| Page 1 of 2 | 1 | 2 |
|
|
The Swifties are here to stay
Article published Saturday, August 28, 2004
The Swifties are here to stay AN AXIOM of politics is: "Don't feed a bad story." By going postal about the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, John Kerry has laid out a veritable banquet. Senator Kerry has accused the Swifties of smearing him by criticizing his Vietnam service. But he has gone further, declaring the Swifties to be Republican shills, put up to attacking Mr. Kerry by the evil President Bush. If Mr. Kerry were to acknowledge the real reason why the Swifties hate him - because he falsely accused them and other Vietnam veterans of committing war crimes - it would not enhance his appeal to swing voters. Mr. Kerry's "evidence" for this charge is that most of the seed money for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth came from a $200,000 contribution from Houston builder Bob Perry, a frequent contributor to GOP candidates. The New York Times has tried to help Mr. Kerry out by publishing a complex genealogy which indicates that Swiftie John O'Neill, principal author of Unfit for Command and now a prominent Houston lawyer, knows Republicans who know other Republicans who know Mr. Bush. (That Times article didn't mention that Mr. O'Neill says he's an independent who voted for Al Gore in 2000.) If the "Republican attack machine" were behind the Swifties, it did a lousy job. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth had barely $250,000 on hand when they launched their first ad in three mid-sized markets in Ohio, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. By contrast, the three largest independent committees have raised and spent nearly $60 million on ads attacking Mr. Bush. Benjamin Ginsberg, national counsel for the Bush-Cheney campaign, resigned after it was disclosed that he was also providing legal advice to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Mr. Ginsberg said the Bush campaign was unaware of his connection to the Swifties. The law says there can be no coordination between campaigns and "527" groups, but attorneys are specifically permitted to provide legal advice to both campaigns and independent groups. Robert Bauer, the national counsel of the Kerry-Edwards campaign, also represents America Coming Together, one of the largest of the anti-Bush 527s. He hasn't resigned from either post. One of the anti-Bush 527s is run by Jim Jordan, Mr. Kerry's former campaign manager. Kerry staffer Zach Exley came to his campaign from MoveOn.org, the 527 that has run the most vicious anti-Bush ads. Mr. Kerry can be confident that while the "mainstream" media will trumpet his charges, there will be no exploration of possible collusion between his campaign and these supposedly independent groups. On May 9, for instance, the Democratic National Committee issued a press release that said: "The Democratic Party is partnering with MoveOn.org, People for the American Way, Campaign for America's Future, and dozens of other groups representing millions of Americans to organize a massive public mobilization." The biggest unreported story of this campaign is the extent to which the major media are in the tank for Mr. Kerry. But media bias - which has reached comic proportions in the Swift Boat vet controversy - may be doing Mr. Kerry more harm than good. If journalists were more interested in covering the news than in covering up for Mr. Kerry, they would have explored the Swifties' charges back in May, when the group first raised them. Had due diligence been done then, it might have been possible for Mr. Kerry to put the controversy behind him. Now it has exploded on him at a critical time, knocking him off message. When Mr. Kerry's attack on the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth forced the story onto the front pages, the media tried to provide damage control. But what might have been contained as a small fire in May had become a raging inferno by August. Despite the media attempt at a blackout, the charges made by the Swifties were causing a hemorrhage of support for Mr. Kerry among veterans, thanks to the efforts of dozens of web loggers. Still, his escalation of the issue is puzzling. Thanks to Mr. Kerry, many, many more people have heard of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, and are curious about what they have to say. The publisher of Unfit for Command can't print books fast enough to meet demand. While still small potatoes as far as 527 committees go, the Swifties are now - thanks to Mr. Kerry - relatively flush. The group reports having received more than $1.7 million in Internet contributions since Mr. Kerry attacked them. They won't be going away any time soon. Pathetic Earthlings! No one can save you now! |
The Swifties are a bunch of lying assholes just like your bottom
buddy Bu****. -- "j" ganz @@ www.sailnow.com "Horvath" wrote in message ... Article published Saturday, August 28, 2004 The Swifties are here to stay |
The Swifties are a bunch of lying assholes just like your bottom
buddy Bu****. George Bush has now publically defended Kerry's war record and that's all that matters. Kerry served and saw action. He was wounded. Later he opposed the war he fought in, which was his right as a free American. End of story. Bush got drunk in those years and showed no national responsibility as Kerry did. RB |
No national responsibility? Have you forgotten that he enlisted, went
to officer's school, flight school, and became a fighter pilot? He never "fought" anyone or saw any action. Kerry did and Bush is defending that. Are you calling Bush a liar? RB |
On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 08:58:05 -0400, Horvath
wrote: On 29 Aug 2004 11:21:39 GMT, (Bobsprit) wrote this crap: George Bush has now publically defended Kerry's war record and that's all that matters. Kerry served and saw action. He was wounded. Later he opposed the war he fought in, which was his right as a free American. End of story. Bush got drunk in those years and showed no national responsibility as Kerry did. No national responsibility? Have you forgotten that he enlisted, went to officer's school, flight school, and became a fighter pilot? You don't even have that right. Ben Barnes, the Speaker of the Texas House, after receiving a request from a longtime Bush family friend, obtained a sport for GWB in the Texas Air National Guard, moving him to the head of the line, after he scored a 25%, the lowest possible passing grade for officer aptitude. As to going to officer's school. Again, bzzzzt. Wrong again. He received his officer's commission through a special appointment after 6 weeks of basic training. He never had a day of officer's training. I guess that 25 on his aptitude test dazzled the three officer panel who recommended that GWB be made an officer with no specific training. For anyone else, the requirements would have been "eight full semesters of college ROTC courses or eighteen months of military service or completion of Air Force officer training school. Texas National Guard historian said that he "never heard of that" except for flight surgeons." So, Doctors are often commissioned as officers without Officer Training, but never pilots. Not even in the Texas Air National Guard...except one. He then did attend flight school and was a pilot, until he failed to take a physical, and lost his flight status with two years remaining in his National Guard obligation. Coincidentally, or not, this was during the time that these physicals began drug testing. For those remaining two years, during which GWB was suspended as a pilot, he was, on paper, transferred to Administrative duty, although he never showed up anywhere. Not Alabama or back in Houston. Finally, after already moving to Boston to attend Harvard, he requested and received an early discharge. So basically GWB was given a spot a the Guard, given an Officer's Commission and provided with flight training at taxpayer expense and all he was asked to do was show up on a few weekends. He didn't even do that. |
As to going to officer's school. Again, bzzzzt. Wrong again. He
received his officer's commission through a special appointment after 6 weeks of basic training. He never had a day of officer's training. I guess that 25 on his aptitude test dazzled the three officer panel Holy crap! This is 100% true! RB |
So basically GWB was given a spot a the Guard, given an Officer's
Commission and provided with flight training at taxpayer expense and all he was asked to do was show up on a few weekends. He didn't even do that. I assure you that Horvath could care less about this. RB |
Not true. He saw action at the bar.
-- "j" ganz @@ www.sailnow.com "Bobsprit" wrote in message ... No national responsibility? Have you forgotten that he enlisted, went to officer's school, flight school, and became a fighter pilot? He never "fought" anyone or saw any action. Kerry did and Bush is defending that. Are you calling Bush a liar? RB |
|
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 05:53 PM. |
|
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2014 BoatBanter.com