Let’s play my favorite game and pretend it’s the 90s. Imagine, if you will, that a Democrat running for president who avoided going to Vietnam refused to disavow misleading advertisements produced by an Arkansas front group with deep roots in the Democratic party that called into question the military service of his opponent, a Republican war hero. Sounds probable, right?
Bill Keller’s lax with the facts NYTimes has more or less redeemed itself in the eye of this Hurricane with this definitive exposé of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth organization that has questioned the honor of John Kerry. And by “Truth,” we are to assume they mean totally baseless, politically-driven, Republican-funded, shameless lies.
The reversals of the principal veterans featured in the ad are truly stunning.
Roy F. Hoffman in the ad: “John Kerry has not been honest"
Roy F. Hoffman in 2003: John Kerry’s actions “took guts, and I admire that.”
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Adrian L. Lonsdale in the ad: “He lacks the capacity to lead”
Adrian L. Lonsdale in 1996: Speaking of the “bravado and courage” of the Swift boat officers, “Senator Kerry was no exception. He was among the finest of those Swift boat drivers.”
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George Elliott in the ad: “John Kerry has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam”
George Elliott in 1996: “The fact that [Kerry] chased an armed enemy down is not something to be looked down upon, but it was an act of courage. And the whole outfit served with honor.”
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Bush and his asswiper-in-chief Scott McClellan still refuse to repudiate the ad. Instead they believe the real problem is 527s and unregulated soft money. Oh, W. Maybe they believe the effort to denounce this shameful project is just another coordinated left-wing conspiracy. Here’s what the loony lefties are saying about the ad:
John McCain: “Dishonest & Dishonorable”General Tommy Franks: “Vitriolic” & “Hyperbole”Pat Buchanan: “Wrong” & “Unsubstantiated”Nebraska GOP Governor Mike Johanns: “Trash”Bill Kristol: “Ridiculous”Rudy Giuliani: “Wrong” to Attack Kerry Like This