John O'Neil Lands a Blow
>> Friday, August 27, 2004
John O'Neil's letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal.
Are we controlled by the Bush-Cheney campaign? Absolutely not. The Swift boat veterans who joined our group come in all political flavors: independents, Republicans, Democrats and other more subtle variations. Had another person been the presidential candidate of the Democrats, our group never would have formed. Had Mr. Kerry been the Republican candidate, each of us would still be here.
Snip
Why have we come forward? As explained in "Unfit For Command," Mr. Kerry grossly exaggerated and lied about his abbreviated four-month tour in Vietnam. He disgraced all legitimate Vietnam War heroes when he falsely testified to Congress that we were war criminals, daily engaged in atrocities that had the full approval of all levels in the chain of command. So, once Mr. Kerry decided to apply for the commander in chief's job with a war-hero résumé, we felt compelled to come forward to explain why he is "unfit for command."
We have faced assaults on our character, motives, personal backgrounds and honesty. We are told that Mr. Kerry's camp has prepared attack dossiers on the members of our organization. I have been charged with being a Republican shill. But for more than 30 years, I have been non-political, and have voted for as many Democrats as Republicans. In truth, I consider myself a political independent, regardless of how John Kerry and his supporters try to characterize me.
The Kerry-Edwards camp has threatened TV stations with libel suits should they choose to run our ads. Mr. Kerry has filed a complaint with the FEC, seeking to silence us.
How many different ways will John Kerry devise to ask President Bush to condemn our ads and squash our book? Why, Mr. Kerry, are our charges as a 527 group unacceptable to you, while the pronouncements from 527 groups favorable to you are considered acceptable, regardless of stridency and veracity? And we do not have a George Soros, willing to drop millions into our modest group. We control our message. To date, we have received $2 million from 30,000 Americans who have donated an average of around $64.
Mr. Kerry, we ask you not to repeat the same mistake you made when you returned from war: Please stop maligning your fellow veterans. Dealing with us should be easy. Just answer our charges. Produce your Vietnam journal and notes, and execute Standard Form 180 so the American people can see your complete military record--not just the few forms you put on your website or show to campaign biographers.
Sure makes Kerry look unfit. And it's all his own doing.
4 comments:
My comment on OpinionJournalI've watched John O'Neil on several debate shows, have read "Unfit for Command" and now this letter. The SwiftVets make Kerry look foolish merely by standing up. The DNC and Kerry campaign cannot compete with O'Neil's calm and factual presentation. Not only has Kerry yet to refute a single thing the SwiftVets are saying, other than "They are lying!", his campaign has been forced say that he didn't spend "Christmas in Cambodia" and "maybe the first PH was not awarded properly". Taken along with every other statement Kerry has made publicly, I consider Kerry to be an amoral braggart with no consideration for others or the wellbeing of this country.
The determining factor for me, however, is the fact that Kerry help the US lose the "police action" in Vietnam with his anti-war statements and lies in front of a Senate committee. Even though both Johnson and Nixon wouldn’t strike the knockout blow to North Vietnam, we were winning. The Viet Cong were wiped out with Tet I in rather dramatic fashion. Giap’s book states that they were ready to sue for peace except for the anti-warriors in the US. I include Walter Cronkite here (we WON Tet Walt!). The NVA then shifted tactics in collusion with communist supported organizations here in the states. We know the rest of the story. Though Kerry isn’t responsible for the entire movement, he knowingly provided a key link in the chain of events leading to millions of dead South Vietnamese and communists taking over one more country.
I am a 36 year old Desert Storm vet and I, and my band of brothers, are voting for Bush/Cheney.
David Limbaugh (yes, brother of Rush)
The scorecard: Swiftees vs. Kerry
Oliver North, Bring it on, John
I believe John Kerry underestimated the American people's ability to think for themselves. When Kerry made his political bed as a "Vietnam Hero" he did not expect the people to require proof. Unfortunately, John Kerry is also a lawyer and the only way he knows to dig himself out of this mess is to sue. So what we have, instead of an election race of intelligent, well thought out debate is a campaign of finger pointing. Though proof to back up Kerry's "facts" would be easily produced by his campaign I don't believe it will happen, which is a shame as I, and I am willing to bet many people out there feel the same way, have grown weary of the whining.
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