McCain Busts Phony Vets Vs. Kerry leader/conman:
McCain defends Kerry, calls detractor 'dispicable'
By Michael Janofsky
The New York Times
WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain defended a fellow Vietnam War veteran Friday by attacking the credibility of a North Carolina veteran who has dedicated himself to defeating Sen. John Kerry in his presidential campaign.
McCain, R-Ariz., called Ted Sampley "one of the most despicable people I have ever had the misfortune to encounter."
Sampley, a businessman from Kinston, N.C., has gained attention for operating a Web site devoted to attacking Kerry for his opposition to the war in Vietnam after his military service.
The Web site, www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnkerry.com, includes pictures from the 1970s showing Kerry at anti-war protests.
One shows Kerry at a rally, sitting several rows behind Jane Fonda, who was so outspoken against the war that she was labeled a communist by her political opponents.
Responding to McCain's remarks, Sampley said in a telephone interview: "It's not the first time he said that. ... It's unbecoming of a senator to say things like that, but I'm fair game just like he is."
In 1993, Sampley was convicted of misdemeanor assault and sentenced to 180 days' probation for attacking a legislative aide to McCain.
Sampley has been criticizing Kerry for much the same reason he made McCain a target for years: Neither man, Sampley contends, has done enough to investigate his assertion that U.S. servicemen were left behind in Vietnam after the war.
In defending Kerry, McCain said of Sampley: "I consider him a fraud who preys on the hopes of family members of missing servicemen for his own profit. ... He does not speak for or represent the views of all but a few veterans."
Also in recent days, a picture showing Kerry standing at a podium with Fonda has circulated on the Internet. But the picture has proved to be a hoax, according to Corbis, the photo agency that owns the original. In the original photo, Kerry is alone at the podium. |
