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NEW YORK Stung by a quote attributed to him in Friday's New York Times, author and historian Douglas Brinkley issued an unusual clarification this afternoon. In a news analysis titled "Truth Be Told, the Vietnam Crossfire Hurts Kerry More," Jodi Wilgoren quoted Brinkley commenting on recent attacks against both Kerry and Bush relating to their Vietnam era service: "Every American now knows that there's something really screwy about George Bush and the National Guard, and they know that John Kerry was not the war hero we thought he was." This "not the hero we thought he was" had to raise...

Political campaigns are not usually good places to look for examples of pure truth. Indeed, they are famous as the source of all sorts of misstatements, evasions, wild accusations and other examples of near-dishonesty. So, normally, I wouldn't bother calling to your attention one particular falsehood, however egregious. OK, so John Kerry said something that wasn't true. So, no doubt, at one time or another, has President Bush. What else is new? What makes this particular falsehood worth your attention, however, is its sheer cleverness, and the contempt for the intelligence of the average voter that it reveals. I have...

SHOW: CNN CROSSFIRE 19:30 pm ET November 12, 1997; Wednesday 7:30 pm Eastern Time Transcript # 97111200V20 JOHN SUNUNU, CROSSFIRE: Senator Kerry, in fact, in spite of the administration claiming it has restored unanimity, that has not occurred. All the strength of this resolution had to be pulled out of it get any votes at all other than our own. Isn't this exercise actually counterproductive in sending a signal to Iraq that the coalition still remains frayed? SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D), MASSACHUSETTS, FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: Well, John, you're correct that this resolution is less than we would have liked. I...

NOTE: President Carter used his 1980 SOTU speech to address the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the American hostages taken by Iran. He called for increasing military spending, reducing restrictions on the CIA, and revival of the selective services registration. Many on the left, like Noam Chomsky, attacked him for his response to the crisis, others, like Sen. McGovern supported him, while John Kerry offered qualified support and equivocation. ************************************************************************************************** January 25, 1980 by Richard H. Stewart Globe Staff Antiwar activists from the Vietnam era are not as united about President Jimmy Carter's tough-sounding [State of the Union] speech on...