SwiftVets.com

DADESID · Seaman Joined: 07 Jul 2004 Posts: 157

On page 10 is an article by Harlan Ullman decrying the pejorative use of the word "swiftboating" as a verbal distortion.

And yet, without mentioning the POWs who joined with the swiftees, or the outrageous testimony Kerry provided to the Senate Committee in 1971, Mr. Ullman's article states in part:

***

"The time has come to expunge from our political vocabulary a word that is offensive, demeaning, and profane to anyone who serves or has served in the Navy. That word is "swiftboating." A remark
by a TV commentator after Super Tuesday two months ago triggered this plea.

Senator Barack Obama had just closed the gap with Senator Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. This meant Obama was in trouble, the commentator said, because the Clinton machine was about to "swiftboat" him.

This verbal distortion arose during John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. In full disclosure, I supported Kerry then. A political action committee called Swiftboat Veterans for Truth (SBVFT), run by supporters of President Bush, savaged Kerry's achievements in Vietnam as a Swiftboat skipper in a fusillade of highly negative TV ads.

The Swifties, as the group became known, attacked Kerry relentlessly, claiming he had exaggerated his combat record and did not deserve his medals. There were other allegations, none with merit. It made no difference. The scurrilous and disgraceful attacks hit home and damaged Kerry's campaign. Truth was the first casualty.

For the record, Kerry earned Silver and Bronze Stars for heroism along with three Purple Hearts. Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., then Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam, cited Kerry's valor and audacity when he pinned the Silver Star on him. In later years, Zumwalt was a forceful affirmer of Kerry's heroism, as was Kerry's crew. While one could quibble about the extent of his wounds for one of his Purple Hearts, Kerry saw considerable action patrolling South Vietnam's rivers. Having been wounded three times, he returned stateside after four months at war."

***

Disgusting.

Admin note: Link please?/me#1

TEWSPilot · Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 5:17 am Post subject: Glass House Syndrome

Harlan K. Ullman: The First Name Offered from D.C. Madam Deborah Palfrey

....this guy?

Proceedings Magazine

...maybe this article:

Firing on the Up Roll (Members Only)
By Harlan Ullman

DADESID · Seaman Joined: 07 Jul 2004 Posts: 157

GoophyDog · Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 8:17 pm Post subject:

And this guy works for the Center for Strategic Studies? If this is an example of his analytical abilities and if he was involved in that abortion of an NIE, no wonder it was such a codswallop fit only for toilet paper.
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TEWSPilot · Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 8:17 pm Post subject: Wasted his money

He should have spent his money buying a copy of "Unfit For Command" and "To Set The Record Straight" instead of "making an ass" of himself then and now. Rolling Eyes

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DADESID · Seaman Joined: 07 Jul 2004 Posts: 157

Just received the MAY 2008 (Naval Review) issue of the USNI Proceedings today.

On page 8, the "editor's page", Robert Timburg, Editor in Chief, wrote this in regard to the Ullman article in last month's issue:

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A number of you were offended by Harlan Ullman's April column in which he argued that the term "swift-boating" should be dropped from the language because it does a disservice to the many men who served on board Swift Boats in Vietnam. I don't think many would argue with that. It certainly made sense to me. The complaints arose from Mr. Ullman's contention that the accusations leveled against 2004 Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth - the genesis of "swift-boating" - were without merit. In the process, Mr. Ullman's seemingly noncontentious suggestion became embroiled in a rerun of the 2004 campaign. I should have anticipated that.

I'm going to bring down the curtain on this episode with the wise words of retired Coast Guard Rear Admiral Norman C. Venzke, who was critical of Mr. Ullman's column, but knows a no-win situation when he sees one.

'I strongly believe that it's past time to put to rest the issue of SBVFT vs. Senator Kerry, unless someone on either side has new factual information to provide."

***

None of the letters from the "offended" were offered.

And yes, Mister Timburg, it is a "no-win" situation for YOU and the USNI, so it is no surprise that you are anxious to "bring down the curtain".

<What a turd>.