hey i have seen john o'neill (sp?) of the swift boat vets several times including the entire chris matthews engagement thursday night. i appreciate o'neill wrote the book, but o'neill is not (at this time) an effective speaker for the swift boat veterans for several reasons. the first flaw is that HE WAS NOT THERE when any of the actions he describes happened. that makes any interviewer first question o'neill's credibility, and after that time is usually up and the interview over. o'neill must have some of the commanders or some of the other 200+ swift boat guys, who were There at the various incidents, next to him so they can speak of what they saw/heard. if o'neill has not gotten professional interview advisors, he should immediately. if he has had pro interview advisors, he should dump them immediatly and get others that understand how to prove a case. i have not read o'neill's book, and i have not ordered it either.
i feel sure some reporters are digging in on this broad story, but here are some questions i have had since i heard about the thing.
what was rasmann's job in the special forces? can't they find some special forces guys who knew rasmann very well? what was rasman's mission on whoever's swift boat he was on, i.e., what was he doing on a swift boat that day anyway? where are some old special forces guys who knew what rasmann's normal job in special forces was -- and are willing to talk? i read a speculation he might have been awol, but i did not understand why.
i have heard steven gardner, who was apparently There, talk on some radio program talking about kerry getting hit with rice in the butt from some grenade, and a purple heart being granted for that wound. if that is true, i have not seen a gardner interview on tv where he makes that allegation. that sounds pretty powerful, and i don't think all reporters would shy away from a good story like that.
if the boston whaler (shallow draft) boat purple heart story has the now-former rear admiral involved (i don't remember his name -- perhaps schakte?), why would schakte fail to come forward (live) in support of o'neill's claims. i read a story somewhere that kerry launched a grenade or a flare or something, and they were too close to shore and the thing ricocheted a tiny piece of shrapnel into kerry. i read schakte bitched all over kerry for that move. this sounded pretty powerful, but i don't see this being discussed on tv. if schakte was There, why not tell the story in his own words on tv or phone it in on live tv? i Understand that schakte was not in the boston whaler with kerry, but he was right beside him in another boston whaler and schakte was the commander of that mission. if schakte was willing to relate the story, i don't understand why he is not coming forward.
o'neill tells of the other boats that were in the area when the mine blew up and all aboard were thrown in the water. o'neill was not There, and i cannot believe he could not find any of the other boat commanders or crew who were There who could come on tv with him to give credibility to the book's version of the situation. why? don't they see that until they do, o'neill is left twisting in the wind with a he-said/she-said story? o'neill must realize that his credibility is going to be challenged each time if he does not have someone who was There back up his version.
i find it very strange that the crew that was on kerry's boat when the mine blew up are not (allowed?) stepping forward to clear this incident up by detailing what they saw and heard. as i understand it so far just rasmann has given his details in a wall street journal article. (by the way i can't believe there seems to be some confusion about whose boat rasmann was on.)
i find it hard to understand why some reporters are not asking questions and demanding that kerry sign a form 180 to release his complete military paperwork/records. there seems to be no drumbeat for this.
i am very cynical about all politicians (and most people who want power). when there is this much non-talking, non-explanation and non-transparancy out of the kerry camp concerning these serious allegations by the swift boat vets, there is a good chance there is more than is being told. if the swift boat vets are trying to make their info credible in this climate, they are going to have to come forward and be willing to speak along side o'neill. they were There, and o'neill was not There when these incidents happened. it seems to me some eye witnesses are going to have to "take the stand" on tv, or this will flounder. |
