SwiftVets.com

[arjr111]

[Grateful American]

BC Quote

Yea, I know, it's just the Democratic party is just getting worse and worse. I use to be proud to say I was a Democrat,...not so much anymore [/quote]

Ditto BC

[ArmyWife]

Bob Kerrey is a complicated guy. I lived in Nebraska when he was Governor there, and to this day I still don't know what to make of the guy. I'm halfway through reading his memoir right now, and I'll try to post again when I finish.

For those who don't know anything about him, he was a SEAL in Vietnam. He lost part of a leg, and is a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. He was a pharmacist who made his fortune with a chain of local restaurants in Nebraska, and he was Governor in the early 80's. The most famous moments of his tenure were when he proposed closing the school of pharmacy (his own alma mater) in a budget fight which he largely won, and the incident where his then-girlfriend, Deborah Winger (of Officer and a Gentleman fame) crashed his state-owned vehicle. He became one of Nebraska's 2 US Senators after that.

Many Democrats hate him because he called Clinton a liar early on. He called it like he saw it, and took extreme heat. If you remember when he was running against Al Gore in the primaries, Gore's political hacks even went so far as to throw stuff at him and yelled "cripple". Democrats don't always like him because he's too unpredictable.

As I read this Wash. Post Op-Ed, it looks to me like Bob Kerrey is just trying to divert from the whole SBV issue, and instead testify to John Kerry's Senate record. That's fine.

The real laugher here is Kerrey's last line:

[ArmyWife]

Incidentally, I want to add that if the Democrat party were really serious about running a Veteran with a legitimate record, then why the heck didn't they pick the General that was running? Or ask Bob Kerrey to run again?

I hear on TV that O'Neill is a Democrat and tried, in vain, to warn his party against nominating Kerry. It's a shame it had to come to this.

I only wish we had heard all of this stuff about Kerry here in Iowa BEFORE the caucus. I feel like my state is responsible for this mess. The first big announcement about Rassman was right before our caucuses, and he flew in here for a tearful reunion on stage with Kerry. We all bought into it hook, line and sinker. I'm a Republican, and even I had positive feelings toward Kerry at that point. This whole thing is just a shame.

[Curt]

[NavyBrat]

Curt, did I REALLY have all those grammatical faux pas?? Oh my!!

(I'm blaming the temporary loss of my reading glasses for such blunders
I could think of other excuses. but then that's what the left would do

No one has commented on the article yet..so..
I will venture out of my boat..

Maybe my brain cells are not firing up as they use to since I've reduced my java intake, but did anyone else have a hard time digesting Melanie Phillips article?

I found it to be one of those "hard Chews". You read it, chew on it, read some more, mull it around a bit et al. I enjoyed her wit but she sure had me confused with some of her "left is right and right is liberal" theology(?) I wanted to put a stop sign up and say, it shouldn't be THAT complicated (should it?) Neo-Conservatives? (good grief)
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Laura~

[Marine4life]

It is my recollection that Bob Kerry had problems with war crimes surrounding his MOH. Are you sure that he got it? I think he was rejected or did not take it because of that issue. I just can't remember but there were clouds over his heroic act as well. Either way I do not care for Bob either. He would have the same issues that Kerry has. It is a bad idea for him to partner up with John Kerry when they have the same problems with their hero status. I just remember an out cry when he was supposed to get a medal a few years back. Semper Fi.
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Helicopter Marine Attack Squadron 169 which is now HMLA-169. They added Huey's to compliment the Cobra effectiveness. When I served we just had Snakes.

[gilliam]

[Marine4life]

Thanks Guilliam, I knew there were war crimes issues with him. Both Kerry's are two pea's in a pod. A war crimes tribunal should commence immediatly on both of them. Bob Kerry must of been who John testified about in 1971 committing atrocities and war crimes. Semper Fi.
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Helicopter Marine Attack Squadron 169 which is now HMLA-169. They added Huey's to compliment the Cobra effectiveness. When I served we just had Snakes.

[ArmyWife]

Marine4life,

I disagree with Bob Kerrey on many, many things but I still respect him. Bob Kerrey is twice the man that John Kerry pretends to be.

Bob made his own money instead of marrying it. He was a Governor, not Dukakis' Lt. Governor. Bob was the only MOH recipient in Congress, and nobody has to doubt that he did something for it when they see his prosthetic leg. He doesn't have to show any home movies of himself in Vietnam, and both he and his SEAL teammates seem to agree on who they are and where they were.

If nothing else, there's credibility in ACTUALLY having committed the war crimes that he's accused himself of!

[Marine4life]

I agree to some extent, however a war crime is a war crime and he has admitted that he committed them by ordering the slaying of civillians, women and children. Showing remorse is all good but that does not excuse the crimes. I do feel he is due more respect than John Boy. Bob didn't commit treason as far as I can see and should be seperated from John on that issue. But since the DNC has embraced John Kerry and his allegations of war crimes in 1971 as the truth then they should be prepared to prosecute everyone including their own golden boy. Remorse does not mean that a person should be excused for crimes, at the least he should lose his MOH as his service was not honorable as an admitted war criminal. Just my opinion but How can we have it both ways? War criminal or MOH hero? By hero we are justifying and condoning what he admitts that he did, slaughtering those women and children. Semper Fi.
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Helicopter Marine Attack Squadron 169 which is now HMLA-169. They added Huey's to compliment the Cobra effectiveness. When I served we just had Snakes.

[ArmyWife]

I went back and re-read part of that article that gilliam provided the link for. The MOH was for a different incident than the one where the women and kids were killed, so I'm afraid that it doesn't make sense to me say that the award should be revoked. I understand your point, Marine4life, but I'm inclined to go a little easier on him. The members of the team don't have the same recollection about whether they could see they were killing civilians in the earlier event.

Contrast that with the incredible number of vets in this group whose memories all fit together so well about John Kerry's conduct.

Bob Kerrey isn't the enemy here. That op-ed piece he wrote was pretty lukewarm, and didn't really attack this group.

Personally, I think it would be wise for people that are interested in the SwiftVets cause to go easy on Bob Kerrey and Sen. McCain. Make it clear that they are not under attack here, and leave them a graceful way out of their comments, especially McCain. Allow them room to change their position as the public catches onto the facts here.

[Marine4life]

I know that it was for a different circumstance that he got the MOH but in this country we lose our right to vote etc if we commit a felony. When I was in we used to say "one awe sh*t wipes out ten atta boy's" and killing women and children is a major awe sh*t. Don't get me wrong here I am not out to attack Bob Kerry, but if he choses to jump in the fight on John's side he will be scrutinized. The DU has attempted to shred anyone who speaks out against John Kerry, and I would imagine that turn about is fair play. The facts are that Bob kerry's military atrocities that he admits to are open for review, along side John's exagerated war stories. My point is that Bob should pick a better fight, he will only hurt himself more by aligning with John Kerry. Semper Fi.
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Helicopter Marine Attack Squadron 169 which is now HMLA-169. They added Huey's to compliment the Cobra effectiveness. When I served we just had Snakes.

[ArmyWife]

Roger.

[ArmyWife]

Rush is talking about how the Kerry campaign website says that John served as vice chair of a Senate intelligence committee when really it was Bob Kerrey. I wouldn't be surpirsed if John hasn't taken advantage of people confusing him with Bob a lot.

I finished reading Bob Kerrey's memoir last night. I have become convinced that Bob Kerrey did NOT commit a war crime, and I wish I hadn't posted what I did earlier. I meant it in a tongue-in-cheek way, and I shouldn't have gone there.

The memoir says that Bob Kerrey was only in 2 firefights in Vietnam. In the first one, women & children were caught in the crossfire, and in the second one he lost the leg. He wasn't there long enough to get very seasoned, and he left with terrible guilt over the civilian deaths in the first incident. Only one guy on Kerrey's team had the idea that that women & children were rounded up and shot, anyway, and that could be a fog-of-war thing. The end of the book says that after the media furor, they got together and talked it over.

If you go to the page that gilliam linked to earlier, you will see a picture of Bob Kerrey with Roy Hoffman....the same Adm. Roy Hoffman of the Swift Boat Vets for Truth. Kerrey's book says that Hoffman did not command the SEAL teams, in direct contradiction with the article that accompanies that picture. It only takes 2 more media errors to sling an unfair Bob Kerrey war crime story at Adm. Hoffman, just like the erroneous John Kerry war crimes. If you allow yourself to believe stories about people just because you don't like them politically, then the BS never stops.

Marine4life, you might be interested to know that the memoir also contained an account of Bob Kerrey meeting the great Chesty Puller...