Can we get this straight? TOUR of Duty is NOT the smearbook

[A_Possum]

Gah, I come back in the morning and find a whole thread full of posts from people acting like it's a sin to read TOUR OF DUTY by Douglas Brinkley.

I guess O'Neill's trick of naming his book "Unfit for Command" worked with some DU'ers, eh?

Keep it straight, for all our sakes. TOUR OF DUTY is by Douglas Brinkley, a historian who has written about 15 books, including books about Rosa Parks, Henry Ford and Dean Acheson. He's co-authored books with Stephen Ambrose.

TOUR OF DUTY is a biography that Brinkley began in 2002, when he was looking for a senator to write about, and discovered that most of the prominent ones already had books about them, but Kerry didn't. Kerry gave him full access to all of his journals and letters from Vietnam. Brinkley did extensive interviewing (INCLUDING with many of the Swift vets, including Thurlow, who indicated he had a personal beef with Kerry.) It was completed before Kerry was selected in the primaries.

TOUR OF DUTY is a work of history. Unfit for Duty is a smear job.

Know the difference. And if you want to know some important things about your candidate, read TOUR OF DUTY.

On edit: corrected year when Brinkley began working on the book.

[trumad]

1. You're right... Kerrey's book is TOUR OF DUTY

[Pirate Smile]

3. Kerrey or Kerry?

[A_Possum]

4. Arrrrrgah. Kerry. n/t

[Richardo]

7. ...and it's "Unfit for Command"

Believe me, I know - I had to sell that POS all weekend.

[A_Possum]

9. LOL well there you go...

I'm a schmuck too. ;) Thanks I'll correct my post.

[trumad]

8. Just messin with you dude...

The thread reminded me how folks at the beginning of the Kerry campaign would spell his name Kerrey (Bob) instead of Kerry.

[Pirate Smile]

2. Tour of Duty may have been what pissed off the SBV Liars so much.

The NYT article last week mentioned that Adm. Hoffman (I believe that is who it was)thought he looked like a creep in the book and that is when he started contacting people to go after Kerry.

[A_Possum]

5. Exactly

Even though he doesn't really come off all that bad. Brinkley makes it clear that the swift boat officers (at least some of them, from comments they made in letters) thought the tactics used in Operation Sealords were dangerous and pointless, and the Hoffman was a really gung-ho officer who was interested in "heroism" and body counts.

But it's my believe people like Hoffman are hyper-sensitive to criticism. BTW, the NYT article said Hoffman was censured by the Navy for exercising undue influence on military courts!

Brinkley doesn't demonize anybody in the book. It's very positive about Kerry, but not entirely.

[seabeyond]

6. i....am going to go out and get it today, apossum

i have had kids all summer and not a chance in hell i could get thru a book, lol lol and jsut sent them off today. youngest, first year all day. i will have time to read this book. excellent idea thankyou. and i want the info down pat

thanks