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Monday, September 20, 2004
Op-ed by SwiftVets' Adm. Hoffmann
The Sunday edition of the Richmond Times Dispatch included a long and detailed op-ed by SwiftVets founder Adm. Roy Hoffmann (hat-tip Discriminations). Those who've been following the controversy closely will find nothing much new, but it's an impassioned summary of the current state of the SwiftVets' overall case.
Posted by Beldar at 05:51 AM in Mainstream Media, Politics (2006 & earlier), SwiftVets | Permalink
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Comments
(1) James B. Shearer made the following comment | Sep 20, 2004 7:22:03 PM | Permalink
I find that sort of tirade more offputting than convincing. For example it was the Navy not the liberal media that awarded Kerry three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star. This is the main reason people believe Kerry was a hero so if Kerry wasn't, it is the Navy (perhaps including Hoffman himself) which is largely responsible for the false impression.
(2) Mike H. made the following comment | Sep 21, 2004 12:31:02 AM | Permalink
OT, according to a female reporter from 'Time' ya'll
are pajamahideen now. I believe her name is Mills
and she was on O'Reilly tonight. Amazing - the number
of wars being fought at the moment, when there's only
supposed to be one.
(3) OhMike made the following comment | Sep 21, 2004 12:39:15 AM | Permalink
Mr. Shearer,
Actually, it is your sort of comment that is offputting to people like me, who think the truth about Kerry is hardly the version he and his hagiographers in the media would lead us to believe. Your loaded word-choice in calling Admiral Hoffmann's op-ed a "tirade" is a bad start if you would like to be considered an objective analyst. The fact that you follow that up by distorting what Admiral Hoffmann says undermines your credibility.
Admiral Hoffmann did not say the liberal media AWARDED John Kerry his medals. This is what he actually said, "John Kerry is no hero. He built this facade with unabashed personal promotion, aided and abetted by a supportive liberal media ready and willing to repeat in print his gross exaggerations, distortions of fact, and outright lies about his abbreviated four-month, 12-day tour of duty in Vietnam."
If you don't think Kerry has been aided and abetted by a supportive liberal media, maybe you believed it when the media left unchallenged Kerry's contention that he "volunteered to go to Vietnam," whereas the fact is he sought the same five deferments that Vice President Dick Cheney got, except Kerry got only four. When he was denied his fifth deferment, Kerry joined the Naval Reserve, where he figured he'd be least likely to have to fight in Vietnam. Then Kerry volunteered for coastal duty on PCF's, and wound up in combat only when the Swiftboats' assignment was subsequently changed.
Perhaps you agree with the prevalent liberal-media accounts that Kerry served "two tours of duty" in Vietnam. If you do, you are in DIS-agreement with those who think Kerry's five weeks off the coast while on the Gridley and four months in-country with the Swiftboats hardly qualifies as "two tours of duty."
Maybe you think, as the media have told us, that "the offiical Navy records support Kerry's version of the events that led to his medals," but then what do you make of the fact that there is NO official after-action report to support the contention that there was combat the day when Kerry got his first Purple Heart? How do you account for the fact Kerry himself writes in his journal that he did not face combat until AFTER that incident? What explains that Kerry himself says he received a self-inflicted fragment wound in his ass the morning of the Bay Hap action, but later Kerry put himself in for a Purple Heart for that very same wound?
If the Navy records, as argued by his media supporters, are unquestionable, what accounts for the fact that Kerry's Bronze Star citation says that "Kerry, his arm bleeding and in pain," pulled Rassmann from the water, but the official medical report documents that there was no blood because all Kerry had was a bruise on his arm?
Maybe you believe that all three different versions of Kerry's Silver Star citations are true, and maybe you don't believe the former Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman, who says he never signed the third version, which bears his signature.
If the media haven't aided and abetted Kerry, then maybe they've failed to call Kerrry on it because they think he really did spend Christmas in Cambodia. If that's the case, they probably buy the story about VC, the dog, being blown off Kerry's PCF, only to land safely on a different boat. If you believe these stories have received the appropriate scrutiny from an objective and skeptical media, then maybe you also believe Kerry has a lucky CIA hat.
Finally, if you believe that Kerry has not been aided and abetted by a supportive media, you may still cling to the notion that the "Tiffany Network" did not use forged memos to try to smear the President and help Kerry.
If you believe these things, then all I can say is, "Courage."
(4) Mike H. made the following comment | Sep 21, 2004 11:20:49 AM | Permalink
OhMike, the way that I read the statement, the Navy
didn't say a thing about the veracity of the citations,
only that procedure had been followed. Competent
command was used to request the medals, albeit
ignorant competent command.
(5) Roundguy made the following comment | Sep 21, 2004 4:56:07 PM | Permalink
Where's Beldar? I need my daily fix.
(6) Mr. K made the following comment | Sep 21, 2004 8:38:14 PM | Permalink
The media also dismisses dozens, if not more, decorated veterans as partisan liars, despite the fact that they methodically present and reference their case against Kerry. And sign affidavits on top of it.
But one looney toon faxes in bogus memos, and 60 Minutes runs two segments on it...then when the memos are debunked, the MSM says, "well, they do raise legitimate questions the president has not answered.."
where is the relentless, unbiased, "digging deeper" MSM in its pursuit of ALL of Kerry's records?
(7) OhMike made the following comment | Sep 21, 2004 9:53:10 PM | Permalink
Mr. K,
...and Dan Rather STILL says the memos are true--he just can't "prove" it.
Dan must be very slow. As far as he and CBS are concerned, John O'Neill might as well have his face on a milk carton, but Burkett has his calls returned by Joe Lockhart.
If the media were "fair & balanced," President Bush would be up by 60 points.
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