Critical "Swift Boat Veteran" Retracts Charges Against Kerry

[PeachMonkey]

However, later on, they move away from COBOL, and he decides not maintain his COBOL certification, since he's not going to be using COBOL in the future anyway.

The biggest flaw in this particularly childish scenario is that there is no Universal Code of Software Justice that claims that you must obey the orders of your corporate higher-ups or you are in Dereliction of Duty, a *criminal offense*.

But, go on comparing apples and oranges, if it makes you feel better -- it seems to be the basis for your party's desperate attempts to distract the public from the flaws, failures, and criminal acts of its candidates.

 

[Flatlander]

This just in!

We will soon know more about the president's history with the Air National Guard. A federal judge has ordered the Pentagon to release some of his files on Monday. The move comes in the middle of the controversy over a "60 Minutes" story on the same topic.

We shall have more answers soon....

 

[michaeledward]

Gee Flatlander ... how can we be learning more about this now? How can a judge order more items released? I thought the President released all these documents before .... Now let's see ... where might I have heard that ...

Oh, Yeah ... from the 'So Called Liberal Media"

“MEET THE PRESS WITH TIM RUSSERT”

INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH - THE OVAL OFFICE, FEBRUARY 7, 2004

BROADCAST ON NBC’S “MEET THE PRESS”

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2004 - PLEASE CREDIT ANY EXCERPTS TO NBC’S “MEET THE PRESS”

Russert: When allegations were made about John McCain or Wesley Clark on their military records, they opened up their entire files. Would you agree to do that?

President Bush: Yeah. Listen, these files — I mean, people have been looking for these files for a long period of time, trust me, and starting in the 1994 campaign for governor. And I can assure you in the year 2000 people were looking for those files as well. Probably you were. And — absolutely. I mean, I —

Russert: But you would allow pay stubs, tax records, anything to show that you were serving during that period?

President Bush: Yeah. If we still have them, but I — you know, the records are kept in Colorado, as I understand, and they scoured the records.

And I'm just telling you, I did my duty, and it's politics, you know, to kind of ascribe all kinds of motives to me. But I have been through it before. I'm used to it. What I don't like is when people say serving in the Guard is — is — may not be a true service.

Russert: But you authorize the release of everything to settle this?

President Bush: Yes, absolutely.

We did so in 2000, by the way.

 

[michaeledward]

This just in!

We shall have more answers soon....

Also, did you see the news about Congressman Bush writing letters to the Military as his son was first getting into the Texas Air National Guard?

I have to imagine that this batch of documents was released to pre-empt the judges ruling. And Rove is really good at releasing these documents on Friday nights, and Holiday weekends.

We'll see how it plays out.

 

[Flatlander]

Mike? It kinda reads like you're yelling at me. Don't shoot the messenger. I'm just sharing what I find that might be relevant to the topic. Any position that I have on either candidate is a moot point. I don't get to vote (against Bush).

 

[michaeledward]

Mike? It kinda reads like you're yelling at me. Don't shoot the messenger. I'm just sharing what I find that might be relevant to the topic. Any position that I have on either candidate is a moot point. I don't get to vote (against Bush).

No, of course I'm not yelling at you. It was meant to sound sarcastic, because, as YOU know (and I know that you know), Bush had promised to release all his military records .... and .... Kerry is getting attacked about his military records. Isn't this the point where Robert usually steps in, and reminds us that one of the two got shot at with real bullets in Indo-China

Although I am frustrated in general at those who support Bush despite these obvious diversions. And I am frustrated at those who are raising a stink about the CBS news story (alleged forgeries), but not calling Russert on the fact that these documents weren't released. So, that is perhaps why the tone seems negative.

Oh, Well.

No harm meant, certainly not at you. Sorry.

Mike

 

[Flatlander]

Cool.

 

[rmcrobertson]

Hey, let's try this aspect of What We Know For Sure:

1960s: John Kerry; wealthy kid, went to college, went to Vietnam.
Geo. Bush: extremely wealthy kid, went to Yale, went to ANG. Partied.

1970s: John Kerry; came home, joined VVAW, became county prosecutor.
Geo. Bush: attended Harvard Business School, started 3 failed
businesses. Partied.

1980s: John Kerry; elected Lieutenant Governor. remarried. El. Senator.
Geo. Bush: borrowed money from friends of dad and granddad,
invested the 600 K in deal to buy texas rangers; made 14.2 million.
DUI arrest. Widespread rumors of drug use. Conversion experience,
1987.

1990s: John Kerry: US Senator. Raised daughters with wealthy wife.
Geo. Bush: Elected Governor of Texas.

2000s: John Kerry; ran for Prez, 2004.
Geo Bush: elected President, Electoral College majority, popular
minority. Fishy Court decision decides election. Nation attacked.
Invasion of Afghanistan. Invasion of Iraq. Trillion-dollar tax cut for
wealthiest Americans. National debt goes from surplus to 500
billion deficit.

So before you start ranting--which item on the list is wrong?

 

[michaeledward]

And this just in. Took long enough.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/18/kerry.medals.ap/index.html

Navy: Kerry medals approved properly
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Navy's chief investigator concluded Friday that procedures were followed properly in the approval of Sen. John Kerry's Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals, according to an internal Navy memo.

Vice Adm. R.A. Route, the Navy inspector general, conducted the review of Kerry's Vietnam-ear military service awards at the request of Judicial Watch, a public interest group. The group has also asked for the release of additional records documenting the Democratic presidential candidate's military service.

Judicial Watch had requested in August that the Navy open an investigation of the matter, but Route said in an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press that he saw no reason for a full-scale probe.

"Our examination found that existing documentation regarding the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals indicates the awards approval process was properly followed," Route wrote in the memo sent Friday to Navy Secretary Gordon England.

"In particular, the senior officers who awarded the medals were properly delegated authority to do so. In addition, we found that they correctly followed the procedures in place at the time for approving these awards."

Some veterans have challenged Kerry's version of the circumstances surrounding the incident that led to his Silver Star award for battlefield heroism, as well as his three Purple Heart medals.

The Silver Star was awarded for his actions in pursuit of enemy forces while commander of swift boat unit PCF-94 in Vietnam in February 1969.

Judicial Watch also asked the Navy inspector general to investigate Kerry's anti-war activities after he returned from Vietnam and left active duty.

The group's president, Tom Fitton, called Route's review a "whitewash" and said Judicial Watch would "appeal as appropriate."

"The Navy IG obviously is afraid of the political ramifications of a thorough investigation into a presidential candidate's service record," Fitton said in a statement.

Route concluded that there was no justification for looking further into the decisions to award the medals or the anti-war activities.

"Conducting any additional review regarding events that took place over 30 years ago would not be productive," he wrote. "The passage of time would make reconstruction of the facts and circumstances unreliable, and would not allow the information gathered to be considered in the context of the time in which the events took place.

"Our review also considered the fact that Senator Kerry's post-active duty activities were public and that military and civilian officials were aware of his actions at the time. For these reasons, I have determined that Senator Kerry's awards were properly approved and will take no further action in this matter."

 

[rmcrobertson]

As for "Judicial Watch," I just got this from disinfopedia.com--which looks like a pretty good resource. When you follow the money on these guys, guess where it comes from...

"In 2002, Judicial Watch received $1.1 million from The Cathage Foundation and a further $400,000 from the Sarah Scaife Foundation. The year before the Scaife Foundation had given $1.35 million and Carthage $500,000.

In all, between 1997 and 2002 Judicial Watch received $7,069,500 (unadjusted for inflation) in 19 grants from a handful of foundations...The bulk of this funding came from just three foundations – the Sarah Scaife Foundation, The Carthage Foundation and the John M. Olin Foundation, Inc."

Scaife...Scaife...now where have I run into that name before? Oh, yes....imagine my surprise.

The great part is that the report won't even slow down the hue and cry. I particularly loved the assertion that with a Republican President, Congress, and Senate there was a political downside to turning out an honest report that exposed some lie in John Kerry's war record...beautiful, and exactly the sort of crap these clowns have been pulling all along.

Even better is the claim--one echoed by Hizzoner--to be jes' plain folks, taking on Big Government and Evil Corporations on behalf of the Little Guy, that you see running throughout these groups. Of course these are extremely well-funded interest groups with serious corporate sponsorship, led by people who wouldn't piss on a working man if he were on fire. But then, the President himself is a child of an extraordinarily wealthy and powerful family that got him into Yale through a "legacy" program (translation--affirmative action for rich white guys; young George didn't have the grades or the record...hey, that sounds familiar somehow) and then went on to Harvard B-school, and subsequently managed to convince a lotta voters that he was just down-home working folks.

Oh well. Won't matter. It'd be nice if at least folks said something like, "Well, Bush is a rich, kinda cheesy guy who may be really screwing us up, but I think he's right about the wars and I just don't like Kerry." I guess, though, that the hoorawing is so thick that reality just can't be allowed to interfere in even the tiniest way.


* Larry Klayman, Chairman and General Counsel

 

[michaeledward]

You know, I, too, took a look at the Judicial Watch web site. I found it very interesting because of the juxtaposition of these two observations:

1) "As a non-partisan, non-profit foundation ... "

2 a) Number of times Kerry mentioned on the 'Home Page' = 12
2 b) Number of times Clinton mentioned on the 'Home Page' = 2
2 c) Number of times Bush is mentioned on the 'Home Page' = 0

14 mentions of the Democrats ... 0 mentions of the Current Administration


What is even more fun is looking at the Judicial Watch Cases. The dates and names all look very familiar. They mostly seem to be from the Clinton administration.

 

[michaeledward]

When was that interview with Little Russ that the President said that he would release ALL of his national guard records .... and that they were ALL released 4 years ago ????


But today ... we find this ...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002045827_cdig25.html

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon released 10 pages of records from President Bush's Vietnam-era service in the Texas Air National Guard late yesterday, but the files shed no new light on his military career.


The records include several that had been released previously and others that are administrative files or cover letters to other previously released documents.

The Defense Department released the records in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by The Associated Press. Yesterday was the court-ordered deadline. The release marked the second Friday in a row that the Defense Department has released more of Bush's Guard files. The White House has said repeatedly that all records have been released.

 

[Tkang_TKD]

And the hits just keep on coming....Another Swift Boat Liar bites the dust:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/109611388371980.xml

How come we can find half a dozen guys to lie about Senator Kerry's war record, but we can't find one person to verify they saw President Bush in Alabama? I think at one point the author of Doonsberry even offered up 10 grand for anyone with verifiable proof that they served with the President in the Alabama guard.

 

[michaeledward]

Sam Fox, a Texan, donated $50,000.00 to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

Seems to me, the President had assured us that he had no connection with the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

During the Easter Break, President "No connections" appointed Mr. Fox to a U.S. Ambassadorship; bypassing the 'Advice and Consent of the Senate, as prescribed in the United States Constitution.

Under current law, President Bush has the authority to make recess appointments. Although tradition has been that such appointments only occur when the Senate had been in recess for more than 10 days. Further, such recess appointments are not supposed to receive a salary drawn from the United States Treasury. (Ambassadors earn between $145,000 and $154,000 +/- annually). The Department of State has not indicated that it will follow these rules for Abassador Swift Boat Fox.

 

[crushing]

Are you sure you don't have your own connections to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth? Someone you know may have donated.

I contribute to some organizations. Does that mean that everyone that knows me has connections to those same organizations?

 

[michaeledward]

Are you sure you don't have your own connections to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth? Someone you know may have donated.

I contribute to some organizations. Does that mean that everyone that knows me has connections to those same organizations?

The position you posit here is not the argument being made.

Mr. Fox is not accused of 'knowing' someone who contributed to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Mr. Fox donated $50,000.00 to the organization that published lies about the Presidential Candidate that opposed President Bush's re-election.

And in return for that little investment, he gets an Ambassadorship; through a recess appointment, because he would not muster the Constitutionally required 'Advice and Consent' of the United States Senate.

 

[crushing]

Sam Fox, a Texan, donated $50,000.00 to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

Seems to me, the President had assured us that he had no connection with the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

I thought the ambiguous 'he' referred to the President. Based on your most recent comment I can only assume you meant Mr. Fox.

 

[michaeledward]

I thought the ambiguous 'he' referred to the President. Based on your most recent comment I can only assume you meant Mr. Fox.

You are correct ... in that post, I was referring to the President.

President Bush assured us that he (the President) had no ties to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. He does now, doesn't he?

Nice little reward for a fellow Texan paying for ad hominem attacks against your campaign competitor, eh?

 

[Blotan Hunka]

Put a fork in this thread, its done.