SwiftVets.com

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Viet Nam Veterans For Truth. Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 2:44 PM
Subject: News & Views: Larry Bailey. President, VVT on MSNBC's "ScarboroughCountry" tonight, plus Glocktalk & Pentagon

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[kate]

Capt Bailey did an excellent job!

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7502723/
SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY
segment with Larry Bailey ( & John Hurley) April 13

SCARBOROUGH:
The Senate passes a bill to help military families. That‘s what we in SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY demanded a year ago. So, why are some vets so made about it? We‘ll talk about that in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCARBOROUGH:
You may remember, last summer, SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY started a campaign to improve the quality of life for our men and women in uniform fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now, I know how Congress works. Too many members salute the troops when they go overseas, but when it comes time to improve soldiers‘ quality of life, well, that salute drops and senators guard their wallets. That is until today, when the Senate passed an amendment that addressed many of our concerns in SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY.

First, the Senate increased death benefits, so the family of a young soldier killed in Iraq won‘t be stuck with the bills to bury their son or daughter, husband or wife. Second, families of those killed in action cannot be kicked off of military bases immediately after their family member‘s death.

And who is the senator leading the charge for those of us demanding change in SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY? None other than Massachusetts Senator John Forbes Kerry. This is what he had to say today on the floor of the Senate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS:
Now, no one can ever put a price on the loss of any loved one. It‘s up to us to try to be generous and I think correct in helping them put their lives back together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCARBOROUGH:
Now, his efforts have predictably sparked controversy.

And with us to debate the senator‘s efforts are Captain Larry Bailey. He‘s a 27-year veteran Navy seal who served in Vietnam and president of the Vietnam Vets For Truth, and also John Hurley, you may remember, the former national director for Vietnam Veterans For Kerry.

Captain Bailey, let me start with you. Gee, this bill sounds, well, exactly like what I have been asking for, for years, and I am sure people like you have wanted for years. What is wrong with what Senator Kerry did today?

RETIRED CAPT. LARRY BAILEY, U.S. NAVY:
Joe, there‘s absolutely nothing wrong with the bill itself.

What I object to is senator cynic himself coming out and getting at the head of the pack, ostensibly becoming the hero of the military, which he clearly would have liked to have done in 2004. And I have no objection at all to him voting for the bill. I take great exception to him going out and trying to gin up family stories on his Web site. And I would dare say that a lot of people gave him some family stories that he wouldn‘t like to hear.

SCARBOROUGH:
You know, Captain Bailey, you are talking about—he put on his Web site, JohnKerry.com, a request for military families to write into him and tell him basically all of their horror stories that they have had on quality of life issues while serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and across the world. What do you find offensive about that?

BAILEY:
I just find it offensive that John Kerry would run point on that.

We have, Senator Kerry and I—and, of course, he doesn‘t have a clue who I am, but I certainly know who he is. We have what I would characterize as irreconcilable differences. And I wouldn‘t accept an ice cream cone from him because of what he has done in the past. He has—as far as I am concerned, in 1971, he betrayed every U.S. serviceman and servicewoman who was in Vietnam by the lies he told before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And I just characterize him as a liar then, and he is a liar now.

John Hurley, I want to read a part of the e-mail for you and also our audience that is sent out and posted on JohnKerry.com. He said: “Why do some in Congress, including those who are most vocal with their support-for-our-troops rhetoric, want to hold back on our soldiers and their families?”

SCARBOROUGH:
Sounds a lot like what I said in the intro.

“Those who have stood for us should know that we stand for them today and always. Share the story of a family you know that has endured hardship in service to our nation.”

You know, John, a lot of people would say that John Kerry is using this to try to gin up support for an upcoming presidential campaign, and instead of looking at the negative side, trying to get horror stories, he should have people instead e-mail talking about the good things that are going on out there. How do you respond to all of this criticism from today‘s action?

JOHN HURLEY, NATIONAL DIRECTOR, VIETNAM VETERANS FOR JOHN KERRY:
I don‘t understand, Joe. I don‘t understand it at all.
John Kerry has been a hero to veterans since he came back from Vietnam. And what he was doing today, fighting for active-duty military troops, fighting for military families, fighting for veterans, is exactly what John Kerry has been doing for 35 years and what you expect of him.

That one phrase in the letter, that is making mountains out of molehills, which Captain Bailey and the Swift Boat Veterans are very good at. John Kerry has served the veterans of this country, has served the active-duty veterans of this country. Today, what he is doing is, he‘s increasing to $500,000 the death benefit for an active-duty troop who dies on active duty, whether it‘s in Iraq or Afghanistan or any place in the military.

And he‘s extending the housing allowances for widows and families from a minuscule 90 days to a full year. Those are things that people who care about veterans should be cheering about. I don‘t understand Captain Bailey‘s petty politics and why he would allow his strong distaste for John Kerry to so damage veterans‘ issues. This is very strong pro-veteran.

SCARBOROUGH:
Captain Bailey, are you engaging in petty politics, as you have been charged?

BAILEY: Well, yes, I am, because petty only in the eyes of people like John Hurley.

What I am trying to do—and I am quite open about it—I fought John Kerry tooth and toenail in 2004, and I am leaning forward in my seat to get after him in 2008. As I said in the e-mail that I sent to him in response his request for a family story, I said let, that putrid little lawyer from North Carolina get the nomination, or let Hillary Clinton get it, or let Barbra Streisand get it, but you‘re sunk.

The veterans—far from being a hero to the veterans, far from being a champion of the veterans, 80-something percent of the Vietnam veterans, according to the polls I have read, voted against him.

So, don‘t try to portray yourself, John Kerry, as a hero today, when you have never been.

SCARBOROUGH:
John.

HURLEY:
Joe, that‘s ridiculous. Eighty percent of the Vietnam veterans did not vote against John Kerry. I don‘t know what polls Captain Bailey has been reading, but that‘s ridiculous.

We had one million veterans signed up on John Kerry‘s
campaign. John Kerry recognizes the loyalty, the service, the dedication, the honor that those men and women bring to active-duty military service, and he is honoring that today. His amendment today was supported by John McCain, supporting by Chuck Hagel, supporting by countless veterans organizations.

And for someone like Captain Bailey to be coming forward now and playing games with this is a dishonor to veterans, and it‘s wrong, and he should not engage in it. He should be supportive of this. He should be leading the cheering.


SCARBOROUGH:
John Hurley...

HURLEY:
Sorry, Joe.

SCARBOROUGH:
All right, John Hurley, let me play you a clip from “Meet the Press.” This is when Tim Russert interviewed Senator Kerry back in January.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, “MEET THE PRESS”)
TIM RUSSERT, NBC WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Thus far, you have gotten the record, released them for your campaign. They say you should not be the filter. Sign form 180 and let this...

(CROSSTALK)

KERRY: Be happy to put the records out. We put all the records out that I had been sent by the military. Then, at the last moment, they sent some more stuff, which had some things that weren‘t even relevant to the record. So, when we get—I am going to sit down with them and make sure that they are clear and I am clear as to what is in the record and what isn‘t in the record, and we‘ll put it out. I have no problem with that.

RUSSERT: Would you sign form 180?

(CROSSTALK)

KERRY: Yes, I will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCARBOROUGH:
Captain Bailey, several others believe that John Kerry should go ahead and sign this form, as he told Tim Russert he would on January 30. When is he going to do that?

HURLEY:
I don‘t know. I‘m sure it‘s soon. He said he would sign it.

He is going to sign it, Joe, and I am sure it won‘t take that long.

You have to remember that John Kerry disclosed, put out for the public record, more of his military records than any candidate in presidential history. I mean, it is all out there, his fitness reports, his medal citations. I mean, every bit of John Kerry‘s military record is already out there. And he will sign this 180, but his record is already out there.

And, more importantly, and what this is all about is fighting. This is not campaign. This is balderdash that Captain Bailey is engaged in. The campaign is over. There‘s no self-serving motivation on the part of John Kerry with this legislation. This is because he feels so vitally strongly about the rights and benefits that should be awarded to veterans and military families, and that is why he is fighting for this.

This is part of his military families bill of rights, which he advocated during the campaign. And now he didn‘t win the presidency, but he is delivering on his promises. That‘s the John Kerry that we all know.

BAILEY:
Mr. Hurley, you believe in the Tooth Fairy, too?

HURLEY:
Are you speaking to me, Captain Bailey?

BAILEY:
Yes, I am, because everything you are saying tells me that you don‘t understand where John Kerry is coming from.

HURLEY:
I understand very well. I have known him 35 years, sir. I also know that John McCain supported this legislation. I know that Chuck Hagel supported this legislation. I know that veterans organizations around this country supported this legislation.

BAILEY:
How do you like this, Mr. Hurley?

HURLEY:
And I don‘t understand why oppose it. This is pro-veterans.

(CROSSTALK)

BAILEY:
I support the legislation. What I object to is John Kerry putting himself on point, as if he were the hero from 1969.

And when the vet—you mentioned one million veterans signed up on his Web site. I was explicitly talking about the Vietnam veterans who voted against him in great percentages and great numbers. You haven‘t addressed that.

SCARBOROUGH:
All right, gentlemen, we are going to have to leave it there. We have been around that track already.
Captain Bailey, John Hurley, thanks for being with us tonight. I greatly appreciate it.

I just got to say, very quickly, two points in closing. First of all, so much of this still goes back to 1971 and the testimony. John Kerry needs to get that behind him if he ever does want to run for president of the United States again. And, secondly, I don‘t care why he did it. I think all politicians I know, because I have been in Congress, and I know all politicians have some motivation for everything they do. As my first law partner told me, the proof is in the pudding. It‘s what you actually pass.

And I think what was passed in the United States Senate today goes a long way to addressing a lot of the concerns that we have had in SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY now for several years.
_________________
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one of..... We The People

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Capt. Larry Bailey, Ret.

Sir, I am proud to know you and what you stand for. Excellent job on Scarborough. I know for a fact that you put numerous hours of time and untold personal expenses into our cause. Many thousands like myself, a Viet Nam Vet, but not an actual Swift Boat or POW Vet, turned to you for leadership in our desire to speak out against JFgK and his traitorous activities. The Viet Nam Veterans For Truth organization allowed us to to do that. I am eternally grateful to you, all supporters, and all the SBPT for Standing Tall.

William Page
1st Cav RVN 1971-'72

[LewWaters]