August 10, 2004

eRiposte.com - a news analysis, commentary and personal opinion website. For starters, his complete destruction of those Swift Boat Veterans and his examination of compassionate conservatism as performed by Bush appointees
posted by shawnj 20 years ago
  • Wow, there's a lot there to cover. I see that I'll be a frequent visitor to that site over the next week or so...
  • Wonderful editorial.
    Why would John McCain characterize the SWIFT Boat vets commercial about John Kerry as "dishonest and dishonorable"? Why would he ask President Bush to denounce it? Why would he say something similar was "pulled" on him when he seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2000? Americans are supposed to respect Sen. John McCain because he is a war hero. But is he? And why is he so determined to defend John Kerry's dishonorable activities during and after the Vietnam War? Now let me begin by saying McCain suffered greatly during his five years of captivity in the "Hanoi Hilton." But his horrific experiences do not entitle him to stretch the truth about his captivity at the hands of North Vietnamese Communists, nor to deceive Americans about his bravery and heroism. When the Navy pilot was shot down over a lake near Hanoi, his captors did not know who he was
  • Jesse Taylor nails Glenn Reynolds.
    Um...Glenn should probably take a step back and realize that Rassmann was at the center of one of the medal "controversies" (being as how he was the one pulled out of the river), and he's repeatedly provided the specifics of what happened - specifics that contradict the Hairy Palmers, as if the Bronze Star one of its members received on the exact same non-dangerous mission didn't already.
  • This is just getting insane. Criticism of one man's war record by supporters of a man who actively avoided fighting a war. Amazing, the bizarre depths to which we will sink...
  • a man who actively avoided fighting a war Heh.
  • funny, in other contexts I would find that to be an *admirable* quality [viz. actively avoiding war]
  • I'd agree, ilyadeux, if it were a case of avoiding service on principle, which it wasn't. It was about staying out of harm's way, which I don't blame him for -- my father was drafted, had some strings pulled to get him a desk job stateside, and turned it down because he was shamed into it in front of his platoon. He describes that moment today as "the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life." So I don't blame him for that, not at all. What's irksome is that (a) it's still a matter of debate whether he even showed up for the TANG, and (b) these Swift Boat people are willing to criticize and distort an honest-to-God veteran's service in support of a candidate who used his privileged status to avoid service.
  • None of these Swift Boat vets ever served with John Kerry. John O'Neill in 1972 said Kerry was lying about war crimes in Vietnam commited by vets. Now he is accusing Kerry of comiting war crimes. Interesting. I'm curious about why Glenn Reynolds is so obsesed with this. I don't believe that the man is stupid enough to know that the charges against Kerry are baseless. John McCain came to Kerry's defense. It's interesting that the man funding O'Neill's swift boat group was the one attacking McCain's war record in 2000. Me thinks that the Bushies don't like vets. Still, what's Glenn's angle in all this. Is he really getting taling points from the GOP like many people believe? The Swift Boat deal is a nonstory. Glenn wil be around and attacking people (as usual) afterwards. Did this guy go to law school so he could become Matt Drudge? I would love to do a John Malkovich and go in his brain for a day.
  • oh, MCT I completely understand -- just noting the irony of the situation, that GWB managed to turn what I'd think a virtue generally (trying to avoid a war, not only as a man, but as a President) into quite a disgrace.
  • Ah, got you. Now let's have some pie.
  • What kind of pie?