SwiftVets.com

[Me#1You#10]

Jerome Corsi
WorldNetDaily Exclusive Commentary

John Kerry ... the gift that keeps on giving?
November 12, 2004
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

"If you're watching this film, then I'm dead and John Kerry is running for president again."

At 8:00 p.m. EST, on Nov. 2, John Kerry was writing his acceptance speech. The thought that he actually lost the election had not yet occurred to him. Now, John Kerry announces that he intends to run for president again, in 2008. This electoral defeat, evidently, to John Kerry was only a temporary setback – round one, as it were.

The Swift Boat and POWs for the Truth had been considering standing down, stating as accomplished their mission to defeat John Kerry in the presidential election of 2004. But now what? If John Kerry is going to start acting like Freddy Krueger, what should the Swift Vets and POWs do?

Every day since the election, I have been getting e-mails, mostly from veterans, who are drafting legal documents and formulating procedural plans to press John Kerry on various charges. The key sticking point for many is the unanswered questions regarding John Kerry's discharge from the military.

Did John Kerry's meeting with Madame Binh in Paris, his collaboration with the enemy in time of war, disqualify him from an honorable discharge from the Navy? Is the 1978 discharge document listed on his website really a product of a Carter pardon, reversing a prior "other than honorable" determination?

John Kerry's approach to the Swift Boat attacks throughout the campaign were first to ignore the charges, second to unleash the "band of lawyers" to see if he could suppress First Amendment rights in his favor, and third, to claim without proof that "Unfit for Command" and the Swift Boat ads were discredited because they were "a pack of lies." The one strategy John Kerry never utilized was to respond systematically to the charges.

On the question of his discharge from the Navy, Kerry was characteristically silent. This was perhaps a fatal mistake as the Swift Boat charges reframed John Kerry from the image he wished to portray, that of a "war hero," to the image the Swift Boat vets wanted to portray, a rhinestone cowboy war hero whose anti-war protest flirted with treason. Still, the charges stand unanswered.

Kerry's response to defeat has been equally dismissive. He now insists he will use the Senate seat as a bully pulpit for continued challenges to President Bush and the Republican Party. He asserts himself as the presumptive leader of the Democratic Party, their candidate in waiting, ready to act out another Adlai Stevenson drama in 2008.

Fundamentally, John Kerry doesn't get it. Is it really meaningful that he received the second highest number of popular votes for president ever? More people voted this year than ever and John Kerry still lost, even though he got more votes than George Bush in 2000. Who cares? The American people did not embrace his message ... whatever it was.

The veterans did not rise up to support one of their own. His arrival at the Democratic National Convention, crossing Boston Harbor like Washington crossing the Delaware and his salute "reporting for duty," are impressions muted substantially by the pages of a No. 1 New York Times best-seller, a barrage of Swift Boat TV commercials, and a powerful POW documentary aptly titled, "Stolen Honor."

So what are the Swift Boat and POWs for the Truth to do? One of the more interesting suggestions calls for the creation of a video archive containing taped statements from key participants, recording their final conclusions for posterity. The documentaries could be archived, available for viewing only if John Kerry were to emerge in the future as a viable presidential candidate. In other words, "If you are watching this film, then John Kerry is running for president again and I am dead."

Perhaps the Swift Vets and POWs need to assemble one last time. The opportunity could also be used to record on film their final impressions and deliver their concluding statements for posterity. But the real goal would be to implant a pre-emptive strike, reserving a set of statements for release only in the exceptional circumstances contemplated should Kerry run for president a second time. That such statements existed might just serve as a powerful deterrent positioned against a future Kerry candidacy.

John Kerry might well calculate that in a few years hence he might yet be vital enough to run for president, while his Swift Vet and POW opponents had been weakened by the passage of time. A sealed archive of never-before-seen first-hand statements from his veteran opponents will give John Kerry and the Democratic Party second thoughts. Even if John Kerry wants to run again, is he or the Democratic Party really enthusiastic about putting the nation through the Vietnam War debate yet one more time?

In the presidential campaign of 2004, as long as the focus was on the Vietnam War, John Kerry was losing. Not since Richard Nixon in 1972 has any presidential candidate ever made headway talking about Vietnam.

Today, many vets of that war feel vindicated by the opportunity to tell their story of honor even at this late date. No one could have imagined the circumstances that would have placed the issue of Vietnam War honor so powerfully before the American public some 34 years after the Vietnamese Communists took over. For this, we have John Kerry to thank.

The problem is John Kerry, himself – a defeated candidate who does not accept defeat as final. He cannot be counted upon to go quietly into the night, with what remaining dignity he has left.

Jerome R. Corsi received a Ph.D. from Harvard University in political science in 1972 and has written many books and articles, including the No. 1 New York Times best-seller, "Unfit for Command – Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry." Dr. Corsi is an expert on political violence and terrorism and is currently writing a new book titled, "Atomic Islam," due to be released in 2005 by WND Books.

WorldNetDaily

[openfish24]

I think recording statements and saving documentation is an excellent idea.

And it should be publicly stated that this is being done.

So, that Kerry knows what waits for him should he try again.

[CaptnJack]

I do not think the 'prepare, wait & see' method is as desireable as moving on. As Corsi states the Swifties may get involved and others have taken up the torch. The others at this time do not have the resourses and potential fund raising capability of the Swifties BUT it is their decision to go forward or not. In my opinion, the 'discharge' info and related documentation is not going to ever be released UNLESS it is brought out in a trail or inquirey. I'm not a lawyer but believe the fact kerry met with the Viets and admitted to war crimes is on record. His fight with the Nixon admin to obey the 7 points provided by the Viets and the visits are treason. Those acts should see charges brought against kerry. If, in the unlikely event, kerry would find the discharge and records needed in a defense they would quickly be released. His participation in a meeting discussing the assination of senators should be brought to light as that would take him down a few notches also.

[GIaunt]

Kerry talks big, but with 20 years of almost invisible service in the senate, I doubt he can make it a bully pulpit...

Also, the Dems will be DESPERATE for a win in 2008 --- they will be grooming a candidate soon..... I see Hillary with Bill's clout being right up there at the top of the list....

[DavidS]

A very thoughtfull message.

I agree that we should proceed to continue gathering the facts. At such time as there is enough to make a very convincing case against Kerry a decision can be made as to whether or not to release it then or wait.

Personally, I wold prefer not to wait too long. One of our goals should be to not only discredit Kerry but also the Media that tried to silence or cast doubt on what we were presenting. To be able to show that they blew it might help to persuade some doubters that the Facts are there and not made up as part of a smear campaign.

Some of my liberal friends are so full of hate for Pres. Bush over his actions in going to war in Iraq that nothing will ever convince them that he was right short of Iraq and Afghanistan becoming and staying stable free societies under the rule of law. That's going to take a long time.

In the meantime there are others who I hope can be finally persuaded to accept the truth.
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[integritycounts]

I must say that I disagree with the concept of conditional archiving of anything. The ideas are very good....to create the important evidence in video form, as we know who images are key.

But John Kerry in 1971 did damage to many Vets, and he was not in any elected office. He is currently a key Democrat leader in the SENATE OF THE USA. He holds one of the top 100 political offices in the country...and that is counting Governors.

The Media has dismissed the claims of the Swift Vets as false. The Swift Vets need to correct the record...and to continue on. Agree on a much less fevered pace. But the work must continue and not be mothballed for Kerry to control.

Kerry created an image of Vietnam Vets that remained for years, and colored the pages of history books as well as film and TV and newspapers.

Correcting the record is about 49% done...but that is a LONG WAY from being complete. The battle is won....but truth and honor of good men, require more work....perhaps at a slower pace....but surely not mothballed waiting for Kerry to decide. Don't give him that amount of control over the truth of the matters.

[garb1015]

A battle has been won, but the war is far from over. Kerry's defeat less than two weeks ago was a major step but we know now that he hasn't given up and plans to return and haunt us again in 2008.
However, in spite of his defeat, John Kerry was not forced to answer for his treasonous acts and his defamation of an entire generation of veterans that served their country honorably in a very unpopular war.
It is extremely difficult to rewrite history, to right a wrong that happened over thirty years ago. Many people will never change their mind, regardless of what is brought out into the open, and I don't expect them to. My gripe is not with them, my gripe is with John Kerry.
I want this man to stand and face the nation and for once in his despicable life, tell the truth. Of course, he will never, ever do this voluntarily.
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Camp Eagle 1970
"It don't mean nothin'..."

[USMCWayne]

How wide a circulation does WorldNetDaily have?

Corsi's commentary is remarkable in that he touches on a lot of the post-election issues "we" have advanced at SVPT, and keeps alive the discharge, collaberation with the enemy, and treason issues.

I'd hate to think WorldNetDaily is just "preaching to the choir" and the points Corsi advances are destined for relegation to the pile of other post-election comments that no one pays any attention to.

[garb1015]

According to the About Us section of the site, WND is a Top 500 Website that attracts 5 million viewers a month.
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Camp Eagle 1970
"It don't mean nothin'..."

[RiflemanDD730]

The mission of the SBVT was to prevent a John Kerry presidency because of his duplicity and actions against veterans in 1971. The book “Tour Of Duty” was a wake up call for many Swift Boat veterans. It was only when the book was published that they understood what John Kerry was all about. I’m sure that when the SBVT started they thought that just getting out the truth would be enough to get the media to fully explore the events described and John Kerry would be exposed as a liar. They probably also felt that prominent veterans would at least give them a fair hearing. That didn’t happen. Kerry was defeated but the SBVT were not vindicated. They have been branded as liars and that has not been significantly changed in the media

For the average person these are the facts. Senator John McCain, war hero and POW, called the SBVT ads dishonorable. Ex Senator Bob Kerrey, Medal of Honor winner wrote an article defending John Kerry and calling his medals legitimate. Senator John Warner, Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services and ex Secretary of the Navy and Marine Korean War veteran, stated that Kerry’s Silver Star is legitimate. VADM R. A. Route, Naval Inspector General reported that the documentation and approval process for Kerry’s medals was properly followed. Kerry directly contradicted the SBVT claim that he did not release all his military records to Tim Russert, Chris Matthews, and Don Imus and none challenged Kerry’s statement. The Washington Post conducted many interviews and published a story about Kerry’s Bronze Star and 3rd Purple Heart with the headline “Critics Fail to Disprove Kerry's Version of Vietnam War Episode”. This headline is a good summary of the general theme of most of the media coverage. Who can blame the average person for believing war heroes and the media?

The SBVT called John Kerry, a decorated war veteran, a fraudulent war hero. Their claims have not been proven. Now the SBVT honor is at stake. I suggest that their next mission is to prove their claims by maintaining this site for further research and communications.

[garb1015]

The statements of these men and the slanted media coverage did spin the facts about Kerry's war hero claims. But that rally of support for Kerry's Viet Nam record also served another important purpose. It successfully kept the attention away from his anti-war activities. That issue, if it had been brought completely out into the open, would have been many times more damaging than faking Purple Heart wounds and falsifying facts for medals of valor.
Other threads on this site also have ongoing discussions about Kerry's anti-war days and what possible actions can be taken. They include actions against the liberal media because if the media are allowed to carry on unchecked, they will attack and spin anything that is brought out against John Kerry. And as RiflemanDD730 stated, who can blame the average person for believing the media?
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Camp Eagle 1970
"It don't mean nothin'..."

[coldwarvet]

John O'Neil scored a clear victory with the Dick Cavett debate. We should have seized that moment and rallied to John’s side. Let’s not make that mistake again. I believe that we should seize this moment in history in an effort to restore the honor that was stolen from our veterans and become the defenders of the honor of this generation of troops and future generations to follow.

CWV
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