A Swift-Moving Story (Murtha Alert)

Sorry, but you couldn't be more wrong. Kerry and his campaign staff point to their failure to respond quickly to the SBVFT charges and ads as the reason for his narrow defeat. Being "Swift-boated" has become part of the political lexicon. It is currently being used by defenders of Murtha now that his phony war record is being challenged.

Kerry made his Vietnam service the centerpiece of his campaign. His reporting for duty antics at the Dem convention, surrounding himself with his swift boat crew, and trotting out generals and admirals who supported him was contrasted with Bush's Air National Guard Service. Bush was clearly on the defensive.

Kerry's decorated, war hero status was used in every campaign he ever engaged in. He used it against his opponents in Massachusetts. Bush was clearly intimidated and failed to attack Kerry for his traitorous anti-war activities. The SBVFT were the difference in a very close race, closer than it should have ever been.

Again, Kerry came within a whisker of defeating an incumbent wartime president during good economic times despite all of his baggage. He collected almost 20% more votes than Gore and the second highest total of any Presidental candidate in history.

I remember it well. Jerome Corsi, the co-author of Unfit for Command (which sold almost a million copies) with John O'Neill, was a Freeper. I attended the SBVFT rally in DC. It was relatively small but enegetic. The SBVFT demonstrated that a small grass roots organization with a message could be influential.

Sorry, but you couldn't be more wrong. Kerry and his campaign staff point to their failure to respond quickly to the SBVFT charges and ads as the reason for his narrow defeat.

Thats not correct. Just after the election, Kerry blamed the Bin Lauden tape that came out on the eve of the election for his defeat! But Kerry (and or his staff) will bnlame anyone and anything but themselves! You think Kerry is going to admit "I'm sorry that I was so boring! That I couldn't make up my mind on anything! That I voted for the war before I voted against it! That can't show hom I'm a true leader!". Remember towards the end, Vietnam and military service was not brought up (except by 60 mins) due to the overwealming flack, 10 times of what the swiftees were doing, against Bush and his National Guard record! The problem here is that the vast majority of voters don't care about a persons past. Bill Clinton was elected twice! He dodged the draft! He cheated on his wife! George Bush Sr. was a WWII war hero against a Vietnam draft dodger, and he lost. To voters (with exceptions to enlightened freepers) its who can convince them or fool them to vote for Kerry. Kerry could do neither! I'm not saying the Swiftees did not have an impact, but in the end, Kerry was seen as weak and indecisive and could not fool enough people to vote for him. The vast majority of votes were "Anyone but Bush" votes. They would have voted for the devil himself if running against Bush.

"I remember it well. Jerome Corsi..."

It is an awesome story. I went to CPAC (in DC) in 2/2005, not even knowing what the Free Republic was, though I was with some Freepers I had met locally through participation in conservative politics. Corsi came to a Freeper dinner (that I attended) and said the SB Vets wouldn't have succeeded without the Freepers. I was amazed.

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