AWOL Bush also Smeared McCain's War Record Using Surrogates:
During the 2000 Republican Presidential primaries, John McCain’s service during Vietnam was questioned. The assault on the former Prisoner of War and current Senator’s service to country was vile, mean spirited and lacking in fact or evidence. Then there were the reprehensible television ads that called into question Max Cleland’s Patriotism. Cleland left a few of his limbs on the battlefield of Vietnam, as testament to his Patriotism but it didn’t matter to those wanting to win elections without regard to honor or honesty. Now, of course we have yet another nefarious allegation concerning Senator John Kerry’s service in Vietnam.
The Bush administration feigned innocence in all three instances but it is beginning to defy both deductive and intuitive reasoning. There have after all been only two other people and one institution in the political kitchens of the three Vietnam Veterans in question – George W. Bush, Karl Rove and the Republican Party. Apparently, service to your country is only Patriotic when you swear allegiance to Rove and the Republicans. Nonetheless, we do see a pattern emerging here.
The pattern is this. Twice Bush has stood in election against Vietnam Era Veterans and in both instances there were a sudden onslaught of people willing, like so many cockroaches to crawl out from under the Republican cupboards and scurry about slinging wild accusations concerning the opposition. Max Cleland’s mistake was being a Democrat running against a Republican, while Bush and Rove were selling their souls to the devil in order to control all branches of government.
Fortunately, this time ‘round we are able to shine a bit of light on some of the roaches before they can take cover. Let us start with John O’Neil. O’Neil caught the eye of Richard M. Nixon in 1971, when he began to speak out against Kerry’s assertions that the policy of the United States, in Vietnam violated the Geneva Conventions. The policies included Free Fire Zones, whereby any Vietnamese within a specific area were considered combatants and were fired on. Another policy of the United States government that Kerry referenced in his post war comments was Search and Destroy Missions. The most famous of these Search and Destroy Missions, was carried out in the village of Mai Lai and was conducted on March 16, 1968 by Charlie Company, Eleventh Brigade. More than 300 unarmed people were killed including women, children and elderly.
John O’Neil would have the world believe that Vietnam, even with the benefit of hindsight was a just and honorable war. The rationale for the war was that if Vietnam fell to communism, the whole of Asia would soon follow. Something we know now was not the case. O’Neil too would prefer that the unseemly aspects of the Vietnam war, like My Lai not be discussed. In 1971, prior to his debate with John Kerry on the Dick Cavett Show, John O’Neil was motivated by the administration of the only President of the United States to resign in dishonor – Richard M. Nixon.
One thing has been consistent from that day to this, as it pertains to John O’Neil. He has never been mature enough to accept that in a big wide world there are those who do not see life through the same rose colored glasses as he. For nearly 35 years, O’Neil has nurtured his anger and resentment toward John Kerry. More than any other facts, this petty bitterness, so long fostered by John O’Neil and his undying allegiance to the disgraced Nixon, says more about his character than any failure or accomplishments he may have managed during his lifetime.
If O’Neil is such the uber-Patriot, why would he hold in such esteem Richard M. Nixon? Nixon, like no other public figure in our history disgraced our nation and nearly destroyed our very democracy. And still for John O’Neil he is an honorable man and a Vietnam veteran like Senator John Kerry isn’t?
What about Ted Sampley, another person leading the smear campaign against John Kerry? According to the Washington Times and Phoenix New Times, Sampley has accused Senator McCain of being brainwashed by the Vietnamese and an agent for the KGB. He even managed an outburst during a Senate hearing in which Sampley asked Senator McCain, “Who do you work for, Hanoi or Moscow?” Ted Sampley once started a fight with a McCain staffer, which led to him being in jail for two days and on probation for another 180 days.
The most troublesome supporter of the anti-Kerry campaign is the Senators former Commanding Officer in Vietnam. George M. Elliott has recently signed an affidavit claiming Kerry was not all together honorable. At first glance this seems rather damning, until one reads the Fitness Report Elliott wrote about Kerry’s service under his command in Vietnam. In the report signed by George Elliott and dated December 18, 1969, he writes of Kerry, “In a combat environment often requiring independent, decisive action LTJG Kerry was unsurpassed.” A bit more than mildly enthusiastic considering his current position on Kerry, but the report continued after describing the young Lieutenants courage under fire, “LTJG Kerry emerges as the acknowledged leader in his peer group.”
Here too we find a pattern emerging concerning the character of the men attacking Kerry’s honor. O’Neil seems to have difficulty letting go of his anger and worshipping disgraced Presidents. Sampley seems to see dishonor in everyone’s service but his own and Elliott is obviously rewriting his perception of Kerry 30 years after the fact.
Of course the biggest pattern emerging here concerns Bush and Rove. Whenever they or their interests meet up with a Vietnam Combat Veteran, there seems to be a sudden epidemic of the smears. I suppose boys will always be looking for political cookies to steal, but it just might be time Bush and Rove leave the kitchen and take their roaches with them. |
