McCain Says Kerry's Anti-War Protests Open for Debate
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Aug. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Republican U.S. Senator John McCain said Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's anti-war activities after he returned from Vietnam are an appropriate subject for political debate.
McCain, 68, of Arizona, said on the CBS News program ``Face the Nation,'' that he disagreed with Kerry throwing his ribbons from his medals on the steps of the U.S. Capitol when he returned from the war.
``Every American is entitled to protest,'' McCain said. ``Whether he did that appropriately'' is a legitimate subject for debate, he said.
The campaign is being dominated by controversy over ads by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, initially funded by Republican Party friends and financiers of President George W. Bush's campaign.
Kerry's service in combat shouldn't be questioned, McCain said. ``I know for a fact that when combat takes place, it's the most confusing and controversial situation,'' he said. ``Nobody ever remembers exactly what happens in combat.''
A spokesman for the Kerry campaign didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
The Swift boat group ran ads this month in Ohio, Wisconsin and West Virginia making unsubstantiated claims that Kerry didn't deserve the three Purple Hearts for being wounded and the Silver and Bronze Stars for valor awarded by the U.S. Navy for his service in Vietnam. They cite their recollections of events to dispute Navy records from 35 years ago, when the medals were approved.
Navy Records
U.S. Navy records support Kerry's accounts of being wounded in Vietnam three times, rescuing a soldier to earn his Bronze Star, and ordering a charge on an enemy force to earn his Silver Star.
Vietnam veterans who were with Kerry when he earned his medals also refute the Swift boat group's allegations. Kerry is backed by Chicago Tribune editor William Rood, a former Swift Boat officer; Jim Russell, a former Navy lieutenant; and Jim Rassmann, a former U.S. Army Green Beret.
Impact in Florida
In an interview with the New York Times published last week, Bush said he doesn't believe that Kerry lied about his Vietnam record. Bush, who served in the Texas National Guard during the Vietnam war, declined to condemn the advertisement.
The swift boat ads are ``obviously having an impact in Florida since the ads run heavily here and are trumpeted by the media in news casts,'' said Roger Handberg, chairman of the University of Central Florida political science department.
``Bush's military record or lack thereof appears to be getting a free ride which means Kerry is the only one challenged,'' Handberg said.
Kerry, 60, a Four-term Massachusetts senator, filed a complaint Aug. 20 with the Federal Election Commission alleging the group is illegally coordinating its ads with the Bush campaign.
McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, two weeks ago called the Swift Boat group's ad dishonest and urged the White House to condemn it.
McCain told the Washington Post last week that he wanted Bush to condemn the ad.
Court Order
The Bush campaign said last week it would join with McCain in seeking a court order to force the FEC to curb political ads by groups such as the Swift boat veterans, known as 527 groups for the section of the Internal Revenue Service code that exempts them from taxes. U.S. law bars coordination between candidates and the 527 groups, which aren't subject to donation limits.
John O'Neill, a member of Swift Boat Veterans, debated Kerry on the Dick Cavett Show in 1971. O'Neill was enlisted by President Richard Nixon and then-White House counsel Charles Colson, who later went to prison for his role in the Watergate scandal that led to Nixon's 1974 resignation.
The Swift Boat group listed 10 financial backers in its June 30 filing with the IRS. More than 10,000 new donors gave more than $450,000 in the last two weeks, said Sean McCabe, the group's spokesman.
527 Group Donors
Seven of the 10 supporters listed with the IRS are Republicans, according to PoliticalMoneyLine. Among them is Bob Perry, the largest political donor to Republicans in Texas, who provided $100,000. Perry gave the maximum individual donation of $2,000 to Bush's campaign. Perry, chief executive of closely held Perry Homes in Houston, declined to be interviewed.
Bush political adviser Karl Rove told Fox News Aug. 25 that Perry is a ``good friend'' of his, though they had not had any kind of ``extended conversation'' in years. Rove said he's known Perry for 25 years.
``No one in the Bush campaign has coordinated with Swift Boat Veterans,'' Rove told Fox. Asked if there was any type of consultation or cooperation, Rove said ``absolutely not.''
Seventeen of the top 20 groups operating under the 527 code active in the presidential election support Democrats and are funded by donors with ties to the Democratic Party. In all, they've raised at least $133.1 million, according to Internal Revenue Service records compiled by PoliticalMoneyLine. The three Republican groups raised $29.2 million.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Catherine Dodge in Washington at cdodge1@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Glenn Hall in Washington at ghall@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: August 29, 2004 11:33 EDT |
