Ads debate Kerry's military record

[DaveSZ]

http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/dailystar/33322.php

Ads debate Kerry's military record


By Joe Burchell
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

In Vietnam, Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and Dallas attorney John E. O'Neill commanded the same Swift boat, although not at the same time.

Two years later they debated bitterly on national TV about America's conduct in that war.

This week they're the focus of an equally bitter continuation of that conflict.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group O'Neill helped form, has taken out $500,000 in TV advertising challenging Kerry's highly decorated war record, claiming stories of his heroism were fabricated, and that he wasn't entitled to two of the three Purple Hearts or the Bronze and Silver stars he was awarded.

-more

[DaveSZ]

1. View the ad

http://www.swiftvets.com/


Dirty stuff.

[xxqqqzme]

2. no!

my mother already sent the rabid email. Don't need 2 watch it!

[shraby]

3. Where did they get all the money

to run these ads? It had to come from someplace.

[fishface]

4. Money comes from a Bush loving Texas Turd..

Texan funds anti-Kerry vets
Houston Republican gave $100,000 to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth


07:30 PM CDT on Friday, July 23, 2004

By WAYNE SLATER / The Dallas Morning News


AUSTIN – Houston homebuilder Bob Perry, a major supporter of President Bush and the Republican Party, is the biggest financial backer of a veterans group seeking to discredit Democrat John Kerry's military service, according to federal records.

DNC Online
Round-the clock convention coverage, video, speakers, speeches and schedule. Find it all on DallasNews.com .
Mr. Perry gave $100,000 to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group that has been critical of Mr. Kerry's anti-war activities after he returned from Vietnam. That accounted for two-thirds of the organization's receipts to date.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth also has hired a Dallas-area private investigator to gather information about Mr. Kerry's three Purple Hearts. Group members, including some who served with Mr. Kerry, argue he did not deserve the medals and is not fit to be president.

The Kerry campaign has accused Swift Boat Veterans of being a politically motivated group with ties to the Republican Party and the Bush administration. The Bush campaign says it is not associated with the group.

Bill Miller, a spokesman for Mr. Perry, said the Houston businessman is "a self-proclaimed Republican" who has supported many candidates and causes.

"He gives money where he believes it's needed and serves a good interest," Mr. Miller said.

Federal law restricts individual contributions to candidates, but independent groups such as Swift Boat Veterans can accept unrestricted donations. The groups are forbidden from coordinating their activities with candidates.

Mr. Perry is one of the most prolific contributors in Texas. He has donated more than $5 million to state candidates and causes since January 2000 and several hundred thousand dollars to national candidates and the GOP.

According to the organization's filing with the IRS, Swift Boat Veterans raised $158,750 from April through June 30. Other contributions included $25,000 each from Houston lawyer John O'Neill and Dallas developer Harlan Crow.

The report also shows that the group paid $3,179 to Rockwall private investigator Tom Rupprath. Veterans contacted by Mr. Rupprath, who has declined to comment, say he has sought to misrepresent them to damage Mr. Kerry.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/washin...

[Tansy_Gold]

7. Where is the rest of the money coming from?

The Chronicle report accounts for $150,000+, but if the ad campaign cost $500K, where's the other $350K coming from? Are they getting small donations from 1000s of vets against Kerry? Or do they have some rw sugar daddy who's giving it all to them?

the org is a 527, so I suppose they don't have to and won't disclose their real sources of funding. . . . .

But the real point, of course, is that John Kerry's military record wouldn't matter one whit if boosh had any comparable service record. Since the booshies can't brag about their man (cough, cough, choke, gag), the only thing left to them is to drag down their opponent.

Let's see who's the last man standing.


Tansy Gold

[Bandit]

12. $158,000 dollars is a long ways from $500,000 that they paid for the Ads.

Follow the money.

[nagbacalan]

Rebuttal, please.

A more strenuous itemized rebuttal must be offered. This vile "story" has the potential to do real damage. Lies must be vigorously countered.

[Judi Lynn]

5. O'Neill's really involved deeply with Republican big bidness, isn't he?

John E. O'Neill:

The Kos expended great effort to discover who O'Neill is and writes on April 22, 2004, that "We also found out that he's a partner at the Houston firm of Clements, O'Neill, Pierce, Wilson and Fulkerson. One of his co-partners is Margaret A. Wilson, who was George Bush's general counsel 1998-2000.

"Well, there's more about good ol' Margaret," the Kos continues. "She was a lawyer at Vinson & Elkins before she worked for Bush. Vinson & Elkins was Enron's main law firm -- the very firm that facilitated Enron's frauds. Vinson & Elkins was also the firm that spawned Alberto R. Gonzales -- Bush's current general counsel.

"In other words, Vinson & Elkins and COPWF are the very embodiment of the Houston good ol' boy Republican network. That this network spawn Kerry's harshest critic should be of no surprise (his career was probably made thanks to the Nixon dirty work). Thus, there should be no illusions that O'Neill is in any way an independent and impartial critic of John Kerry."
(snip/...)

http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=John_E._O'Neill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Surely they shouldn't be able to get away with influencing people so strongly they won't even take the time to try to find out the truth, but I've been around dumb####s long enough to know a lot of people are just damned lazy, and they accept and repeat any & all info. if it seems to supplement what they want to think anyway.

Nixon's counter-attack
Colson was Nixon’s point man against Kerry, and he found a weapon in another veteran: John O’Neill. He was a spokesman for Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace, which backed Nixon administration policy in Vietnam, and in turn was supported by the White House.


The White House file
John O’Neill, selected to debate John Kerry about the Vietman War, in the Oval Office with President Nixon and White House aide Charles Colson.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fresh out of the Navy like Kerry, O’Neill was angry at Kerry for saying U.S. servicemen in Vietnam routinely committed war crimes. The weekend before the Washington protests, Kerry made the accusations on NBC’s Meet the Press, saying, “I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed, in that I took part in shootings in free fire zones.” And, Kerry claimed, “I took part in search and destroy missions, in the burning of villages. All this is contrary to the laws of warfare.”

John O’Neill hit back at Kerry with administration-orchestrated press appearances of his own, including a news conference that June. O’Neill asked rhetorically, “Shall Mr. Kerry and his little group of one thousand or twelve thousand embittered men be allowed to represent their views as that of all veterans, because they can appear on every news program? I hope not, for the country’s sake.”
(snip/...)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ID/4534274

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John Kerry has already had a previous Republican loon President attempt to use John O'Neill as his character assassin. Don't they really suck, after all?

They can't get ahead by arguing ideas and policy. They ONLY have dirty, dishonest, treachery left to advance their cause.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

9. Lot of similarities between O'Neill and Ted Olson...

...both top lawyers in their respective law firms, heavily involved with GOP politics, and running operations designed to attack Democratic Party leaders.

[KC21304]

6. Let's see now. Kerry was trying to stop the Vietnam war,

John O'Neill was trying to get Nixon re-elected. Hmmmmm.
I wonder which was the nobler cause.

[progressivebydesign]

8. Someone needs to be making a counter ad, pronto.

And.. I hope that the Kerry campaign is hitting the airwaves with the TRUTH about O'Neill. I mean.. if WE ALL KNOW about the connections this shmuck has, WHY can't the MEDIA FIGURE THIS OUT!!

Hello? Journalists?? DO YOUR FUCKING JOB!!! WE SHOULDN"T HAVE TO DO IT FOR YOU!!!!!

[janx]

10. Did you read the whole article? This guy is more thorough

than most, at least. I sent him some more sources of information. He'll get there.

[AirAmFan]

11. When will we see a saturation ad about Dubya's DESERTION? It seems

ridiculous to have to defend Kerry's carefully-investigated Silver Star when Dubya is so vulnerable on shirking his military obligations to pursue his drug habit.

The best defense is a good offense. Where are OUR Jerome Corsi and Bob Perry?

[TankLV]

15. How dare you even THINK to ask such questions of "the pResident"!

Are you some sort of traitorous unamerikkkan?

Sarcasm off.

[Zorra]

13. How can we get a copy of O'Neill's military record?

Maybe there are some interesting things there, you never know.

[liveoaktx]

14. Kerry's Fact Check Sheet for the Swift Boat Ad-line by Line

http://www.johnkerry.com/rapidresponse/080504_truth.html