Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Senator (Kerry) believed allegations could no longer be ignored (((drum roll)))
The Boston Globe ^ | August 20, 2004 | Patrick Healy and Michael Kranish

Posted on 08/20/2004 1:51:34 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

For nearly two weeks, Senator John F. Kerry had refrained from commenting directly on the crescendo of attacks on his Vietnam War record. The work was being left to campaign aides, who were scrambling to control the escalating damage being done by a television ad and a book that alleged that Kerry had lied about his combat service and did not deserve his medals.

Then, Wednesday night, Kerry told his aides that he had to act. As he sat down inside his Louisburg Square home on Beacon Hill, Kerry scrawled two phrases on a yellow legal pad about his antagonists, a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The group, Kerry wrote, was "a front for the Bush campaign" and "he wants them to do his dirty work."

Overnight, this new strategy by Kerry resulted in a hastily produced ad defending his war record and a speech in which the Massachusetts senator responded in detail to the group's charges. The question, however, is whether Kerry acted too late, letting the attacks grow on the Internet and talk-show circuit to such a degree that some swing voters think one of Kerry's core characteristics has been undermined.

"He had to do it," said former senator Bob Kerrey, who was tapped by the Kerry campaign to write an opinion column in The Washington Post defending the record of the Massachusetts senator.

"It was gathering a life of its own, and he had to respond. He couldn't do it through surrogates. He had to confront it himself with facts and passion."...............

Kerry had made Vietnam a centerpiece of his campaign, surrounding himself with crewmates at the Democratic National Convention and portraying his combat experience as preparation for being commander in chief.

(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004; bobkerrey; kerry; swiftboat; swiftboatveterans; veterans; vietnam
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-99 next last
To: EGPWS

I remember the 'old' days when they at least threw something in for the last paragraph and at least pretended to be 'fair and balance'.


21 posted on 08/20/2004 2:16:23 AM PDT by GeronL (Viking Kitties have won the GOLD MEDAL in the 2,000 meter ZOTTING)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Cincinatus' Wife

LOL! "Facts and passion" are two traits that aren't associated with Kerry. He makes things up first of all and second, he has the look of The Lurch of the Addams Family. I have yet to see Kerry get excited about anything - he can't even energize his own base! Unbelievable.


22 posted on 08/20/2004 2:17:39 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Howlin

Exactly. He responding alright but he's avoiding telling the truth, since its not on his side.


23 posted on 08/20/2004 2:19:57 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Cincinatus' Wife

bttt


24 posted on 08/20/2004 2:20:00 AM PDT by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: GeronL
I remember the 'old' days when they at least threw something in for the last paragraph and at least pretended to be 'fair and balance'.

Alas, the good old days...

But then again these ARE the good ol' days for Dubya is a mindful leader and lest we could have had Algore.

There's alway a bright side. : )

25 posted on 08/20/2004 2:20:33 AM PDT by EGPWS
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: omniscient

They lie even about documents that NOBODY has been able to view and that NONE of his own flunkies can cite from in his defense. Now THAT's impressive!


26 posted on 08/20/2004 2:21:31 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Dahoser
Lawrence O'Donnell gave out the RAT talking points last night: Kerry was doing rope-a-dope with the Swift Vets so he could get it all to this point where now he can bring W's record into this. All part of the master plan. Right.

Now, I've thought about that but it just won't fly. Kerry looks like he's on the ropes and frantically striking back. Bush has commended Kerry on his service. He has asked Kerry to denounce the 527s (I know this isn't reported accurately in the MSM). So a call for Bush's records, after all the yowling they did not to long ago, will only draw more attention to John Kerry and his personal and military failings. He will look like Captain Queeg.


27 posted on 08/20/2004 2:25:11 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Cincinatus' Wife
Per replies #16 & #17.

Great minds think alike. :^)

28 posted on 08/20/2004 2:30:00 AM PDT by Dane (Trial lawyers are the tapeworms to wealth creating society)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Cincinatus' Wife
Yep, the dipstick is definitely in a tight spot...


29 posted on 08/20/2004 2:34:34 AM PDT by IPWGOP (I'm Linda Eddy, and I approved this message... 'tooning the truth!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: USMCVet

>>He's been lucky so far: everyone's focusing on his rather strange 4 months in Vietnam - nobody's saying very much about his activities to support the enemy just after the war.<<

You can bet that those ads are already in the can, waiting to be used.

Now, if we can just get the anti-Bush protesters to go completely out of control in NYC, marry that footage up with the Vietnam ant-war footage and marry both to John F*'n Kerry images from both eras...sweet.

(From one USMC vet to Another) Semper Fi!!


30 posted on 08/20/2004 2:36:31 AM PDT by Captain Rhino ("If you will just abandon logic, these things will make a lot more sense to you!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Cincinatus' Wife
Overnight, this new strategy by Kerry resulted in a hastily produced ad ...

Does the ad mention the Washington Post story? Had that story run before the ad was produced?

31 posted on 08/20/2004 2:37:37 AM PDT by Cboldt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cincinatus' Wife

I find it quite interesting that on the day Kerry responds publicly for the first time, ALL of the cable appearances by the "dog hunters" were canceled "at the last minute". John O'Niell made appearances on O'Reilly, H&C, and Lou Dobbs and did his usual great job on all.


32 posted on 08/20/2004 2:38:36 AM PDT by hotshu
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cincinatus' Wife

Jeffink: "Mr. Pwesident, Pweeze make them stop!"

Is this what to expect from a Jeffink admin? Whining crying and deceit[referring to missing documents from his website...]

Well, of course!


33 posted on 08/20/2004 2:38:57 AM PDT by Adder (Can we bring back stoning again? Please?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: USMCVet

Speech was written by Adam Walinsky, USMC reserve, former legislative aide to Robert Kennedy.


34 posted on 08/20/2004 2:40:12 AM PDT by massatoosits (just ask the Brits...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: dandelion
Algore must be fuming. His invention is causing his party the worst headache.
35 posted on 08/20/2004 2:42:29 AM PDT by Jet Jaguar (Who would the terrorists vote for?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: nopardons; Howlin; All
****Kimo Williams, a Vietnam vet and executive director of the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago, said he's been waiting for Kerry to fight back but that exaggeration was part of the culture in Vietnam. "You'll hear this from any veteran who is upfront about it: When we were there, we were always trying to find ways to take advantage of our situation," he said. "So when I look at John Kerry and the situation he was in, it's easy for me to say, 'OK, he may have done that.' But I don't see anything wrong if Kerry not so much falsified it but exaggerated it to make sure he got his Purple Heart." ****Source
36 posted on 08/20/2004 2:42:45 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Cincinatus' Wife
Captain Queeg, indeed.

The amazing thing is that all Kerry had to do was say nothing more about his war record than what was known. He still would have had people looking to kneecap him for what he said when he came back, but now he's got them going after both kneecaps for the fabrications and what he said.

Maybe the real rope-a-dope is not W's record, but simply making this into a Hitlery-type victim of the VRWC routine to keep people off Kerry's record. While this is going on, not very much is being said otherwise, or it's getting lost such as the flip flop on troops coming home and his continued support of the Iraq War after he said it was a mistake.

In the meantime, I'm curious to see what else they throw at the Swifties. Unlike the usual puddle the floor Republican routine, these guys are not only standing their ground, they're taking more each day.

37 posted on 08/20/2004 2:45:54 AM PDT by Dahoser (Kevin Martin for Congress. The campaign begins now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Dane
"Great minds think alike. :^)"

How about that!!!!!

38 posted on 08/20/2004 2:47:25 AM PDT by malia (---if we wait until the threat is imminent, we will have waited too long.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: dandelion
Poor algore must be fuming. His invention is causing his party the worst headache.
39 posted on 08/20/2004 2:47:28 AM PDT by Jet Jaguar (Who would the terrorists vote for?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Jet Jaguar

Sorry for the dupe post. My connection is a little shakey this morning.


40 posted on 08/20/2004 2:49:07 AM PDT by Jet Jaguar (Who would the terrorists vote for?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-99 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson