Daily Howler catches a Larry Thurlow lie: "Steve Gardner"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

I e-mailed the text below to Hardball and asked them to check the facts, and correct them on the air if necessary. Let's all do the same in the days ahead...don't let any "misinformation" fall through the cracks.

:toast:

http://www.dailyhowler.com/

First, Matthews asked Thurlow to “ell me about the time you discovered that wasn't honest about his account of events” in Vietnam. Thurlow was eager to pass on his knowledge. “Well, on a firsthand basis, I understood that the Purple Heart that he received at Cam Ranh Bay was fabricated and wasn't based on any factuality at all,” he replied.

Second, Thurlow was asked how he knew that his charge was accurate. “I learned that from the people who had been with him at that time, when he reported that he received an injury from hostile fire, when in fact, there was none,” Thurlow said. Then the comedy segment began, as Matthews asked for the names of these people. After a bit of “Who’s On First,” Thurlow gave him a name: Steve Gardner.

But that’s where your system broke down. As anyone familiar with these events would have known, Steve Gardner wasn’t present during any of the incidents the Swift Boat Vets have disputed. In particular, he wasn’t present during the first Purple Heart incident, the one to which Thurlow alluded. In short, Thurlow had no firsthand knowledge of this incident—and neither did the source he mentioned. At best, Thurlow had third-hand knowledge of the event he had come on TV to describe. Thurlow had made a very tough charge—and at best, he had third-hand knowledge.

So how did your system break down at this point? Chris Matthews, Hardball’s host, wasn’t prepared for his job this day. He didn’t challenge Gardner’s name, presumably because he didn’t know the basic facts about these matters. Hardball viewers got the impression that Thurlow had named an actual witness. And they got the impression that Thurlow was a more capable witness than he actually is.

[KC21304]

1. I emailed Hardball right after the show to tell Chris

that Thurlow was talking out of his lower orifice. I think we need a rapid response link to the campaign about this kind of stuff. I thought maybe that was what Dem.Strat. was going to be looking for but I guess that wasn't what he was after.

[K8-EEE]

2. Also, Michelle Malkin....

named that guy Runyan as a witness to the "self inflicted wound" actually he is a Kerry supporter.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

3. Check "Daily Howler" on Monday for more on Malkin, but this was said:

"More on Malkin’s dissembling on Monday. But can we really keep our democracy when baby-faced assassins like this crawl the land? And how have we reached the perilous point where such questions can even be asked?"

:evilgrin:

[Sparkly]

5. Read the after-action report

It was close to the time of the purple heart -- several guys got injuries from the rice barrels. These were NOT the same injuries as the purple heart -- separate incident. The Swiftliars are just trying to confuse them.

They have a lot of nerve!!

[alcuno]

4. Wasn't Gardner on Scarborough this week? It must have been Friday.

I cannot remember what he said.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

6. I'm not sure, but here are some other links on what Gardner's saying

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread71884/pg4

http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/2004/08/kerry-sog-and-war-in-cambodia.html