SwiftVets.com

[Beatrice1000]

THE WASHINGTON DISPATCH - August 15, 2004Kerry

Dodging the Press?

The New Republic’s Ryan Lizza has an interesting note in his ‘04 Campaign Journal that shows a bit of “Grumbling From the Kerry Press Corps.”
"This is from a Kerry pool report about the candidate's departure from Springfield, Oregon that was just e-mailed to reporters. It about sums up how the national press traveling with Kerry feels these days.

Kerry walked through the crowd, tickling babies and talking to folks. But traveling pool was not allowed nearer than a telephoto lens, so we don't really know what was said. Local press however seemed to be allowed to wander freely. So, why are we paying all this $$$ again?"

Kerry is going to have to face the national press at some point, and to date they have been very easy on the democrat’s nominee for president. It would be excellent television to see a camera and a microphone thrust upon Kerry with the Cambodia question and the David Alston query. But it's hard to believe Kerry is afraid of this, as few will even touch the subjects.

It almost seems like Kerry is trying a four-corner stall. He can’t really hold out until the debates, can he?

John Kerry’s Viet Nam House of Cards Collapsing?

If a presidential nominee’s central focus of his campaign begins to fall to pieces and old media refuses to report it, did it really happen? John Kerry and his old media pals are counting on it. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth exposed a weakness in John Kerry’s “Christmas in Cambodia” timeline in an un-embargoed chapter of the book “Unfit for Command” released late last week.

That resulted in denials by the campaign that John Kerry ever said he was in Cambodia, to a “we’ll get back to you” to “the nominee misspoke and has now corrected the record.” Andrea Mitchell picked up on the last talking point on Sunday’s ‘Meet the Press’ glossing over the Kerry lie with a passing mention of his misstatement.

Another week has passed and this story’s still not being covered in the old media.

But it’s refusing to die. There is another point that has emerged and this one seems more damning. Ed Morrissey is all over a story of a man named David Alston, a preacher who spoke in glowing and specific terms of John Kerry at last month's Democratic National Convention. Alston's speech is available here. A large portion of that speech is quite likely untrue. Here's part of what Alston said at the convention...

We usually patrolled the narrow waterways of the Mekong delta, flanked on both sides by thick jungle. As our crewmate Gene Thorson put it, we were a traveling bulls-eye. And we often came under sudden attack from the enemy, hidden in the shadows. Machine-gun fire, rocket-propelled grenades, it all came fast and furious, and Lieutenant Kerry had to make quick, life-or-death decisions for the entire boat.

You have to realize, a Swift Boat isn't armored. The hull is aluminum, about as thick as two nickels. And in the middle of a narrow river or canal, with no cover at all, even small-caliber bullets could punch right through it-and often did.

Manning the deck guns, most of us got wounded sooner or later, including Lieutenant Kerry. It would have been easiest, in an ambush, to simply rake the shore with return fire and roar on down the river to safety. But Lieutenant Kerry was known for taking the fight straight to the enemy. I can still see him now, standing in the doorway of the pilothouse, firing his M-16, shouting orders through the smoke and chaos.

Once, he even directed the helmsman to beach the boat, right into the teeth of an ambush, and pursued our attackers on foot, into the jungle.
Now the problem, David Alston was injured and likely not with Kerry during the incident where Kerry chased down a wounded Viet Cong and killed him. In fact he may have never even served on Kerry’s boat. Here's a well publicized photo of Alston and Kerry, but it’s not exactly clear when the picture was taken or if it was even on a swift boat. It’s all quite fascinating as this timeline shows. If this is well vetted and turns out to be true (or would it be false?) Kerry is brushing up against pathological. The Kerry campign has already pulled a story on the Kerry Website that included Alston, but it's still available. Now why would they pull that unless they know trouble is coming?

Morrissey sums it up this way…

In order to clear this up, both Kerry and Alston need to release all of their military records for review. Because the way it looks right now, Kerry and his campaign have perpetrated a fraud in order to bolster the credentials from the only executive role he has ever had, and the central qualification he's put forward for his candidacy.

I’d say that’s right. Kerry built an entire campaign around four months and twelve days that he spent in Viet Nam. He’s already recanted on a central statement that he was in Cambodia on Christmas in 1968. This is only a central statement because Kerry made it so saying he had an epiphany of sorts on that day, using it as the reason for his anti-Viet Nam activism when he returned.

John Kerry, through surrogates, has now admitted that story is a lie.
If this new David Alston charge is proven, Kerry’s service in Viet Nam will become a house of cards and may begin to collapse.

(only portions of article are shown here)

Complete article: http://www.washingtondispatch.com/page2/

[You GottaBeKidding]

Whoa. The Alston story is now out there. I don't know anything about the Washington Dispatch, but the Kerry dike certainly appears to be springing some very serious, very public leaks.

[Slednfool]

Why is this post going without any replies? If true, this is huge!

[manelly]

I think we are just Stunned about it

I was waiting for the Swftees to break it but maybe they won't have to.
_________________
Enlighten the people, generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at the dawn of day.
- Thomas Jefferson

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

No comments on certain parts of the story, but it is a very good one.

People on the internet saw this coming two weeks ago - we're allowed to be just a teeny little bit smug about being ahead of the pro-Kerry media, aren't we?
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[manelly]

Absolutely

_________________
Enlighten the people, generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at the dawn of day.
- Thomas Jefferson

[MikeGranby]

Aren't we not meant to be talking about this???

See admin's sticky further up the board...

[leeinwv]

I am so glad they are finally listening to the people

[You GottaBeKidding]

Mike,

I think the embargo is off now that the story has broken in the press.

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

We can comment on the story in general.

The Alston story is still considered "soft" until it's cleared by the founders. Let's keep discussion of that aspect off the boards until they give us the go-ahead. Then we'll have a major CYBER PARTY congratulations thread!
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[MikeGranby]

NNN,

Thanks for the clarification! And I look forward to the party!

Mike.

[hanna]

Ah, its ok then. Cool:) Will be interesting to see where it goes. I am amazed at all the places it already is!!

[efuseakay]

One can only hope Kerry collapses before November!

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

The Kerry campaign says it has seventy five "differences" with the events laid out in "Unfit for Command." You can only imagine the insanity of the "war room" right about now.

Great time to take a vacation, Mr. Kerry. Your campaign's unraveling like a cheap sweater!
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[minnie presley]

What a great opportunity for the swiftvets and other vets if they can pu it together to go to cincinnati on wednesday when the traitor, will be speaking to the group, this would be the ultimate humilation for the lying slimball