So does that mean the Swifties can run ads regarding Kerry’s antiiwar statements or are the Swifties still liars when they play back Kerry’s own words?

Posted by: ter0 at August 29, 2004 03:04 PM

I totally agree with McCain on this. The lies about his medals have no place in this campaign, but his protest of the war when he returned is totally fair game.

I have only seen parts of the SwiftVets second ad. I understand that it quotes Kerry selectively and somewhat misleadingly, leaving the impression that he was claiming personal knowledge over the litany of atrocities he outlined, whereas in context I believe he made clear that he was relating what he had heard from other vets at that Detroit meeting of VVAW. Still, I suppose this is not much worse than many political ads in using sound-bites out of context.

I don’t think the second ad is getting any traction because history looks unkindly on the Vietnam war and as a decorated veteran Kerry had the perfect standing to criticize it. There is alot of evidence of the very kinds of atrocities which Kerry spoke about, and so nobody (except maybe a Vietnam vet or a Wingnut) is going to hold it against him for speaking the truth.

Posted by: rdelephant at August 29, 2004 04:34 PM

Kerry campaign attacks President over ‘war honour he did not earn’

“After weeks of denigration of the Democratic challenger’s Vietnam war record, Mr Kerry’s backers have responded with allegations against the President - including the claim that he was once photographed in uniform wearing a medal ribbon he had not earned.

As polls showed that Mr Bush had edged ahead of Mr Kerry for the first time, a pro-Kerry organisation labelled the President an “impostor” over the photograph, taken in 1970 and discovered in his father’s Presidential Library in Houston, Texas.

The ribbon is an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award - which was not awarded to the 111th Fighter Intercept Squadron in which Mr Bush served until 1975, five years after the photograph was taken, according to the group US War Report.

“Why is this fraud important? Because it betrays the Honour Code that every officer learns and carries throughout his or her career,” said Walt Starr who investigated the medals for the group. Separately a new book, Deserter, by Ian Williams, a British-born author, challenges the President with details of how he used his father’s influence to join the Texas Air National Guard as a trainee pilot, thereby avoiding service in Vietnam, and then allegedly disappeared from his base without fulfilling his duty.

“Bush has set himself up, and now that the issue is coming up he is going to have to answer questions on his own documented record,” said Williams.

Williams’s book offers evidence that Mr Bush stopped training in 1972, and failed to take an annual physical examination demanded of all pilots. Deserter also claims that Mr Bush failed to turn up for duty in Alabama, an omission which could have resulted in a charge of being absent without leave, or even desertion.

MoveOn.com, an independent organisation, has repeated the claim in television advertisements that Mr Bush abandoned his military post and the American media has taken up the story. “Alabama is where serious questions arise over whether or not Bush fulfilled his obligations to the Guard,” said William McTavish, a Republican, and editor of the Washington on-line political magazine Capitol Hill Blue.

Mr Bush has strongly denied abandoning his duties. He says he left his Texan unit after requesting transfer to Alabama, so that he could also work on a political campaign.

Asked about the medal ribbon, a White House spokesman said he could not respond until the record had been checked.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/29/wbush129.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/08/29/ixworld.html

Posted by: rdelephant at August 29, 2004 05:05 PM

Since when is mccain the final arbiter of truth or propriety? Fact is all these swiftboat ads are legitimate in they address questions about kerry’s character, instincts and judgment.

Posted by: swampfox at August 29, 2004 06:43 PM

swampfox -

McCain is the final arbiter when THEY say he is of course! Good Grief Man…haven’t you been paying attention! Kerry and the Dems can and will determine what is fair game for this campaign and no one else.

Trouble is, they made Vietnam Service fair game…and now they can’t stop it. Sad isn’t it?

Posted by: Wayne Fielder at August 29, 2004 08:48 PM

Don’t leave out Max Clelland, the other member of the Thin-Skinned Vietnam War Veterans Adored by the Media (TSVWVAM).

LINK

Posted by: ter0 at August 29, 2004 10:57 PM

George Bush never called me “baby killer”.

—==—

Steal this sig:

There is a big difference between William Calley and John Kerry. William Calley is a proven war criminal. For John Kerry we only have his word as an officer and a gentleman.

What is the War Hero Afraid of?
Form 180. Release ALL the records.

The Ads: Video links

Posted by: M. Simon at August 30, 2004 04:16 AM

As I posted here a couple of weeks ago but still haven’t seen any one else cover, Paul Galanti was a fellow POW with John McCain, is one of his closest friends and was the Virginia Chair (and one of the driving forces) of his presidential campaign.

Posted by: Countertop at August 30, 2004 11:42 AM