Ed Morrissey has a biting piece on The New York Times’ ad hominems against the Swift Boat Veterans. The Times instantly rushes to judgement against the Swift Boat Veterans despite the fact that many of their assertions remain entirely unchallenged. Does the Times have one iota of evidence confirming Kerry’s Christmas in Cambodia story? Have they probed Kerry’s military records as much as they probed the Swift Boat vets?
The answer, of course, is no. They’ve no interest in determining the truth of the charges.
Instead, the piece tries to pick apart the Swift Boat Vet’s story, but relies on the word of Kerry’s compatriots as balance, when there should be plenty of documentation that can independently show whether or not the Swift Boat Vet’s story is correct. Is it possible that the Swift Boat Vets aren’t telling the whole truth? Certainly. Has the Times done the necessary research to prove or disprove their contentions? Absolutely not.
As Instapundit notes in his roundup of links, the primary purpose of the Times’ hit piece is to note that the Swift Boats are… gasp!… Republicans! Therefore they obviously must be credible, because anyone who dares question John F’in Kerry must be liars.
Apparently the rights of independent free speech only apply to the left, so while Michael Moore’s outright lies are slavishly praised, over 200 Vietnam veterans are being accused of lying about charges that the media doesn’t even want to bother doing any real investigatory work to prove or disprove.
If the media isn’t ravenously partisan and completely biased towards John Kerry, they’re lazy and unwilling to do the legwork to confirm the stories. If John Kerry wants to answer these questions, he should authorize the release of all relevant documentation. If he was taking enemy fire on the day he rescued Jim Rassman, let’s see the after-action reports from the other swift boats working alongside his. If he wants to argue that he was really in Cambodia, let’s see him authorize the documentation that proves it.
Of course, no one outside the blogosphere is calling for Kerry to do this, when it could very well clear Kerry’s name – which only leads to the argument that the mainstream media is profoundly uninterested in knowing the truth about this issue.
The NYT story is soooo lame…it’s only a regurgitation of the Dem talking points that we already know…if this is the best they can do, then we understand why the Kerry Kamp is so desparate…
Of course, note also again there is no direct refutation of the Swift Vets claims…only ad hominem attacks and attempts to confuse the issues…
Now Drudge is reporting that the Kerry Kamp is calling for the swift vet book to be removed from bookstores…ha..ha..ha..is that the smell of desparation and defeat? Boy, these Kerry guys are sure fascists…just because some vets dare say things they don’t like about Kerry, the Kerry Goon squad issues phony legal challenges to scare off TV stations (didn’t work), issues “brown books” with smears against the Swift Vets, arranges for their buddies at the NYT and WaPo to publish hit jobs on the Swift Vets, and now wants their book to be removed from bookstores. Gosh, and they did all this without having the advice of John Ashcroft…I am so surprised!
The Old Media is also losing out big time and apparently has decided it will go down with the Titanic that is Kerry. As Dean Esmay writes:
But here’s the bigger story: The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe are no longer the arbiters of what’s important and what’s not, of whose criticisms of our politicians will be heard and whose will be ignored.
The Internet has detected the mainstream media as a form of censorship and simply routed around them.
God Bless these Swift Vets…they not only are taking down Kerry, but the liberal media as well…
A great post:
Kerry has not lied for the last 35 years just so he can quit 10 weeks before the moment he has lived for his entire life.
SO: Things will getting dirtier from here on out. And expect the MSM to be vigorous in their support for their boy Kerry. ..And also remember this: When LT(jg) Kerry panics (as he seems to be doing now)- he beaches his craft and kills unarmed wounded fleeing children.And cuts their ears off, and rapes them, and beheads them, and tortures them – attaching eletrodes to their genitals… and… and…Oh sorry: That was EVERY OTHER soldier that served in Vietnam from 1965-1975 but NOT KERRY. KERRY was a hero. A Vietnam hero whose reputation should be left un-touched. As he left theirs untouched. Heh…
Have they probed Kerry’s military records as much as they probed the Swift Boat vets?
You act like Kerry’s military records are such a big secret.
Remember how you all clamored for them, a couple months ago, and then it came back and bit you on the ass big-time, when it turned out he had these piles and piles of glowing reccomendations?
One would think you’ve learned your lesson, but I guess not. I hope Kerry drops another bombload of glowing officer testimonials right down your kisser.
when there should be plenty of documentation that can independently show whether or not the Swift Boat Vet’s story is correct.
What do you think they got from that FOIA request? A bunch of paperwork that disproved at least one Swift Boat Liar’s story. Of course, that didn’t stop him from casting doubt on his own meritorious service in order to smear Kerry.
There’s just no limit to you Kerry haters, is there? Nothing’s sacred, I guess. Nothing’s more important than destroying this man.
Now Drudge is reporting that the Kerry Kamp is calling for the swift vet book to be removed from bookstores…ha..ha..ha..is that the smell of desparation and defeat?
For the SBV, it sure is. If fuckin’ Drudge won’t touch it, it must really stink.
It’s time for you guys to join your betters, like O’Reilly, Drudge, and Sen. McCain and repudiate these ads. There’s not a stitch of truth in them, as anyone not blinded by hatred can plainly see.
So let’s see…hmmmm….Clinton’s book (My Lie) is available everywhere for at least 30% off. Kerry’s book (his latest version of what he’s about) is available for 40-50% off. Oh yeah, and the “UNFIT FOR COMMAND” is back ordered and/or sold out. I guess that says something about content?
If he was taking enemy fire on the day he rescued Jim Rassman, let’s see the after-action reports from the other swift boats working alongside his.
Ok, how about the fuckin’ bullet holes in Thurlow’s boat that contradicts his story? How about the intelligence reports confirming that several Vietnamese were killed or wounded in that action?
Oh, but right. That’s all part of Kerry’s coverup, right? After all a veteran can never lie – unless he’s a Democrat, right?
Why do you even bother asking for evidence when absolutely no evidence could convince you? What’s it going to take to prove to you that the SBVT have no credibility whatsoever?
You’re right, AT. I didn’t read closely enough and was wrong about Drudge. Clearly I overestimated his credibility.
Funny how Kerry and his surrogates at the NYT (talk about working together) can only make attacks against the Swift Vets and not rebut their factual charges…
Here’s a devastating line from a POW in the new Swift Vet ad:
“John Kerry gave the enemy for free what I and many of my comrades in the North Vietnamese prison camps took torture to avoid saying.”
I wonder if Kerry will try to smear these POWs like he tried to smear the Swift Vets?
At this point it doesn’t make scense to oppose the release of another hitbook. Have you been in a Barnes n’ Noble lately? You can’t get away from hate books. I was there a few days ago an came across the “Offical” I hate replicans book. Come on, if Michael Moore can release two more books before the election these folks can release theirs.
This is a perfect “West Wing” moment. Why not “elevate the level of debate” by hearing the arguments and then refuting them? Why should the solution be censorship?
The solution is censorship because the Kerry Kamp cannot offer any reasonable rebuttals.
we’re still waiting for your or Kerry’s or whoever’s explanation of his Christmas in Cambodia lie…
I still haven’t seen where Kerry claimed to be in Cambodia in Christmas, where he claimed that Nixon was president in 1968, or any of the other aspects of this story you claim to have refuted. Jay provided a link to one excerpt, but in it, Kerry neither claimed to be in Cambodia on Christmas nor that Nixon was president, which as I recall were the two points you tried to refute the story under.
I’m not interested in debating strawmen; let’s get Kerry’s own words on the table before we try to decide who’s lying and who isn’t.
There was no “enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire†received that day.
Then how did the bullet holes get in Thurlow’s boat? Where did the dead and wounded Vietnamese come from?
To claim that they didn’t take fire is to ignore the testimony of all of Kerry’s boatmates, Rasmussen, and the physical testimony of Thurlow’s own boat.
Scratch one more claim off the SBV’s list. Stick a fork in it; that one’s done.
Is Kerry the stupidest motherf***er there is?
All Kerry had to do was play it cool through the RNC, when the restriction on 527s kicked in…and in the meantime the Swift Vets would have had a paltry few hundred thousand dollars to run ads in a few states.
But Kerry has to act all macho and instead looks stupid and whiny and weak, and in the process gives the Swift Vets all types of free attention. I am sure the Swift Vets appreciate Kerry contribution to their cause.
I’m glad you have Thurlow’s boat from 30 odd years ago as personal evidence…
Actually, what the Times has is the after-action reports that Thurlow probably wrote.
As for the Christmas in Cambodia issue…if you didn’t bother to read and keep up with the story too bad for you…I really don’t have time to reconstruct the story for you and it wouldn’t change your mind anyway…
Did it surprise anybody else that AT refused to substantiate his assertions?
No, me neither.
The latest ad from the Swift Vets is even more devastating, because it hits on Kerry’s antiwar protests days, which are the most damaging part of his war record.
This may surprise you, but I don’t have time to reply to every one of your rants.
Really? It does surprise me, since Jay can’t post a new blog entry without at least 3 immediate replies from you saying “me too.”
We do not have to answer to you, nor justify everything to you.
Nobody’s twisting your arm to make you be here, AT. If you don’t like supporting your arguments, maybe you shouldn’t be making them.
I notice you offer no documentation for your claim about Thurlow’s boat, and in fact only say that Thurlow “probably†wrote them.
The damage report is documented in the Times article, and Thurlow, being the senior skipper of the engagement, would have, in all likelyhood, been the one to write up the subsequent reports.
I have noted some pretty glaring problems with Kerry’s story and the battle damage reports, but you do not respond.
You’ve cited irrelevancies about Kerry’s boat – the subject was Thurlow’s.
You’ve offered no substantive response to multiple independant lines of evidence that those boats were under fire that day. Should you care to do so, then I’ll respond. But I’m not going to snap at every irrelevant attempt to bait me.
Now you want me to post the same info…sorry, I don’t have to keep on making the same point over and over again just because you say so.
No.
But you do have to support your points, at least once, which you have yet to do. You’ve never cited any source for what you say Kerry has been saying, which means you’re free to erect whatever strawmen you like.
I’m not interested in playing that game, AT.
The latest ad from the Swift Vets is even more devastating, because it hits on Kerry’s antiwar protests days, which are the most damaging part of his war record.
Kerry was right to protest the war, and if the best the Swift Boat Liars have against Kerry are examples of him taking advantage of the Constitutional freedoms he fought and bled to defend, they ought to run a hundred ads just like it.