Anyone else want to put on a flame...

[Pin Wizard]

retardant suit?

Who else thinks dems will jump all over this one?

www.swiftvets.com

 

[luvindisneyworld]

 

[HollyJoy]

I think that ad needs to be pulled, and I'm surprised that Bush hasn't pulled it yet. Bill O'Riley was talking about this last night on his show. I highly doubt that Bush was involved in making this ad.. at least I hope he wasn't. It's just extremely in poor taste...

 

[Robinrs]

No flames from me, I heard about this on another thread and I was interested in seeing it.

Like the guys said, I respect their candor and their opinions, but I "served" under someone else for 4 years who lied to ME and no negative ad can change the way I feel about him.

 

[Disney Doll]

I don't think anyone can pull the ad. Those people have the right to free speech, just like anyone else, and if they have bought and paid for the ad, the advertising time/space or whatever, they have a right to have their message heard, just like any other group would, if they had negative information about President Bush that they wanted to share.

Senator Kerry can certainly sue them for slander or defamation of character if what they are saying is not true though.

I hate election years!

 

[Margie J]

I saw this site a couple weeks ago and it's very interesting. If this stuff is true, regarding his service and how he got those Medals, it's damaging to the "War Hero" image. All the testimonies Kerry gave and activities he was involved in after the war are documented so nobody can blame Bush for any of that.

As for the ad I heard (on a radio program) that Bush called for a ban of ads produced by groups like these. If I find a link I'll post it.

Let's see if Kerry, in turn, tones down the "Hero" roll or if he continues to play it.

 

[minniepumpernickel]

I saw O'Reilly last night too. I like how he implied that it was a dangerous thing for them to do. It's nice to see he has some common sense!

 

[BedKnobbery2]

Yep, been posted before and my reaction is the same....some Vets will like Kerry, some won't, no biggie. I did like the point someone else mentioned before, which is if Kerry was so god-awful in VN as alleged by this group, why did they wait to speak on it now? They've had plenty of time to bring it before, and it isn't as though his opposition to the war after the war is new news, nor is he a newly public figure. So his record was fine when he was running for Senator, but suddenly its not when he's running for President?

 

[Pin Wizard]

I heard a discussion on the radio this morning between the DJ and a vet that served with Kerry. Interesting. Had to check that site.

 

[Eeyore1954]

Interesting site with some intriguing information. The big bombshell I am waiting for is the release of the book "Unfit for Command". That's supposed to have even more information that is contrary to Sen. Kerry's version of what happened in Vietnam.

 

[Eeyore1954]

The Kerry campaign is already fighting the ad. Click here

 

[peachgirl]

Oh, I don't expect the dems to jump all over this any more than the republicans jump everytime anyone brings up bush's non existent military service.

Btw, I think this video is much more interesting and a lot more accurate.

http://whitehousewest.com/

 

[peachgirl]

Looks like their little fairy tale is already falling apart. One of the key figures is already retracting their statements...

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/08/06/veteran_retracts_criticism_of_kerry/

Yesterday, reached at his home, Elliott said he regretted signing the affidavit and said he still thinks Kerry deserved the Silver Star. ''I still don't think he shot the guy in the back," Elliott said. ''It was a terrible mistake probably for me to sign the affidavit with those words. I'm the one in trouble here."

Regarding Kerry's actions:

All of Kerry's crewmates who participated and are still living said in interviews last year that the action was necessary and appropriate, and it was Elliott who recommended Kerry for the Silver Star.

Republican response to the ad:

Meanwhile, Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, urged Bush yesterday to disassociate himself from what he called a ''dishonest and dishonorable" attack. In response, the White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, said, ''We have not and we will not question Senator Kerry's service in Vietnam."

Wonder about where the money's coming from for the swifty site?

The Associated Press reported yesterday that Houston home-builder Bob J. Perry, a major Republican donor, gave at least $100,000 to the organization sponsoring the ad, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

 

[HollyJoy]

Originally posted by Disney Doll
I don't think anyone can pull the ad. Those people have the right to free speech, just like anyone else, and if they have bought and paid for the ad, the advertising time/space or whatever, they have a right to have their message heard, just like any other group would, if they had negative information about President Bush that they wanted to share.

Senator Kerry can certainly sue them for slander or defamation of character if what they are saying is not true though.

I hate election years!

Yeah, that's true. Maybe I should have said that I'm surprised Bush hasn't spoken out against the ad.

 

[Doug123]

Originally posted by minniepumpernickel
I saw O'Reilly last night too...It's nice to see he has some common sense!

O'Reilly has no common sense (even when he's right - which is extremely rare). It constantly amazes me the number of people on the DIS that treat him as a news source. But I guess that's really off the point.

 

[peachgirl]

Originally posted by HollyJoy
Yeah, that's true. Maybe I should have said that I'm surprised Bush hasn't spoken out against the ad.

The Whitehouse spokesman gave a lukewarm response saying they wouldn't question Kerry's military service.

It wasn't much, but it was more than I expected of them.

 

[Keli]

I don't know what to think for sure about Kerry and his military service. It seems odd to me that he would protray himself as a miliatry hero while at the same time admitting to having committed 'atrocities' while in Nam. I guess the truth is somewhere in the middle. If he really did commit atrocities then I think he is morally corupt and should never be president. And yes, I do realize that other morally corupt individuals have been our presidents in the past but that doesn't make it right. It's just that I don't have the final say on who gets that job .

 

[Eeyore1954]

Originally posted by peachgirl
Looks like their little fairy tale is already falling apart. One of the key figures is already retracting their statements...

That's one out of at least 12 Vietnam vets quoted in the book. Omitting former Lt. Commander Elliot now, these are the quotes from the ad.

Ensign Al French (2 Bronze Stars): I served with John Kerry.

Lt. Bob Elder (Bronze Star): I served with John Kerry.

Lt. Commander George Elliot (2 Bronze Stars): John Kerry has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam.

Ensign Al French (2 Bronze Stars): He is lying about his record.

Lt. Commander Lewis Letson (Medical Officer): I know John Kerry is lying about his first Purple Heart, because I treated him for that injury.

Gunners Mate 2nd Class Van Odell: John Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star. I know. I was there. I saw what happened.

Lt. J.G. Jack Chenoweth (Bronze Star): His account of what happened and what actually happened are the difference between night and day.

Rear Admiral Roy Hoffman (Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star): John Kerry has not been honest.

Commander Adrian Lonsdale (Legion of Merit, Bronze Star): And he lacks the capacity to lead.

Lt. J.G. Larry Thurlow (Bronze Star): When the chips were down, you could not count on John Kerry.

Lt. Bob Elder (Bronze Star): John Kerry is no war hero.

Lt. Commander Grant Hibbard (2 Bronze Stars): He betrayed all his shipmates. He lied before the Senate.

Lt. Shelton White (2 Bronze Stars): John Kerry betrayed the men and women he served with in Vietnam.

Gunner's Mate 3rd class Joe Ponder (Purple Heart): He dishonored his country. He most certainly did.

Lt. Bob Hildreth (Bronze Star, Purple Heart): I served with John Kerry. John Kerry cannot be trusted.

Regarding Kerry's actions:

This is what's been said about the book due to be published next week: "A veterans group seeking to deeply discredit Kerry's military service will charge in this new book, Unfit for Command, that Kerry earned his Silver Star by killing a lone, fleeing, teenaged Vietcong in a loincloth. If Kerry's superiors had known the truth at the time they would have never recommended him for the medal. The book also claims that Kerry personally ordered the slaughter of small animals in a small hamlet along the Song Bo De River. The book, set for release next week, is already at #1 on the Amazon hit parade."

Wonder about where the money's coming from for the swifty site?

Wow, so the GOP has found an answer to George Soros.

 

[ThAnswr]

Originally posted by peachgirl
Wonder about where the money's coming from for the swifty site?

"Follow the money" as they said in the Watergate investigations.

Here's a little info into who's financing the anti-Kerry "Swift Boat Vets".

The communications advisor to the group is Merrie Spaeth. Merrie Spaeth was also a communications consultant to Ken Starr.

http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Merrie_Spaeth

 

[Eeyore1954]

Originally posted by peachgirl
The Whitehouse spokesman gave a lukewarm response saying they wouldn't question Kerry's military service.

It wasn't much, but it was more than I expected of them.

This is the statement from the WH.

The White House denied any involvement in the ad or the 527 group that produced it.

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said, "We have not and we will not question Senator Kerry's service in Vietnam."

"The president has been on the receiving end of more than $62 million in negative attacks from shadowy groups," McClellan added. "The president is calling for an immediate cessation to all the unregulated soft money activity. I think that this is another example of the problem with the unregulated soft money activity that is going on. The president thought he got rid of this kind of unregulated soft money when he signed the bipartisan campaign finance reforms into law."

Interesting that this is considered "lukewarm."

What is even more interesting is that this is in reference to ads from 527 groups like MoveOn.org and SwiftBoat Vets. While Mr. Perry may have donated $100,000 to this TV ad campaign, that donation pales in comparison to billionaire financier George Soros' contribution of $15 million for the specific purpose of driving Bush from the White House.

Even more interesting is that the Federal Election Commission failed to deal with the loophole in the law when it had the opportunity earlier this year. Vice chairman Ellen Weintraub, a former Democratic counsel to the House Ethics Committee who was chosen for the commission by Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD), recommended against taking action before the November election. The FEC's inaction led to massive amounts of "soft money" flowing into the 527 groups that are virtually unregulated.

This is going to be a very nasty campaign season.