August 21, 2004

Eyewitness news, c. 1969

The Swift Boat Vets story just keeps bringing out the truth, but not in the way they wish. Here's an eyewitness account of what really happened that day in Vietnam, from a man who was there and is now an editor for the Chicago Tribune. (Reg. Req.) It completely refutes John O'Neill's story.

But Kerry's critics, armed with stories I know to be untrue, have charged that the accounts of what happened were overblown. The critics have taken pains to say they're not trying to cast doubts on the merit of what others did, but their version of events has splashed doubt on all of us. It's gotten harder and harder for those of us who were there to listen to accounts we know to be untrue, especially when they come from people who were not there.

Here's some background from the Tribune.

The Bush campaign has denied any association with the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth but so far has refused to condemn the book and the group's TV ads. A report in Friday's New York Times disclosed connections between the anti-Kerry vets and the Bush family, Bush's chief political aide Karl Rove and several high-ranking Texas Republicans. Some of the recent accounts from veterans critical of Kerry have been contradicted by their own earlier statements, the Times reported.

Rood's account also sharply contradicts the version currently put forth by the anti-Kerry veterans. Rood, 61, wrote that Kerry had personally contacted him and other crew members in recent days asking that they go public with their accounts of what happened on that day.

Knowing past patterns of Bush campaigns (see McCain in 2000 and Dukakis in 1988) I don't expect this to stop, but as more facts come out, it may generate a backlash. It should.

Update: Kevin Drum has a partial list of self-contradicting statements made by some of the Swift Vets here. As Kevin says, why would one believe a word any of these guys says?

Posted by Linkmeister at August 21, 2004 02:23 PM
Comments

yes. yes it should.

Posted by: shelley at August 21, 2004 05:24 PM