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Politics : Proof that John Kerry is Unfit for Command -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SiouxPal who wrote (2276)	8/23/2004 3:25:22 PM
From: Andrew N. Cothran	Respond to of 27181

Vietnam Controversy Costing Kerry, Says Historian Dave Eberhart, NewsMax.com Monday, Aug. 23, 2004 Author and Vietnam historian B.G. Burkett tells NewsMax in an exclusive interview that Sen. John Kerry is mired in a quagmire worse than the one he complained about in Vietnam. The controversy may just cost him the presidency, Burkett says. Story Continues Below “Kerry keeps losing points every day this controversy wears on in the media,” Burkett told NewsMax shortly before Kerry’s campaign filed a legal complaint with the FEC to stop the Swift Boat Veterans' ads. A sign of desperation? Burkett is no stranger to such controversy and measures. He has been sued multiple times after exposing phony military records of Vietnam veterans – many of whom never even served in Vietnam. Burkett’s book “Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of Its Heroes and Its History” (Verity Press) was published in 1998 and has become a must-read for those who want to unlock the truth about Vietnam and its aftermath. In fact, Burkett’s book has been credited as being among the first to question John Kerry’s war record. Burkett has interviewed and spoken with many of the Swift Boaters who served with Kerry and his commanding officers. Kerry Responds As Swift Boat Veterans for Truth keep ramming away at John Kerry’s carefully crafted hero image, the beleaguered candidate has finally turned to a media blitz of his own. In his new TV ad Kerry defends his actions that led to his receiving the Bronze Star. The ad features Jim Rassmann, one of his loyal dozen “band of brothers,” certifying Kerry’s bravery under fire as the future senator from Massachusetts and presidential candidate pulled him from the water under withering fire after a couple of mines exploded during a South Vietnam river operation. Or was it just one mine that exploded? And were there small arms sweeping the area as well, as the after-action reports claimed? The Swift Boat vets who criticize Kerry say that only one mine exploded under a boat not commanded by Kerry and that there was no accompanying enemy fire. How did Green Beret Rassmann fall off Kerry’s boat only to be rescued from the drink by Kerry? Burkett says witnesses attest that Rassmann fell off Kerry’s boat because Kerry engaged the boat in a frantic maneuver to flee from the action around the exploding mine. Preponderance of Evidence What will settle the controversy? NewsMax asks the author. “They [the Swift Boat group] will go away only if Kerry announces he has removed himself from the race,” replies a cynical Burkett, who has been studying the growing controversy that has dominated the TV talk shows and radio pundits. Although Burkett feels that the fog of war may forever keep the actual truth from emerging from the smoke, he does believe that the vet group is moving ahead in establishing its less flattering version of the Kerry exploits by “a preponderance of the evidence.” “These Swift Boats moved in squadrons and formations,” explains Burkett. “Sometimes the better vantage point for observing the action was from another boat.” And John O’Neil, co-author of the best seller “Unfit for Command,” has interviewed these other observers, disputing the so-called after-action reports filed by Lt. j.g. Kerry. These reports later provided the basis for Kerry’s now much-celebrated Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Heart decorations – all earned in an abbreviated and bigger-than-life four-month stint in Vietnam. “The people up the chain of command assumed that none of their officers would cheat,” opines Burkett. “It’s a back-and-forth catfight” says Burkett, who thinks that the tide may break dramatically to the side of the disaffected vets if one of the loyal Kerry band of brothers turns colors. How likely is that? asks NewsMax. “Well, they [Swift Boat Veterans for Truth] keep hoping,” says Burkett. But if O’Neill has done his homework, so has Kerry, he explains. “Kerry long ago called all his men together to settle on one version of the action.” Other critics say that Kerry’s campaign has already put on the payroll one or more of his “band of brothers.” Veteran Steve Gardner, however, is one of the Kerry crew members who has never gone along with the Kerry program: “I watched him put his crew in jeopardy, his indecisive moves. ...” So, why was Gardner so singular? asks NewsMax. “You have to realize that Gardner was an unusual member of the crew,” explains the author. “Gardner had a previous tour of duty on Swift Boats. He knew the right way to confront the enemy – not the Kerry way [steering to open water].” Kerry’s Navy More Like McHale’s Burkett goes on to explain that a stalwart, chance-taking Kerry would be contrary to the historic Kerry, who he describes as “always belly-aching and whining about how the admirals had decided to send the Swift Boats up those dangerous jungle-clogged rivers.” According to Burkett, Kerry had volunteered with the notion that his tour was going to be a sort of gentlemanly duty of offshore coast-watching – not close combat with an enemy lurking on the shores. Burkett has suggested in the past that the way out of the dilemma for Kerry would be for Kerry to open up all his files by executing a blanket SF-180 form, allowing all the press to have independent access to his file. Burkett, however, says the release of Kerry’s full file, which he does not believe has taken place despite Kerry’s claims otherwise, will still not stop the Swift Boat Vets who are opposed to Kerry. “It would have some bearing to the press, but it’s not going to deter this group,” says Burkett. “And remember,” adds Burkett, “this is not a bunch of Republicans going after Kerry. If Kerry were running as a Republican, the attacks would be just the same.” Burkett himself has criticized President Bush for his National Guard duty during the Vietnam War. Just how worried is the Kerry camp? “You bet they are worried,” says Burkett. “This election may just turn on those 5 percent undecided out there. The bottom line is simple – the longer the dispute wears on, the more Kerry loses. They’re never going to resolve this dispute.”