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| Home Front: Politix |
| Kerry ’Unfit to be Commander-in-Chief’, Say Former Military Colleagues |
| 2004-05-03 |
| EFL - Caught via Polipundit CNSNews.com) - Hundreds of former commanders and military colleagues of presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry are set to declare in a signed letter that he is "unfit to be commander-in-chief." They will do so at a press conference in Washington on Tuesday. be sure to watch ABCCBSPBSCNNNBC - they won’t cover this.... "What is going to happen on Tuesday is an event that is really historical in dimension," John O’Neill, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy as a PCF (Patrol Craft Fast) boat commander, told CNSNews.com . The event, which is expected to draw about 25 of the letter-signers, is being organized by a newly formed group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. "We have 19 of 23 officers who served with [Kerry]. We have every commanding officer he ever had in Vietnam. They all signed a letter that says he is unfit to be commander-in-chief," O’Neill said. O’Neill, currently a Houston, Texas, based attorney, is no stranger to Kerry. O’Neill served in the same naval unit as Kerry and commanded Kerry’s swift boat after Kerry returned to the United States. Kerry’s command of the PCF boat lasted four months and ended shortly after he received his third Purple Heart. According to naval regulations at the time, any soldier who received three Purple Hearts could request a transfer out of the combat zone. Kerry and O’Neill engaged in a nationally televised debate in 1971 on The Dick Cavett Show over Kerry’s allegations that many Vietnam soldiers had routinely engaged in atrocities such as raping and cutting off ears and heads of Vietnamese soldiers and citizens. Kerry was the then spokesman for the anti-war group Vietnam Veterans Against the War. "We are going to be presenting a letter that deals with Kerry’s unfitness to be commander and chief that has been signed by hundreds of swift boat sailors, including most of those who served with Kerry," O’Neill explained. "The ranks of the people signing [the letter] range from admiral down to seaman, and they run across the entire spectrum of politics, specialties, and political feelings about the Vietnam War," he added. Among those scheduled to attend the event at the National Press Club and declare Kerry unfit for the role of commander-in-chief are retired Naval Rear Admiral Roy Hoffman, who was the commander of the Navy Coastal Surveillance Force, which included the swift boats on which Kerry served. Also scheduled to be present at the event is Kerry’s former commanding officer, Lt. Commander Grant Hibbard. Hibbard recently questioned whether Kerry deserved the first of his three Purple Hearts that he received in Vietnam. Hibbard doubted both the severity of the wound and whether it resulted from enemy fire. "I’ve had thorns from a rose that were worse" than Kerry’s wound for which he received a Purple Heart, Hibbard told the Boston Globe in April. |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #14 I have yet to see a single "mainstream media" report on today's press conference. |
| Posted by: Cabal of Yahoos, Colorado Chapter 2004-05-04 6:21:23 PM |
| #13 CS. I'm sure the media will find a Kerry-supporting Vet no matter how may weeks they have to spend searching..... ...then write their stories as if this one individual 'represents' all vets..... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-05-03 5:16:35 PM |
| #12 I don't think so Steve. Pretty soon they are going to ask a Veteran wether they will vote for Kerry and I bet there are not too many in favor of him. I know and work with a lot of Veterans groups in California and I have yet to see ONE Kerry sticker or have someone praise him. We are going to be heard sometime and maybe this will spark that fire. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2004-05-03 3:30:17 PM |
| #11 LotR, that's what I was afraid of. It's going to be very easy for ABCCBSCNNNBC to dismiss this as just partisan sniping, though that didn't seem to stop them on the Bush AWOL bruhaha. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2004-05-03 2:47:08 PM |
| #10 It was on Polipundit "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is a "527" group." |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2004-05-03 1:49:45 PM |
| #9 They all suck...but who do you like? Hitlery Clinton? |
| Posted by: Jen 2004-05-03 1:48:44 PM |
| #8 If this was a partisan torpedo, wouldn't it have made sense to hold on till Kerry's the Democrats' confirmed candidate? AFAIU, they've still got time to change this dud for someone else. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2004-05-03 1:46:29 PM |
| #7 Steve - I think I read on another site this morning (can't remember which one, polipundit maybe) that this group is a 527. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2004-05-03 1:41:51 PM |
| #6 Just make darned sure that a Republican '527' isn't behind this. Public figured out rather quickly that the Bush AWOL story was being pushed by moveon.org, etc., and turned away from it. If the Repubs are returning the favor the message will be lost. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2004-05-03 1:36:30 PM |
| #5 I bet we find out a lot more about that Silver Star and it aint going to look good at all. Something, no EVERYTHING about this man doesn't feel right. Maybe after the convention we will see some more 'war stories' with his peers. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2004-05-03 1:13:49 PM |
| #4 Matt, LOL. Ain't it the truth? |
| Posted by: Mr. Davis 2004-05-03 12:34:21 PM |
| #3 I takes a really special kind of politician to convert winning the Silver Star into a campaign liability. |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-05-03 11:58:09 AM |
| #2 "We have 19 of 23 officers who served with [Kerry]. We have every commanding officer he ever had in Vietnam. They all signed a letter that says he is unfit to be commander-in-chief," O’Neill said Yeah - And Kerry says this is irrevalent, and his lapdogs at the cabal (CNN-CBS-ABC-NBC) lick his face and wag their tails. 83% of the officers who served with Kerry. "It's a VAST right-wing CONSPIRACY!" |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-05-03 11:57:01 AM |
| #1 I'll be watching Fox cuz they'll cover it - Fair & Balanced. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-05-03 10:46:51 AM |