corner he would tell you the reason we lost in VIET-NAM is because of the PRESS and THE PEACE PEOPLE.

He is a crazy fucking fool and very dangerous.