"Squirrelly And Unsettling"

ABC's August 12 NOTE intrigues us with this comment about the subtlest of flaws in the Kerry campaign:

E. . Let's face it: there is something squirrelly and unsettling and not quite right about the way Michael Meehan answers the media's Vietnam-era questions — something that makes nearly every member of the Gang of 500 think there is still something there.

And there is a reason for that - like the rest of us, this campaign is on a voyage of discovery into John Kerry's past. And like the rest of us, they are repeatedly learning that their candidate's memory of his Vietnam era is conveniently unreliable.

Three quick examples - first, we have been following the "Christmas in Cambodia" story; from Matt Drudge, we see that Kerry historian Douglas Brinkley is now scrambling to recast this as "January in Cambodia". Time will tell. Meanwhile, we can check the January after-action reports at John Kerry's website, where he has fully released all the relevant records. But wait! I only see after-action reports for February and March! (and *not* his March 18/19 mission, BTW). Golly, the Big Media will never tolerate this sort of non-disclosure, will they? Squirelly, indeed.

Second example - the Kerry campaign, through both press releases and its website, spent months promoting the odd notion that Kerry was in the military from 1966 to 1970, and then was in the Naval Reserve from 1972 to 1978. Yes, this would have conveniently meant he was not in the service during his anti-war, ribbon-tossing, meet with the North Vietnamese days, but why did he re-join in 1972?

Of course it made no sense, and with the release of his records in April they have corrected their press releases. But imagine their surprise! We also imagine that they hope that the LA Times and NY Times don't notice (or, more likely, don't care - the NY Times is more inclined to correct the misspelling of the name of a Russian ballerina then they are to correct this.)

A third example is found in this NY Times story, with this provocative lede:

When questions were raised last month about whether a 27-year-old John Kerry had attended a Kansas City meeting of Vietnam Veterans Against the War where the assassination of senators was discussed, the Kerry presidential campaign went into action.

Indeed, they did. But patient readers will eventually come to the bit where we learn that Kerry's memories and denials about his attendance at such a meeting are contradicted by FBI files. Oops. We especially admire the subtle distinction Kerry makes about "being there":

...he says he had emotionally checked out of V.V.A.W. after St. Louis and until recently said he had left the organization at that point.

But several news organizations, including The Kansas City Star and The New York Sun, have recently reported that Mr. Kerry also attended the meeting of the group in Kansas City, Mo., in late 1971 where killing opponents of the war was discussed.

Mr. Kerry says he still has no memory of being there but does not dispute the F.B.I. files.

Let's be fair - some participants say the assasination plan was discussed, but never voted upon; some say there was a vote; some say Kerry was there for discussions, but not the vote; all agree that Kerry was opposed. This was covered widely last spring - a link-hunt could start here. (And anyone who wants to drop a relevant link in the comments is surely invited to do so.)

The recurring theme - what Kerry remembers isn't always what is true, but it is self-serving.

UPDATE: A commenter at Orrin Judd's fine blog presents a head-scratcher - Kerry spoke to the Senate in April 1971. By then we all knew about the 1970 incursion/invasion into Cambodia (Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming...).

However, the "secret bombing" of Cambodia was not widely revealed until 1973 (if we can rely on Sy Hersh). And this article suggests that the insertion of covert operators into Cambodia was highly classified (presumably, prior to 1970 - post invasion, what was there to deny?). Here is a quick excerpt about the Al Haig, then an aide to Henry Kissinger at the NSC:

He confided to a few that while serving in Vietnam he had participated in one of a regular series of highly classified ground reconnaissance missions inside Cambodia. The Americans who went on such missions, whose existence did not become publicly known until 1973, wore specially manufactured replicas of North Vietnamese uniforms and carried captured gear and weapons. They went in "sterile," that is, without any identification or markings to indicate that they were Americans-except, of course, their white or black skin, large body size, and fluent knowledge of English.

So, the question - John Kerry was not exactly holding back in his Senate presentation - atrocities, Genghis Khan, and so on. Why didn't he mention that the US was routinely violating the Cambodian border in 1969? Since that news did create headlines later (and became a proposed article of impeachment against Richard Nixon), wouldn't it have been a big deal when Kerry testified? Why so coy?

Just to state the obvious - the previous question is suggestive, not dispositive. A transcript of the Kerry-O'Neill debate on Dick Cavett might shed further light on this.

Now, other points I would ponder, if I were spinning for Kerry - why were the South Vietnamese getting liquored up in celebration of Christmas? It's not a Christian country. Ok, they were celebrating the truce. But when was the Chinese New Year that year (and is that celebrated in South Vietnam?) What, from the Command History, was Kerry doing then? And might that be the incident which is "seared" in his memory?

More here.

UPDATE: OK, the campaign tried to release the January records last April but got all confused. Time to try again?

Comments

[Tom Bowler]

Isn't it funny in an annoying way that the point of Lord Kerry's Christmas in Cambodia stories is to accuse somebody else of dishonesty. Probably not the link you were looking for Tom, but I wanted to make the point.

[robert0]

Right. We all know Kerry might not telling the exact truth about events that happened 30 years ago, even though there is no hard evidence out there that proves he is lying. That said, what's so good about GW.

I mean, in one short presidency you've got:

I attacked and took over two countries.

I spent the U.S. surplus and bankrupted the US Treasury.

I shattered the record for the biggest annual deficit in history (not easy!).

I set an economic record for the most personal bankruptcies filed in any 12 month period.

I set all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the stock market.

I am the first president in decades to execute a federal prisoner.

I am the first president in US history to enter office with a criminal record.

In my first year in office I set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any president in US history (tough to beat my dad's, but I did).

After taking the entire month of August off for vacation, I presided over the worst security failure in US history.

I set the record for most campaign fund raising trips by any president in US history.

In my first two years in office over 2 million Americans lost their job.

I cut unemployment benefits for more out-of-work Americans than any other president in US history.

I set the all-time record for most real estate foreclosures in a 12-month period.

I appointed more convicted criminals to administration positions than any president in US history.

I set the record for the fewest press conferences of any president, since the advent of TV.

I signed more laws and executive orders amending the Constitution than any other US president in history.

I presided over the biggest energy crises in US history and refused to intervene when corruption was revealed.

I cut health care benefits for war veterans.

I set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest me (15 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind.

I dissolved more international treaties than any president in US history.

I've made my presidency the most secretive and unaccountable of any in US history.

Members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in US history. (The poorest multimillionaire, Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her).

I am the first president in US history to have all 50 states of the Union simultaneously struggle against bankruptcy.

I presided over the biggest corporate stock market fraud in any market in any country in the history of the world.

I am the first president in US history to order a US attack and military occupation of a sovereign nation, and I did so against the will of the United Nations and the vast majority of the international community.

I have created the largest government department bureaucracy in the history of the United States, called the "Bureau of Homeland Security"(only one letter away from BS).

I set the all-time record for biggest annual budget spending increases, more than any other president in US history (Ronnie was tough to beat, but I did it!!).

I am the first president in US history to compel the United Nations remove the US from the Human Rights Commission.

I am the first president in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the Elections Monitoring Board.

I removed more checks and balances, and have the least amount of congressional oversight than any presidential administration in US history.

I rendered the entire United Nations irrelevant.

I withdrew from the World Court of Law.

I refused to allow inspectors access to US prisoners of war and by default no longer abide by the Geneva Conventions.

I am the first president in US history to refuse United Nations election inspectors access during the 2002 US elections.

I am the all-time US (and world) record holder for most corporate campaign donations.

The biggest lifetime contributor to my campaign, who is also one of my best friends, presided over one of the largest corporate bankruptcy frauds in world history (Kenneth Lay, former CEO of Enron Corporation).

I spent more money on polls and focus groups than any president in US history.

I am the first president to run and hide when the US came under attack (and then lied,saying the enemy had the code to Air Force 1)

I am the first US president to establish a secret shadow government.

I took the world's sympathy for the US after 9/11,and in less than a year made the US the most resented country in the world (possibly the biggest diplomatic failure in US and world history).

I am the first US president in history to have a majority of the people of Europe (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and stability.

I changed US policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.

I set the all-time record for the number of administration appointees who violated US law by not selling their huge investments in corporations bidding for government contracts.

I have removed more freedoms and civil liberties for Americans than any other president in US history. In a little over two years.

I have created the most divided country in decades, possibly the most divided that the US has been since the Civil War.

I entered office with the strongest economy in US history and in less than two years turned every single economic category heading straight down.

[John]

I am the first president in US history to refuse United Nations election inspectors access during the 2002 US elections.

ROFL. Anyone else see what's so funny about this statement?

[Bostonian]

Robert0, you should realize we've all gotten quite accustomed to the redirection attempts of the left. If you want to argue all those points, fine, but respect the owner of this blog, and do it somewhere else.

[GT]

Tom,

You say that "what Kerry remembers isn't always what is true, but it is self-serving."

How is that different from any other politician?

[John]

Btw, robert0, I've read that whole list before.

It's a great mix between truths, half-truths, lies, obvious lies, and a whole lot of things that would be true if you removed them from the context of the presidency.

For example,

I set the all-time record for most real estate foreclosures in a 12-month period.

Regardless of what you may think, GWB *is not a banker*. He *does not forclose on real estate*. So he *did not set the all-time record for most real estate forclosures in a 12-month period*. How hard is this, really?

[stan]

It would seem robert0 buys the lunacy of the democratunderground. 'Tis a shame....

[Robert Blakely]

If George Bush had the power to do the things you have accused him of he would be God, not president. The list of grievances is impressive even if fallacious. I wonder how Clinton would have stood up to your jaundiced eye. I presume he would have been as pure as the driven snow!
So much for intelligent accuracy!

[Pouncer]

" I dissolved more international treaties than any president in US history.

I rendered the entire United Nations irrelevant.

I withdrew from the World Court of Law."

Were but it so! For these accomplishments alone, I would forgive all else, and forswear all other candidates of either party.

[Trevor Saccucci]

Nice talking points, robert0. I suspect they spent just enough time in your brain to pass from your eyes to your keyboard. But can you think about them long enough to provide citations for them?

More to the point, you're also off-topic, and shouldn't be putting them in this thread.

If you feel your talking points are important enough to tell the world about, provide citations for them, and do it on your own blog or in an appropriate thread on someone else's blog.

[Matthew Cromer]

Robert,

You do realize that just about everything on that list is a lie or a distortion, right? If so, you are a deceitful liar, just like your candidate. If not, you are a deluded whackjob.

Let's just start with the deficit. The only reasonable way to evaluate a deficit is as a percentage of GDP. This is because the economy grows over time, and because of inflation. The deficit is 80% because of the Clinton bubble bursting and the subsequent loss of income of stock investors who were therefore not paying taxes on that income. So obviously your whole arguement on this one point is at best a distortion and more accurately a deceit.

I can do a similar analysis on most of the rest of your DU talking points, but frankly it's a waste of my time.

[Terry]

Way to go, robert0.

You cut-'n-pasted a 2 year old list that was icredibly flawed when it was originally floating about as email spam and was thoroughly debunked 2 years ago and didn't even update the points that have changed in the intervening 2 years.

Very persuasive.

[Frank IBC]

Sorry to respond to the Red Herring Robot, but I thought these were kinda funny...

>> I am the first president in decades to execute a federal prisoner.

>> I rendered the entire United Nations irrelevant.

>> I withdrew from the World Court of Law.

I'm glad to see you've managed to throw in a few compliments, with all your criticisms. :P

>> "I am the first US president to establish a secret shadow government."

Well, other presidents had established "SECRET shadow governments", we wouldn't know about them, would we? Maybe they just did a better job of keeping them secret, hmmmm??

Another "Cut & Paster"...sigh...

[Trevor Saccucci]

On-topic: I first read about the Doug Brinkley Kerry Hagiography 2.0 yesterday. This story is becoming more grotesque and farcical with every passing day. I'm surprised that Brinkley is willing to flush his reputation down the toilet by lending credibility to the Kerry-Cambodia Chronicles - but I suspect that he'll end up eating the loan.

So, what's Brinkley's next project? A biography of Baron von Munchausen?

[drive-by]

My First Lie, And How I Got Out Of It
http://www.mtwain.com/My_First_Lie,_And_How_I_Got_Out_Of_It/0.html
-- Mark Twain.

[AB]

Robert, I think what you're missing is that Conservatives LIKE the idea of America as a big blowhard bully. They like asskicking and nametaking. The country of Jefferson and Lincoln to them should give way to the country of Gingrich, Cheney and DeLay. Those are their great thinkers.

The thing is, yesterday when Cheney mocked Kerry for using the word "sensitive" (leaving out all the other decriptives Kerry used), the commentators rightly clarified that Bush himself had used the exact same word in the same context only a day or so later. So does that make Bush a girly man also?

The Conservatives may have used up their last cards with the Florida debacle. People know now how dirty they play, and they're hip to the way they manipulate and misrepresent. It's getting harder to pull the wool over peoples eyes. And if the election looks fraudulent again, there may be true civil unrest over it. Florida is leaning heavier each day towards Kerry. It will be very suspect if it suddenly tilts to Bush at the 11th hour.

[megapotamus]

Ah, Florida. The Dems, yet again, prepare to fight the last war. Good luck with that.

[Dan]

AB -

Are you suggesting Lincoln wasn't an "asskicker" (and a Republican, by the way)?

Ask the folks in Georgia.

[Robert Speirs]

As a close observer of the Florida 2000 election, I don't know what AB is talking about. Except that, contrary to law, about 6000 felons were permitted to vote. Gee, I wonder who they voted for? And that all the "disputed" ballots were in Democratic controlled counties. Where all the election officials were Democrats. So maybe AB should go look up the facts.

[moptop]

AB doesn't care a hang for facts, but here is one. Two years after having the election 'stolen from them', Florida voters elected W's brother Jeb governor, in a landslide. Surprising even Terry McAliff (ph).

[Crank]

Don't feed the trolls!

[Gerard Van der Leun]

Not typed in. Just a swift cut and paste from somewhere else. Not even a whiff of originality. Probably got it hot-keyed and just flits about depositing it as it pleases. Kind of disgusting when you think about it.

[Dan]

"It will be very suspect if it [Florida]suddenly tilts to Bush at the 11th hour".

Of course it won't be suspect if the homeless are given cigarettes to vote, or illegal aliens vote multiple times, if polls in Democratic precincts are left open all night, if Democrat operatives enter voting booths to "help" people mark their ballots, if convicted felons vote, and on and on...

[soybomb]

Ignore the robert0's of the world. They want you to be distracted so kerry can get away with his blantant, obvious lies. That is the only way Kerry can survive. He and his supporters must, must keep talking about anything and everything that doesn't deal with his Senate record and Vietnam service beyond the Rambo in a boat meme.

[AB]

I'm always amused when Republicans try to claim Lincoln as their own, and try to portray him as a butch Rambo type. Have any of them actually read his tortured, heartbroken, eloquent discussions of the tragedy that truly did force itself into his Presidency, that he tried so valiantly to avoid and that haunted him day and night? I doubt it.

To insinuate that Abraham Lincoln would recognize the Republican party of Bush and Gingrich would be an insult to the Great Emancipator if it weren't so patently ridiculous.

[TexasToast]

Back on topic (Your spot, you get to choose the topic. I’m actually curious if there are bots out there that send out competing talking points lists to Blog Comments. Anyone know?)

I’ve got to hand it to you, Tom. You have managed to combine a “whopper” told by a vet, a misstatement on a website and in press releases about what years Kerry served in the Naval Reserve that has since been corrected, and his membership in a organization containing some overzealous nut-cases into “… a voyage of discovery about John Kerry’s past.”. And by golly, you are being fair about it by saying that Kerry was actually opposed to political assassination!

Stir the pot ... and praise Caesar while you’re at it. Very Shakespearian.

The Bush administration has been criticized for stretching the facts to “connect the dots” between Iraq and Al Q, but that argument was more convincing than this one – unless, of course, you are already a true believer. The administration’s dots were not on the same page, but yours aren’t even in the same book - - no, let me correct that, the same library. Oh well, I can take solace in the realization that you would be zealously defending this administration’s record and giving me reasons to vote FOR this president instead of constructing reasons to vote AGAINST the other guy – that is, if there WERE any compelling reasons to vote FOR this president.

[Brainster]

Tom, looks like something's wrong with the March timeline, since Drudge says they are trying to place the Cambodian incursion in January. First guess is somebody on his boat in March who supports his candidacy, won't back up the Cambodia story, so they are trying to walk it backwards. I've been combing through the Brinkley book trying to come up with a January timeline, cast of characters, etc. This post will continue to be updated throughout the day.

[Tim]

The off-topic, "look over there", responses seem to speak to the obvious strength of these charges.

Kerry's Vietnam strategy was an opportunistic farce from the beginning - but it was a lie he has been preening and nurturing for decades and had come to define his persona.

"I look forward to that debate, when John Kerry, a war hero with a chest full of medals, is standing next to George Bush, a man who was AWOL in the Alabama National Guard." - Terry McAuliffe

You've come a long way, baby.

[Frank Brown]

I am in Florida and there is a worry here about Bush winning. This medicare scare crap wrapped around cheap Canadian Drugs has really hurt Bush as my father and others only hear that as they are on fixed incomes. Also, you have to understand people from N.J. and NY. retire here because we have no income tax and they vote democratic even though they like not having to pay taxes...go figure.

[Ernest Brown]

ToastedbyTexas,

The reason we're giving Kerry the business is the blatent media hypocrisy surrounding the "BUSH/AWOL" versus the "Kerry lies his fundament off" stories. In addition, Kerry has cynically used his Vietnam experience to deflect any attention for what he did politically for the next 33 years. A genuine discussion of Kerry's merits as a statesman, plus him running on his actual Senate voting record, would see him draw McGovern/Mondale numbers in the polls. This is exactly why the mainstream press is trying so hard to ignore this story:

MR. THOMAS: "There's one other base here, the media. Let's talk a little media bias here. The media, I think, wants Kerry to win and I think they're going to portray Kerry and Edwards I'm talking about the establishment media, not Fox. They're going to portray Kerry and Edwards as being young and dynamic and optimistic and there's going to be this glow about them, collective glow, the two of them, that's going to be worth maybe 15 points."

Evan Thomas, Assistant Managing Editor of Newsweek
July 10, 2004

http://www.wusatv9.com/insidewashington/insidewashington_article.aspx?storyid=31231

[drive-by]

" FOR this president instead of constructing reasons to vote AGAINST "

One person constructed this imbroglio, JFK and his PT-109... err Swift boat ad where he used the images almost exclusively of those opposed to his candidacy in support of it.

Nice try, but I won't be done laughing at you Democrats for some time.

[AB]

It's also funny that the people saying "look over here at Kerry's Cambodia story, not at Najaf or the deficit or the jobs numbers" are the ones who accuse others of avoiding the debate.

I know the Republican plan is to win this election through Mock and Guffaw, but y'all might want to rethink the possiblity that the American public is wise to it now.

[drive-by]

As for Florida, I have seen those lying ads. Bush has actually caved on the Canadian prescription thing. Which as a free market believer, I think he should have done right away. As soon as the US starts buying all its drugs from Canada, Canada will have no choice but to make it illegal themselves, or to pay higher prices for the drugs. The US should not be carrying the drug company's water on this. The Bush admin has recognized this.

[drive-by]

Najaf...??? What is the issue there? It is being resolved by force. So what?

The deficit? What is it in terms of historical trends in percent of GDP, which is just about the only accurate measure? Which way is it going now? Up or down?

The jobs numbers are weird. The household survey shows a completely different picture than the payroll number, one that is much better for Bush. The payroll number does not count new businesses started, which BTW is how people get ahead in this country. Of course, which number do you think the press, which will not even acknowledge the admitted fact that Kerry is a liar use?

As far as I am concerned, a candidate who makes up his past is probably unstable and unfit for the job.

Even if Bush was AWOL, which is just invidious speculation on the part of the left anyway, he has already admitted to having wasted that part of his life, and does not base his claim to the presidency on it.

[drive-by]

One more thing AB

http://www.gallup.com/content/?ci=12694

Maybe there just isn't a majority of mono-manaical Bush haters out there?

[drive-by]

And if Viet Nam doesn't matter, why does Kerry bring it up at every opportunity? He obviously thinks it's important.

[Trevor Saccucci]

TexasToast:

Do your thought processes on this topic go further than insulting your host on his own bandwidth? Would it be beyond you to make some substantive points other than generating bitstream slobber?

I noticed that the differences between your comment of 8:19 AM and robert0's cut-and-paste screed are that you started off on-topic, and that you actually seem to have generated the verbiage of your talking points yourself, even if they aren't otherwise substantive. But then you go off-topic like robert0 and have to start attacking George Bush.

And that's my point here. You know you can't mount a credible defense of Kerry's fabulism; Doug Brinkley's an experienced professional writer and historian, and even his efforts to do so look like a pathetic joke.

If Kerry really believes his Cambodia nonsense, he's got some serious unresolved mental health issues. If he's knowingly lied about it he's shown himself to be a shameless opportunist who besmirched the reputations of his fellow servicemen as an antiwar activist for political expediency, and then appropriated the legacies of those better men when it was expedient to have a a daring and courageous war record to run for President on.

I find either alternative grotesque and unacceptable in anyone who would hold the office of POTUS. John Kerry lacks either the integrity or the mental stability to be a decent US President.

[bob]

I would like to comment on the "Kerry Christmas in Cambodia" story.

The western, or Roman, christian churches celebrate christmas on 25 december. The eastern, or Orthodox, christian churches celebrate christmas on 7 January.

It may be that senator Kerry was with a group of orthodox christian Cambodians for christmas 1968. This is not likely as less than 1% of cambodians are western christians, and there are no orthodox churches in the country. However, it is possible.

A lucid and interesting discussion of the old calendar can be found at www.goarc.org/en/ourfaith/

A detailed breakdown of Cambodian religious affiliation can be found at
www.ksife.co./profiles/p_code2/1883.html

[rynich]

Robert0,
How would you know a more secretive Administration existed, hense the word "Secret".
I do recall a historical event called the "bay of pigs" and who was the Pres. then and under what party. Second, I think you need get a better understanding of the history of Serbia before you make statements that the Current Pres. attacked a sovereign nation. I believe Clinton did it first with Afganistan, serbia, and IZ.
Third, you need to look into who is invested in mining companies that are involved in Africa, such as those based out of Arkansas. I Think you will find the Clintons, Reno, Allbright, and others invested in these companies that have made the heart of Africa a mess.
I don't think you truly know history well enough to claim that all these actions are first andonly's as you have claimed, which makes you look like fool and tool of someone elses propaganda. I would suggest that you read a few books on the history and world events that occured during WW I.

[AB]

Well actually Najaf is not being resolved at all. If you look at what's happening, there are riots in five major cities, Allawi is capitulating as he must, and the US Army is standing around unable to enter the mosque. Just another day in liberated Iraq. Can they kill Sadr? No, it will provoke rioting. Can they capture him? Not without desecrating the mosque. Can they send the Iraqi army in to do the dirty work? Not unless they want the people to turn against the fledgling army.

Iraq is a mess. Nothing was done right there. In fact, nothing was done with any "sensitivity" to the indigenous culture of the people we were supposedly liberating. We are pouring money into a rathole and praying day and night our kids don't end up dead. No one seems to have a handle on it. No one seems to know what the hell we are doing there or how we are going to accomplish it. The President keeps saying "I know how to do it" but where's the evidence? We're just lurching from crisis to crisis and creating 5 insurgents for every 1 we kill.

Bush's own father warned against trying to invade and occupy a Muslim nation. Too bad his boy didn't listen. Too intent on trying to prove he had bigger balls.

[George]

Getting back to the original topic, there is
a fourth quick example of a Kerry Vietnam
statement that is easily verified as false -- throwing his medals at the U.S. Capitol. Here is a good summary:
http://frankwarner.typepad.com/free_frank_warner/2004/04/john_kerry_in_1.html

[Tim]

More lies from Kerry's Band of Brothers?

AB, here's a thread on Najaf where you can comment on that. Here's an older thread about the lower deficit projection you can comment on.

[kingwolf]

RobertO's list is a recycled cut and paste list. Nice try, moron. Detailed and documented rebuttals to similar versions of that list can be found at http://qando.net/archives/002204.htm; http://mensnewsdaily.com/archive/m-n/mariani/2004/mariani040304.htm; terpsboy.com/Articles/RebuttoResume1.doc

[TexasToast]

Gee Trevor, don’t get mad. I thought I was complimenting Tom, not insulting him, and that I was directly on topic. I thought I was praising Tom for creating “ … a self serving recurring theme” out of a collection of incidents that are separated by years and circumstances. Kerry’s fabulism, as you put it, is, IMHO, a distraction. Moreover, I don’t think the case is a convincing one and I was trying to point that out. Tom is emphasizing these things, again IMHO, because the real substantive issues don’t favor his point of view.

Tom is an entertaining writer – and I have enjoyed reading his stuff for a good while now – even though it appears that he and I have differing views on a whole host of issues. I don’t think my comment that he hasn’t made the case on this issue, that this issue (as well as the AWOL BS and other such “character” attack issues) is non- substantive, and that Tom is avoiding substantive issues because they don’t favor his side is off topic at all.

[ParseThis]

The more I read on this the weaker it gets because it's all just cover for what you really want to say. So just say it:

Kerry is unpatriotic.

[acebb]

nice cut & paste from one of your wacko liberal b.s. web sites robert0

"I signed more laws and executive orders amending the Constitution than any other US president in history."

---Could a statement be more factually wrong?
Executive orders "amend" the Constitution?
That would be news to just about anyone.
I won't even go into the laws part, that's even sillier.

"I cut unemployment benefits for more out-of-work Americans than any other president in US history."

--completely false.
Bush Extends Unemployment Benefits For Laid-Off Workers
By Jim Burns
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
December 04, 2001

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200112\NAT20011204c.html

Bush signs unemployment benefits bill
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush signed a bill Wednesday to extend another 13 weeks of federal unemployment benefits to more than 2 million laid-off workers, including about 800,000 whose benefits ran out after Christmas.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/08/congress.unemployment/

"I am the first president in US history to order a US attack and military occupation of a sovereign nation, and I did so against the will of the United Nations and the vast majority of the international community."

Only according to ignorants such as yourself, was Iraq "sovereign"
That's comical.
You need to lookup and read UN Resolution 1441.
By this standard, the war in Kosovo was the "first ever" too bad you know little history.

"I entered office with the strongest economy in US history and in less than two years turned every single economic category heading straight down. "

--Complete fabrication. The economy was far stronger in March 1998 than it was in March 2000 when the downturn/recession began.

"I am the first president in decades to execute a federal prisoner."

- I take it you are/were against the Tim McVeigh execution then?

[Paul Zrimsek]

Now all we have to do is figure out why Kerry is avoiding substantive issues. They've got to favor someone's side, haven't they?

[Dan]

"To insinuate that Abraham Lincoln would recognize the Republican party of Bush and Gingrich would be an insult to the Great Emancipator if it weren't so patently ridiculous".

ab-

So now you're channeling Abe, eh?

By the way, no one said Lincoln was "butch", I used your term, asskicking, to describe that he procescuted the war successfully and with vigor, once he got a handfull of do nothing generals out of the way. Hint: only lefties use "butch" as synonym for manly. When a conservative says Butch, he's talking to his dog.

By the way, try channeling Jefferson, and see how he likes Teddy Kennedy and Robert Byrd. Thanks.

[Toby Petzold]

Why aren't we hearing more about Lt. Kerry's freelance negotiations with the Communist/VC representatives in Paris during the Peace Talks? That is the real story, as far as I'm concerned.

[drive-by]

"Kerry is unpatriotic."

That's what you wish we would say, not what we actually think. What we actually think is that Kerry is unhinged.

It is the Democrat party that has demonized patriotism for the last 40 years. Welcome back. Now stop putting words in our mouth. But given the weakness of your case, I can understand the temptation.