John Kerry is a Liar (Jerry)

I have been doing a considerable amount of reading regarding John Kerry’s service in Vietnam and the claims of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. I have decided, based on my research and on careful reflection of the facts, that I believe that John Kerry is a liar. Below are the undisputed facts:

FACT: John Kerry has made his Vietnam service a cornerstone of his campaign, bringing it to the spotlight by his choice, not the choice of his opponent. This makes the topic fair game.

FACT: John Kerry dared his opponents to review his service record, going so far as to tell them to "Bring. It. On."

FACT: The political affiliations of the members of Swiftvets do not detract from their credibility. Neither do the political affiliations of the veterans who are members of John Kerry’s campaign.

FACT: The veterans who are part of Kerry’s campaign are paid to be on his staff. The members of Swiftvets are volunteers.

FACT: John Kerry publicly threw away medals that he claimed to be his. He later admitted that these medals were not his, they belonged to someone else.

FACT: John Kerry testified before the Senate saying that he had witnessed US servicemen engaging in war crimes. He later recanted this testimony saying that he only heard stories of US servicemen engaging in war crimes and that he never actually witnessed any.

FACT: Few (or possibly none) of the men in Swiftvets actually served on John Kerry’s boat.

FACT: All of the members of Swiftvets served with John Kerry in one capacity or another. Members include many of the officers above him in the immediate chain of command, including his commanding officer, the commanders of other boats in his unit, and the doctor who treated him for the wound that earned him the first Purple Heart. All of these men were in a position to have direct knowledge of the specific events that each is disputing.

FACT: The members of Swiftvets have signed affidavits concerning specific events that they witnessed and, therefore, have firsthand knowledge of.

FACT: The veterans on John Kerry’s campaign have not signed affidavits.

FACT: The Boston Glob erroneously reported that Captain George Elliot withdrew his affidavit. This is not correct. Captain Elliot still stands by his affidavit.

FACT: John Kerry submitted his own paperwork for all three of his Purple Hearts and his Bronze Star.

FACT: John Kerry was originally turned down for his first Purple Heart. He submitted the paperwork again after all of the eyewitnesses to the event had left the unit and were no longer present.

FACT: The Swiftvets have provided detailed information which details the statements of John Kerry that they believe to be lies. John Kerry has yet to provide a claim-by-claim rebuttal and has done nothing to indicate that he will.

FACT: I was unable to find any mention of the Swiftvets, let alone a rebuttal, on John Kerry's Web site.

FACT: John Kerry is a liar.

Posted by stumpjumper at August 9, 2004 08:25 AM | TrackBack