Sunday, February 06, 2005
John Kerry will sign Form 180 - will Bush/SBVFT?
This is a lengthy interview with John Kerry, discussing some of the mistakes he made during his campaign and what he learned from the experience. One of the things that make me angriest about the 2004 campaign was the hypocritical and cynical way in which Republicans embraced the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth group. Perhaps the most visually disgusting memory of the GOP convention was the purple heart bandaids that delegates enthusiastically sported around the floor.Kerry now pledges to sign the Form 180 - and asks whether Bush and the SB liars will do the same. I think it is obvious that they won't - their protestations that they were only going after Kerry because of Vietnam and not for political gain was already torn to shreds the moment that it became clear that Jerome Corsi, the co-author the SB liars' book "Unfit for Command", intends to move to Massachusetts and challenge Kerry for his Senate seat:
WASHINGTON -- The co-author of the Swift Boat veteran's book that was critical of Sen. John Kerry's Vietnam service may challenge the Bay State's junior senator.
Jerome Corsi told the Boston Herald he plans to move to Massachusetts this year so that he can run against Kerry in 2008. Corsi lives in New Jersey, but the 58-year-old businessman said he wants to establish residency in Boston this spring.
He said his first choice is to run as a Republican. However if he can't get GOP backing, he will run as an independent.
Corsi is co-author of "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry."
And Kerry's primary critic from the group, John O'Neil, was originally recruited by Nixon to take Kerry down for his work in the Veterans Against the War group. So the political ties of these smear artists are well-established. Why would they bother to sign Form 180? It would only be more damage to their burgeoning Republican careers.
from the Globe article:
The furor over military credentials hasn't ended with the campaign. Kerry pledged to sign Form 180, releasing all of his military records, but challenged his critics, including Bush, to do the same.
''I want them to sign it, I want [swift boat veterans] John O'Neill, Roy Hoffmann, and what's their names, the guys on the other boat," Kerry said. ''I want their records out there. They have made specific allegations about my record, I know things about their records, I want them out there. I'm willing to sign it, to put all my records out there. I'm willing to sign it, but I want them to sign it, too."
Kerry later confirmed that his decision to sign the form is not conditional on any others signing, but he expressed lingering bitterness over double standards on military service.
''Let me make this clear: My full military record has been made public," Kerry said. ''All of my medical records and all of my fitness reports, every fitness report involving each place I served, is public. Where are George Bush's still? Where are his military records? End of issue."
To make it clear, Bush has released some records, but not all of them - and Bush certainly hasn't signed Form 180 (and never will). The document dumps during the 2004 campaign were of selected records only and there are still many holes.
It seems most probable that Bush was discharged for drug usage from the Air National Guard, a position he had obtained through political favoritism via his father. He went AWOL to work on a political campaign in Alabama rather than report to duty.
I look forward to Kerry entering the primaries in 2008, even though I presently favor Hillary Clinton. The reason is that - IF Kerry has signed the bloody 180 by then - it will become a talking point and Bush's service, and the hypocrisy of the Swift Liars, will again be a subject of debate. Obviously Bush won't be running in 2008, but any chance at rectifying this injustice to a great patriot is one that should be embraced. I hope Kerry runs in 2008 for that reason alone.
posted by Aziz P. | 6:00 AM