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Could There Still Be More to the Story?
By Frank Salvato
August 11, 2004

The mainstream media and the liberal-left never cease to amaze me, yet I am always surprised as to the depths of spin and deceit to which they stoop. The recently released advertisement by the Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth, an ad that brings to question John Kerry's activities during his abbreviated tour of duty in Vietnam, is now squarely in the crosshairs of the mainstream media, the liberal-left and the "McAulinista" spin-doctors. Further, these three organizations, as tightly knit as the New York Cosa Nostra on a good day are doing their best to suck the Bush campaign into the fray because, once again, they like to accuse their opponents of the practices that they use themselves.

Since the ad questioning Kerry's activities in Vietnam was released, the vitriolic cry from the left has been, "How dare anyone question John Kerry's hero title!" It has been suggested that because none of the men, none of the 250 plus veterans who knew John Kerry; who served with John Kerry; who interacted with John Kerry (sometimes on a daily basis) actually served on the same swift boat as John Kerry, it would have been impossible for any of them to have known about the heroic actions of John Kerry.

Susan Estrich, a FOX News contributor from the left side - remember they are a shill station for the right - whose voice is chillingly reminiscent of Lucille Ball's in her later years, repeatedly asked members of Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth whether or not they actually served on the same boat as John Kerry during Kerry's four months of military service. Offering the American public the illusion that serving on the same boat makes every difference in the world, Estrich drilled these men - veterans who actually completed their full tours of duty and who were honored with some of the very same commendations and medals as Kerry received - as if they were common criminals; her disdain for their accusations thoroughly displayed on her face and in her voice.

The disingenuousness of Estrich's line of questioning was never more evident than in the infomercial about John Kerry, which aired during the Democratic National Convention. It would seem that because he can't sell himself, he had to turn to a minion of Steven Spielberg's in order to get that job done. The infomercial showed multiple swift boats performing their duties in tight and close proximity. This effectively illustrates that one does not have to serve on the very same swift boat as another in order to witness heroics as well as atrocities.

Aside from the spin that Estrich and her liberal media cohorts tried to perpetrate upon the American people, the mainstream media has allowed their outlets to be used by the liberal-left, the "McAulinistas" and the liberal talking-heads in an all encompassing effort to drag the Bush campaign into complicity with Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth. They attempt to do this simply because a wealthy Texan who wants to see George W. Bush re-elected is a heavy donor to Swift Boat Veterans for the truth.

If one is to use this argument of complicity, as offered by the left in this matter, it would have to mean that every commercial and every ad issued forth by MoveOn.org; America Coming Together; and all of the other Bush-hating, liberal bomb-throwing organizations of the fascist type would have to be complicit with the Kerry Campaign. If the American public is to take Kerry and his surrogates at their word that they have no part of the MoveOn.org crowd, even though a former Kerry staffer is one of the higher-ups at the 527, then the American public would have to take the Bush Campaign at their word that they have no influence and no part of the Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth 527, especially because both entities have come out to denounce such a complicity. Once again, it could be argued convincingly that the Democrats are screaming too loud about a tactic they charge is unethical and illegal, but a tactic that they use liberally nonetheless.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing to come of this is a notion that comes directly from John Kerry's own website.

"In a recent interview, Kerry dismissed the current questions about his first Purple Heart as partisan politics. He also said he left early because he had turned on the war. One of his crewmates, Michael Medeiros, said Kerry ensured that his men were given a non-threatening assignment before he left Vietnam."

Now maybe this doesn't raise question for some but I couldn't help but wonder, how does a Lieutenant (jg) arrange to have an entire combat crew rotated out of combat before their time was up? That's a pretty tall order to fill, especially for an officer who admits he has turned on the war. It wouldn't seem logical that Lt. Kerry's higher-ups would be willing to embrace his pacifism given the fact that they and the crew that Kerry was trying to rotate to non-threatening duty would remain in country unless there was political pressure asserted.

Another question that was generated was this: what would you do to help out a guy who got you rotated out of life-threatening duty in Vietnam?

There are some very interesting questions generated by the screaming of the liberal-left on the topic of Kerry's Vietnam in-country activities, but these questions don't include whether George W. Bush had anything to do with the ad in question, his military service or anything else about the president. Why? Because the questions are all about John Kerry, no matter how much Susan Estrich contends otherwise.

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Frank Salvato is a political media consultant and the managing editor for TheRant.us. His pieces are regularly featured in Townhall.com. He has appeared as a guest on The O'Reilly Factor and numerous radio shows. His pieces have been recognized by the Japan Center for Conflict Prevention and are periodically featured in The Washington Times as well as other national and international publications. He can be contacted at oped@therant.us

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.