Washington Post Exposes More Smear Boat Frags for Bush

[Dick_Tuck]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26519-2004Aug23.html

Buried in this article, I came across the following gems:

McCann said that he tried to stay out of politics but that when he saw that the Swift boat group had identified him on its Web site as being "neutral" on Kerry without asking him, he was furious. Kerry's commendation record "has stood for 35 years and suddenly you've got people coming forward saying, 'Well, I've had second thoughts about this,' " McCann said. "That is dishonoring not only John Kerry, it is dishonoring all veterans."

and

Phil Butler, who spent eight years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, took issue with suggestions by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that Kerry's antiwar protests caused the POWs to be treated badly. "I lived with two of the POWs who are now in that group -- Mr. Courdier and Mr. Gallanti -- and I am telling you, they are full of it. We never heard a blooming thing about John Kerry while we were there," said Butler, who contacted the campaign months ago to support Kerry and only recently heard back from Kerry's veterans coordinator, John Hurley.

Butler said that while he was tortured and mistreated until 1969, by the time Kerry was protesting the war and speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee in 1971, the POWs were better treated.

[Frances]

1. If we had the fairness doctrine

would the media have to give equal time to the servicemen who were actually on Kerry's boat

Think about it--the Swift Boat liars got hours of free publicity from TV. I have yet to see one of the men who was with Kerry interviewed on TV. Did I miss something?

[Dick_Tuck]

2. I think the media has done a pretty good job giving equal time...

Except for FOX of course. The rest of them get Rassmen to say once again, what happened when Kerry saved his life. I just came across this other article in USA today, which is more up front about these vets saying that the Smear Boat Frags for Bush are full of crap.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-08-23-bush-ads_x.htm

I like this passage:

McCann said that he had admired many of the Swift Boat Veterans group's members for 35 years. But their actions now are "suddenly breaking the bonds of our brotherhood," he said.