Well, that was a wonderful bit of clap trap that never made me want to wretch! /extreme sarcasm
Posted on 09/06/2004 1:19:45 PM PDT by knak
Just when you thought the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth couldn't come up with anything nastier in their bid to smear Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, along comes their latest commercial.
No longer content to suggest Kerry didn't earn his Purple Hearts while serving in Vietnam, the Swifties are now saying that not only wasn't Kerry in Vietnam during periods when he claims he was, he was actually hanging out with George W. Bush during the future president's stint with the National Guard in Alabama.
"And we know what that means," said John O'Neill, spokesperson for the Swift Boat Veterans. "That means we have no idea where Kerry was at all."
The Swifties are looking specifically at the period between the spring of 1972, when Bush's whereabouts as a member of the National Guard were unknown, and February, 1973, when John Kerry was discharged.
"None of Kerry's military records contain any details of what he was doing with George W. Bush at this time," says the voice-over in the latest commercial spot. "And because President Bush's records are completely inconclusive with regard to his service with the National Guard, that leaves John Kerry with a lot of explaining to do."
Asks O'Neill, "Was Kerry out carousing with a young George W. Bush when the future president was supposed to be showing up for his physical but didn't? Was Kerry relaxing at the beach with George W. Bush when the future president was supposed to be showing up for regular Guard duty? Was Kerry hanging out in some bar with George Bush when the future president was supposed to be on active flight duty status? I don't know. The American people don't know. And the President can't remember. Maybe it's time John Kerry came clean."
Kerry, predictably, has reacted angrily, and forcefully, to the latest attacks on his integrity. Yesterday, he issued the following statement: "Huh?"
His vice-presidential running mate, John Edwards, was even more emphatic: "Say what?"
Republican senator John McCain, a veteran and former prisoner-of-war in Vietnam, has called on President Bush, whose re-election campaign he is supporting, to denounce these most recent attack ads from the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
"This is an absolutely disgusting accusation," McCain said. "To allege that a decorated war veteran such as Mr. Kerry was hanging out with President Bush during his AWOL period is gutter politics at its worst."
But President Bush has refused to condemn the ads outright, instead opting to criticize third-party advertising in general. "There have been lots of ads out there that were critical of me, too," he said.
The White House is understandably reluctant to be too openly critical of the Swift Boat ads, given that they have been financed by folks who have contributed generously to the Republican party.
Said White House press secretary Scott McClennan: "Mr. Kerry seems to be Mr. Oh-So-Sensitive."
The Swift Boat ads have the Kerry team on the defensive, and scrambling to provide witnesses who can discount stories that the Democratic presidential hopeful was hanging out with George W. Bush during his military service back in the early 1970s.
"We thought," said one Kerry strategist, "if we could find just one person who served alongside George Bush, then that person could attest to the fact that John Kerry was not there with him, but so far we've been unable to find anybody, so we're like, totally screwed."
The latest ads, despite accusations that they are without any factual basis, appear to be doing what they're intended to do. Kerry's popularity numbers are dropping while the Republican party's numbers are up.
Said one veteran, "I think people see these ads and think, `Do we want to vote for a guy who was loafing about doing nothing with George W. Bush back during the Vietnam years?' Well, we don't. That's why we're supporting the president."
I heard they smoked crack together at Camp David.
This guy writes for The Onion or Scrappleface in his spare time, right? Or is the humor too subtle for me?
Lame.
Deduct points for not mentioning Skull and Bones.
What the heck? Is this a satirical column? Are the swifties actually running such an ad? I can't imagine it.
No, the Swiftees are not running such an ad. This is supposed to be funny, while making the point that Bush was "AWOL"...which he wasn't, but nevermind the facts.
The saddest part is that there are KerNUCKS that will believe it.
"No, the Swiftees are not running such an ad. This is supposed to be funny, while making the point that Bush was "AWOL"...which he wasn't, but nevermind the facts."
OK. Not funny. Poor satire. I'm pretty good at recognizing satire and this one is bad.
Oh, this is suppose to be a joke. Excuse me, just from reading the first sentence I thought it was another installment from the Propoganda Ministry.
Well, that was a wonderful bit of clap trap that never made me want to wretch! /extreme sarcasm
I thought Kerry wasn't discharged until 1978? Stupid reporter?
Seems like every day I see another poll from a Canadian paper where Kerry has a huge advantage. LOL
Attention Canada: We don't care what you think. It's not your election to decide. MYOB!!
Another Free Republic I.Q. Test.
I can't believe that this is the subject of a new ad by the Swift Boat Veterans. Doesn't this ad seem to equally caste George W. Bush in a bad light. The net result in the long run would be to make both Kerry and Bush look bad thereby gaining no positive result of diminishing Kerry on a relative basis in the election. In fact, it looks a bit as though one is stretching the case in order to oppose Kerry here, which could also backfire. There is much more damaging strong evidence against Kerry, such as meeting with the North Vietnamese in Paris.
This is a bit surreal. By diminishing Bush here also, there may be no net gain against Kerry and perhaps even a loss. Maybe I just woke up too late on a holiday, and I'm not thinking straight.
I heard Kerry was drinking with Teddy down by the Dike Bridge comparing lies, um, fishing stories.
I agree. It sucks.
(But hearing liberals carry on about the military is always good for a laugh, on some level.)
This article is satire. Have some coffee. LOL
And that Kerry might have been AWOL. Do you really think he showed up for all of his mandatory visits as a reservist while he was active in VVAW?
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