One of the swift Boat guys against Kerry retracts statement

[Spider]

But yesterday, a key figure in the anti-Kerry campaign, Kerry's former commanding officer, backed off one of the key contentions. Lieutenant Commander George Elliott said in an interview that he had made a ''terrible mistake" in signing an affidavit that suggests Kerry did not deserve the Silver Star -- one of the main allegations in the book. The affidavit was given to The Boston Globe by the anti-Kerry group to justify assertions in their ad and book.

Elliott is quoted as saying that Kerry ''lied about what occurred in Vietnam . . . for example, in connection with his Silver Star, I was never informed that he had simply shot a wounded, fleeing Viet Cong in the back."

The statement refers to an episode in which Kerry killed a Viet Cong soldier who had been carrying a rocket launcher, part of a chain of events that formed the basis of his Silver Star. Over time, some Kerry critics have questioned whether the soldier posed a danger to Kerry's crew. Crew members have said Kerry's actions saved their lives.

Yesterday, reached at his home, Elliott said he regretted signing the affidavit and said he still thinks Kerry deserved the Silver Star.

''I still don't think he shot the guy in the back," Elliott said. ''It was a terrible mistake probably for me to sign the affidavit with those words. I'm the one in trouble here."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/ar...cism_of_kerry/
and I guess none of those guys served on the swift boat with Kerry ......
like they claim .........

[Spider]

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth did not serve alongside Kerry

In the new ad, members of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth claim that they "served with John Kerry." Hannity & Colmes co-host Sean Hannity echoed the false claim, saying that the veterans in the ad are "the people that know him best," and referred to them as "some of his fellow crewmates." Even Pat Halpin, who was filling in for co-host Alan Colmes, called them "some of John Kerry's crewmates." Scarborough echoed Swift Boat Veterans' misleading claim that they "served with John Kerry in Vietnam."

While the veterans attacking Kerry in the ad are veterans of the Vietnam War and may have served at the same time as Kerry, as The New York Times reported on August 5, the Kerry campaign noted that "none of the men had actually served on the Swift boats that Mr. Kerry commanded." Adm. Roy F. Hoffman, one of the veterans in the ad, has even "acknowledged he had no first-hand knowledge to discredit Kerry's claims to valor," the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on May 7, "and said that although Kerry was under his command, he really didn't know Kerry much personally."

In contrast, many of the veterans who have appeared on the campaign trail with Kerry did serve alongside him. The Wall Street Journal's Albert R. Hunt noted in his August 5 "Campaign Journal" column, titled "Sham Charges Against a War Hero" (subscription required): "Indeed, 10 of the 11 men who served on his two swift boats all have sworn by John Kerry; nine living members were in Boston [for the Democratic National Convention]."

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's Republican ties

As Media Matters for America previously noted, on May 4, Salon.com's Joe Conason detailed Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's ties to the Republican Party. In addition to pointing out that the group's founder, John O'Neill, has long-standing ties to the GOP that can be traced back to the Nixon administration, Conason also reported that among the people behind Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is "veteran corporate media consultant and Texas Republican activist Merrie Spaeth, who is listed as the group's media contact."

As MMFA has documented, both Hannity & Colmes co-host Alan Colmes (on May 28) and FOX chief political correspondent Carl Cameron (on May 4) reported the group's Republican ties on FOX News Channel; on May 4, Scarborough mentioned criticism of O'Neill's "dirty tricks" for the Nixon administration. While Scarborough did mention on August 4 that the group was part of the "Republican counteroffensive" "prepar[ing] to release blistering attacks in John Kerry's Vietnam record," Hannity completely ignored the group's ties to the GOP.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth doctor did not sign Kerry's medical record

Neither Hannity nor Scarborough bothered to note that Dr. Louis Letson, who is featured in the ad claiming to have treated Kerry for the wound that earned him his first Purple Heart and claiming that it was undeserved, was not the medical official who signed Kerry's medical records for the wound. The Kerry campaign noted this fact in a report in The New York Times and a report in the Los Angeles Times that surfaced when Letson first unleashed this attack in May.

In criticizing the ad, McCain told the Associated Press, "'It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me'... referring to his [McCain's] bitter Republican primary fight with President Bush," according to the AP. As Conason reported on May 4, "The 'swift boat' veterans attacking John Kerry's war record are led by veteran right-wing operatives using the same vicious techniques they used against John McCain four years ago." Conason explained that Spaeth (the group's media contact) participated during the 2000 Republican primary contest in TV ads that "falsely attack[ed]" McCain's environmental record in California, New York, and Ohio.

McCain might have been referring as well to attacks on his military record by Ted Sampley and Thomas Burch, both Vietnam veterans, during the 2000 primary season. As Media Matters for America previously reported, Sampley hounded McCain as a "Manchurian Candidate" -- suggesting that the decorated veteran and former prisoner of war was a brainwashed communist agent -- and was convicted for misdemeanor assault related to an attack on one of McCain's legislative aides. Sampley is the leader of a group called Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry. During the 2000 Republican primary in South Carolina, Burch, according to a February 22 report in the Chicago Tribune, "stood with George W. Bush at his side and accused Sen. John McCain of Arizona of opposing health care for Persian Gulf war veterans and blocking efforts to locate POW-MIAs, saying the former prisoner of war "came home from Vietnam and forgot us."

http://mediamatters.org/items/200408050007

[Rohirrim]

I'm sure that Exile will make his way over to this thread to apologize for some of his statements impugning the reputation of an American war hero.

[Spider]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

I'm sure that Exile will make his way over to this thread to apologize for some of his statements impugning the reputation of an American war hero.

, I wouldnt count on it .Exile doesnt care about people who have served in the Armed forces ....... Not untill Bush Bush tells him to do so ........

[RaiderH8r]

They can air their opinion and version of the story just as Michael Moore can. It's all free speech. Where's Kerry's condemnation of Moveon.org's comparison to Hitler? Why isn't he being called on to voice his disfavor over their slanted observation?

[Spider]

Originally Posted by RaiderH8r

They can air their opinion and version of the story just as Michael Moore can. It's all free speech. Where's Kerry's condemnation of Moveon.org's comparison to Hitler? Why isn't he being called on to voice his disfavor over their slanted observation?

, No they flat out lied . I served with John Kerry , they clearly state that .......

[Rascal]

At this point i'm sick and tired of all these attacks by both sides and the hypocrisy spewing from their mouths. Just put them in a room let them fight it out, and whoever wins is the President.

At this point I just don't really give a damn. It makes me sad that this is the state of our nation and how it is tearing us apart. Here we are being attacked from external threats and we are letting our bickering and hatred of other opinions destroy us from within and weaken us to external attacks. This is exactly what happened to the Romans. Don't believe me, try reading a history book.

Have a good weekend and try not to kill somebody from the "other party". This is sickening.

[RaiderH8r]

Originally Posted by §Pide®

, No they flat out lied . I served with John Kerry , they clearly state that .......

Did they say, "I served with John Kerry" or "I was on the same boat with John Kerry all day every day and witnessed everything he did from dinner to dancing". Many people did serve with him, who had contact with him on a regular basis and served in close proximity. Because they didn't hold his pampers doesn't mean they don't have valuable information about him that they feel needs to be discussed in a public forum....which is their fundamental right. Why is it Free Speech only applies to artists and Michael Moore types?

[Taco John]

Wow... This thing is getting real ugly. This Smear Boat thing has blown up in their faces with this admission. You can't have officers backing out of affidavits the day after the campaign gets started. But that's not to say that it hasn't done any damage.

This is what I STILL don't get about this whole thing, and makes it all suspect to me...


- The Swift Boat veterans say that Kerry lied Under oath, and that there were no atrocities or war crimes. As proof, they offer that no commander recorded any.

- The Swift Boat Veterans say that they saw Kerry committing atrocities and war crimes. However, no commander reported this information.

So what gives? I hate to undercut the credibility of a veteran. But this whole thing reaks of politics, and the credibility of these veterans is not holding up to scrutiny.

This sucks.

[Spider]

Originally Posted by RaiderH8r

Did they say, "I served with John Kerry" or "I was on the same boat with John Kerry all day every day and witnessed everything he did from dinner to dancing". Many people did serve with him, who had contact with him on a regular basis and served in close proximity. Because they didn't hold his pampers doesn't mean they don't have valuable information about him that they feel needs to be discussed in a public forum....which is their fundamental right. Why is it Free Speech only applies to artists and Michael Moore types?

Spin ........ Nice try one of the main guys admits he lied , Just admit that it was a gamble and it backfired ......... The others led us to believe they served with Kerry , they didnt say i was in Nam the same time , Nor did they say I was served on a different boat .........
If it isnt that big of a deal , they should have said , I served in the Mekong Delta same time as Kerry on a different boat , and from my Boat we saw things different then Kerry .........

[watermock]

The statement refers to an episode in which Kerry killed a Viet Cong soldier who had been carrying a rocket launcher, part of a chain of events that formed the basis of his Silver Star. Over time, some Kerry critics have questioned whether the soldier posed a danger to Kerry's crew. Crew members have said Kerry's actions saved their lives.

Yesterday, reached at his home, Elliott said he regretted signing the affidavit and said he still thinks Kerry deserved the Silver Star.

I don't think it's a big deal to shoot a retreating enemy in the back, but when was that a silver star?

The guy had an RPG and was running away. You cap Charlie. Why is shooting Charlie in the back a silver star?

My second cousin held down DaNang. They had air drops. open field to retrieve supplies. That's a silver star.

[Mile High Shack]

Personally I don't care either way....I'm sick of hearing about Kerry and 'Nam.

What does his service for 4 months in 'Nam have anything to do with his presidency bid?

answer....nothing.

He shouldn't of tried to wrap himself around his service record to try and show how "tough" he was on defense....when his voting record obviously depicts otherwise.

That's what I'm more concerned about is his senate voting record of being very soft on defense.

[Spider]

Then that means Cheney is also , weak on Defense that is .......

[Exile_In_SJ]

Originally Posted by Mile High Shack

Personally I don't care either way....I'm sick of hearing about Kerry and 'Nam.

What does his service for 4 months in 'Nam have anything to do with his presidency bid?

answer....nothing.

He shouldn't of tried to wrap himself around his service record to try and show how "tough" he was on defense....when his voting record obviously depicts otherwise.

That's what I'm more concerned about is his senate voting record of being very soft on defense.

That's just it, Heinz-Kerry doesn't have anything else to run on, other than he served in Viet Nam.

He seems to think, as do the democrats, that his Viet Nam service qualifies him to be President, yet relly offers no reasons why.

As for the guy retracting what he said, there's still plenty of others to back up what they said.

[Taco John]

Originally Posted by Mile High Shack

He shouldn't of tried to wrap himself around his service record to try and show how "tough" he was on defense....when his voting record obviously depicts otherwise.

I've heard this allegation, but I haven't seen any proof that Kerry is soft on defense. From what I've seen, he's not. At least nat any more than someone like Cheney's record shows. The the propoganda that Kerry is soft on defense keeps getting repeated.

[Taco John]

Originally Posted by Exile_In_SJ

As for the guy retracting what he said, there's still plenty of others to back up what they said.

That's not how credibility works.

[Mile High Shack]

Originally Posted by Taco John

I've heard this allegation, but I haven't seen any proof that Kerry is soft on defense. From what I've seen, he's not. At least nat any more than someone like Cheney's record shows. The the propoganda that Kerry is soft on defense keeps getting repeated.

his voting record is public

check it out....that's when he did vote.

[Exile_In_SJ]

In an interview with one of the swift boat veterans, the veteran said he commanded a swift boat alongside Heinz-Kerrys boat on many missions. That qualifies as serving with him. They didn't say they were on the same boat, after all many of them were boat commanders also.

One of them also said of the rescue, that he was at a higher, better vantage point to see what was going on.

You guys are being disingenuous saying that none of these guys saw anything or didn't serve with Heinz-Kerrry.

[BroncoInferno]

Originally Posted by Exile_In_SJ

In an interview with one of the swift boat veterans, the veteran said he commanded a swift boat alongside Heinz-Kerrys boat on many missions. That qualifies as serving with him. They didn't say they were on the same boat, after all many of them were boat commanders also.

One of them also said of the rescue, that he was at a higher, better vantage point to see what was going on.

You guys are being disingenuous saying that none of these guys saw anything or didn't serve with Heinz-Kerrry.

So all the men that were actually on Kerry's boat who say he saved their lives are liars? The man who says Kerry pulled him out of the water and saved his life is a liar? In the latter case, the man was a life-long republican who is supporting Kerry because of his respect for the man.

[Exile_In_SJ]

ANTI-KERRY VETS HANG TOUGH
Fri Aug 06 2004 13:37:12 ET

The following statement from Swift Boat Veterans for Truth concerns an article appearing in morning edition of the BOSTON GLOBE, written by GLOBE reporter and author of the official Kerry-Edwards campaign book, Mike Kranish.

"Captain George Elliott describes an article appearing in today’s edition of the BOSTON GLOBE by Mike Kranish as extremely inaccurate and highly misstating his actual views. He reaffirms his statement in the current advertisement paid for by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Captain Elliott reaffirms his affidavit in support of that advertisement, and he reaffirms his request that the ad be played.

“Additional documentation will follow.

"The article by Mr. Kranish is particularly surprising given page 102 of Mr. Kranish’s own book quoting John Kerry as acknowledging that he killed a single, wounded, fleeing Viet Cong soldier whom he was afraid would turn around.

"Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has more than 250 supporters who are revealing first hand, eyewitness accounts of numerous incidents concerning John Kerry’s military service record. The organization will continue to discuss much of what John Kerry has reported as fact concerning his four-month tour of duty in Vietnam."

END

[Spider]

Originally Posted by Exile_In_SJ

ANTI-KERRY VETS HANG TOUGH
Fri Aug 06 2004 13:37:12 ET

The following statement from Swift Boat Veterans for Truth concerns an article appearing in morning edition of the BOSTON GLOBE, written by GLOBE reporter and author of the official Kerry-Edwards campaign book, Mike Kranish.

"Captain George Elliott describes an article appearing in today’s edition of the BOSTON GLOBE by Mike Kranish as extremely inaccurate and highly misstating his actual views. He reaffirms his statement in the current advertisement paid for by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Captain Elliott reaffirms his affidavit in support of that advertisement, and he reaffirms his request that the ad be played.

“Additional documentation will follow.

"The article by Mr. Kranish is particularly surprising given page 102 of Mr. Kranish’s own book quoting John Kerry as acknowledging that he killed a single, wounded, fleeing Viet Cong soldier whom he was afraid would turn around.

"Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has more than 250 supporters who are revealing first hand, eyewitness accounts of numerous incidents concerning John Kerry’s military service record. The organization will continue to discuss much of what John Kerry has reported as fact concerning his four-month tour of duty in Vietnam."

END

Got a link ?

[Exile_In_SJ]

And who is this Mike Kranish? He's writing a book on the Kerry-Edwards campaign. He's a paid employee of the Kerry-Edwards campaign.


mmmmm smells pretty fishy. And Mr. Elliot stands by the ad and wants it to be aired.

Sounds like some more dirty tricks by the Dems.

[RaiderH8r]

Originally Posted by §Pide®

Spin ........ Nice try one of the main guys admits he lied , Just admit that it was a gamble and it backfired ......... The others led us to believe they served with Kerry , they didnt say i was in Nam the same time , Nor did they say I was served on a different boat .........
If it isnt that big of a deal , they should have said , I served in the Mekong Delta same time as Kerry on a different boat , and from my Boat we saw things different then Kerry .........

I'm just saying that they have the right to tell their story, they've earned it. Obviously they feel passionately about this.

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by Mile High Shack

his voting record is public

check it out....that's when he did vote.

For every one of the military appropriation and intelligence bills Kerry voted against, I'll show you a dozen Repubs. who joined him in the vote. Even Cheney had to tell the military that the U.S. government wasn't a candy store. It shows fiscal responsibility. Not something this admin. wants to highlight, for sure.

[Spider]

Originally Posted by Exile_In_SJ

And who is this Mike Kranish? He's writing a book on the Kerry-Edwards campaign. He's a paid employee of the Kerry-Edwards campaign.


mmmmm smells pretty fishy. And Mr. Elliot stands by the ad and wants it to be aired.

Sounds like some more dirty tricks by the Dems.

I asked for a Link ....... I would like to see who is reporting this ........
And i am curious about Dr Louis Letson , the Doctor claiming to have treated Kerry , when another Doctors signature is on Kerrys Medical record .....
If you could provide a link to your story it would help ........