If you think the Swift Boat issue is dying, think again - Here is a graph

[Democat]

http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?&range=3m&size=large&compare_sites=&url=swiftvets.com

The site is not dropping other than a small dip and it has been spiking for about 8 days now.

The Swift Boat Liars site is the 4,000 biggest site on the internet today. Compare that to DU, which is only the 10,000 biggest site on the internet.

The website visitors spike because of TV and radio attention.

This is not an issue that can be ignored. They are reaching more people every day. Press releases are not going to put a stop to this.

Here is the link to the other thread about the fact that the ads seem to be working and the right wing's plans to expand them:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2199385

Call me a "hand wringer" if you want, but we will all be crying in November if Kerry allows this issue to sway even a few percent of the voters.

Clinton said it on the Daily Show, you can never allow the right wing to hit you without hitting them back twice as hard. Kerry hasn't done what Clinton suggested. The clock is ticking.

[JPJones]

1. I got called a freeper for bringing up the same point

on Saturday.

[Democat]

2. I don't expect everyone to agree with me

But hopefully people know I'm not a freeper by now.

"Hand wringer" maybe, freeper no. :)

[xray s]

8. You are no hand wringer

Your just like a Cub fan. We have seen this movie too many times!

[RockaFowler]

3. Scarborough Country - With Buchanan

They are talking about O'Neill like he is telling the truth. Buchanan is a pig. Why are they allowed to lie about a hero and we can't question the pig president?

[redstateblues]

13. Lanny Davis Just Destroyed Pat B. On The Swift Boat Liars

Thing. He shredded Buchanan's Nixonian sentimentality

[Media_Lies_Daily]

4. Just curious, but how many freepers & friends are logging into that site?

[janx]

10. A lot.

Go to freeperland, look around a bit, and your suspicions will be confirmed.

[Osama_Bin_Winnin]

5. It's serious shit.

Negative works

[lancdem]

6. I wonder if that's why Clinton's demeanor was almost glum

on TDS. Perhaps the Kerry campaign is ignoring his advice to go after these slimeballs.

[xray s]

7. This ad has gone national

Its been played on the cable networks. Anyone who thinks this is only being seen in a few markets and not being noticed by a wide audience is fooling themselves.

The ad cuts deep. OUTRAGE is called for. Nothing less.

[arcos]

9. ALEXA IS NOT RELIABLE!

jeez, I don't understand why people still can't see that it is impossible to have a real measure of Internet popularity unless you have access to the stats of the sites.

Alexa only measures how many visits sites receive, out of those who HAVE THE ALEXA TOOLBAR INSTALLED. That is hardly representative.

[cynatnite]

11. I'm Tired of This Crap

I've been watching Scarborough and the same old crap is all being rehashed over and over. I've come to one conclusion.

Either a person believes the swiftjerks or they believe Kerry and the men with him. It's not going to matter all the stuff that's in between. It's all dependent on whose word you take.

One thing I've heard about all this seems clear: Looking through the prism of politics will determine who you believe.

There's two major things here which are irrefutable.

1)It was war. A nasty war in the jungles with no discernible front line.

2)It was unpopular and became even more so with Kerry's dramatic testimony and actions he took when he came home.

The stand I'm personally taking is that while some details are debatable, looking at at the big picture, I believe Kerry earned his medals valiantly and with honor. The same goes with the men that really served with him.

I see O'Neill as being an opportunist who has an ax to grind because of Kerry's testimony after coming home and enjoying his 15 minutes in the spotlight. The other men which stands by him and this book, I also believe are extremely angry over Kerry's testimony as well.

I don't see the purpose in arguing details or listening to those who deem this as a reason to brand Kerry as a liar and a coward.

I have decided to settle any discussions about this matter with one issue: The Navy hasn't stripped him of his medals. If they had any doubts about what happened thirty years ago he either would never have been given them in the first place or at any point since then would have lost them. As a vet, that tells me all I want to know.

Cyn:)

[Poiuyt]

12. It worries me, too

The ad is getting a lot of play time here in Wisconsin. The rebuttal came out before the ad did, which was fine for people who are interested in politics. The average TV watcher is only going to see the ad without realizing all the lies that are in it. Kerry has staked much of his campaign on his Viet Nam record (based on the convention). If the general public feels that he has misled them about that record then he is in trouble. The one saving grace is that there aren't too many undecided voters in the states that matter.

Moveon.org has to respond to these ads while Kerry's TV advertising is on hiatus.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

14. Alexa is bullshit

their methodology is not reliable.

[WiseMen]

15. Unfortunately, the naivite of many on the board just relects the Party

which was thoroughly unprepared and yet unwilling to address
this type of attack with the ferocity that is required.

It may be a symptom of the lack of strong positive passion for
Kerry prior to the Convention, and it could be result not only
in lost opportunity to tout Kerry's record, but a muzzling of
activist over the issue of Kerry's record because of the public doubts
left by the media.

[gulliver]

16. I hope we do something with Corsi.

This thing does demand a response. It's hard to imagine a better ending to a Kerry ad than to close with the Jerome Corsi's thoughtful comments on Catholics and Jews. Swing voters will just love those.

[Zen Democrat]

17. Kerry can't spend on ads in August -- that's why this is hitting now.

But the DNC can do something can't they? Or MoveOn.org? At the very least, the REAL crewmates of John Kerry need to appear en masse on the cable news shows to shoot down these lies.

Or, some heavyweight spokespersons should smother the airwaves with the real truth of this disgusting book. Wesley Clark or Joe Biden or Bill Richardson. Somebody!!!

John Kerry has to fight this. If no one else will, he needs to do it himself on 60 Minutes or some other program. It's important that he FIGHT BACK. People want a leader who won't take this kind of crap lying down.

Please go to johnkerry.com and send them an e-mail today telling them that they can't sit around and let this simmer and burn. It has to be extinguished and the sooner the better. Tell this campaign to get off its ass and fight back -- just like Clinton did in 1992. Clinton didn't look dirty -- he looked strong and tough. Kerry has to do the same thing.

[agincourt]

18. I'd go after their backgrounds

We need to get the message that these are not concerned vets, but KKKarl Rove toadies engaged in partisian warfare. They're not trying to educate anybody. We also need to get the lying shrubshits veto out front and center too.

[Dob Bole]

19. Certainly much of the traffic is journalists/ RWers

I doubt very seriously that whatever swing voters there are are spending time languishing on that site, when even the White House won't acknowledge their existence...but I could be wrong.