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| DNC Lawyers Work To Muzzle Swift Boat Vets' Ad |
| 2004-08-06 |
| HUMAN EVENTS has obtained a copy of a letter which lawyers for the Democratic National Committee and John Kerry have sent to television station managers attempting to suppress the blistering anti-Kerry TV spot created by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (click here to view the ad) and first reported here on HumanEventsOnline.com. The letter claims the ad is "false" and "libelous" and suggests, in not-so-subtle terms, that TV stations should use their "legal authority" to refuse any requests for advertising airtime, stating that "because your station has this freedom [to refuse the ad], and because it is not a 'use' of your facilities by a clearly identified candidate, your station is responsible for the false and libelous charges made by this sponsor" (emphasis added). As their first piece of evidence of the ad's supposed lies, the DNC/Kerry lawyers claim that the veterans in the ad "purport to have served on Senator Kerry's SWIFT Boat in Vietnam" but, "in fact, not a single one of the men who pretend to have served with Senator Kerry was actually a crewmate of Senator Kerry's." The problem is that none of these men claimed to have served on Kerry's SWIFT Boat. They simply said they "served with John Kerry" -- and they did. The letter goes on to make several more misleading statements about the advertisement, in an attempt to protect Kerry's "war hero" record. Read the full text below. Copy of fax at the link. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #20 Frank, apparently W is staying away. He made a comment today that he wanted no part of this. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2004-08-06 11:38:54 PM |
| #19 no way - W should stay away and let the vets fight their "he said/his lawyers and spokesholes said" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-08-06 8:52:25 PM |
| #18 I fear this whole Swift thing is another tarbaby. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-08-06 8:35:11 PM |
| #17 So.... When will the DNC or Kerry (or Edwards) file a lawsuit for defamation of character? Here is a Affidavit by Elliott that the Globe reported misquoted him and sets the record stright. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-08-06 7:10:46 PM |
| #16 What convinced me is the fax the DNC sent out to shut down the ad. The fax says that non of them served on the boat with Kerry. Well the ad never made that claim, its very clear. The fax also gets all specific that the doctor in the commercial is not the one that signed Kerry's release papers. The commercial says he treated Kerry, not that he signed the release papers. Why doesn't the fax say he wasn't the guy that treated Kerry? Why present strawman arguements if you're in the right Senator Kerry. To a careful reader it makes you look like your trying to blur the issue when you know you're in the wrong. |
| Posted by: yank 2004-08-06 3:43:12 PM |
| #15 Also this bit on Drudge story by George Elliott: "The article by Mr. Kranish is particularly surprising given page 102 of Mr. Kranish’s own book quoting John Kerry as acknowledging that he killed a single, wounded, fleeing Viet Cong soldier whom he was afraid would turn around." As they say, "He should know, he wrote the book on it". |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-08-06 2:23:47 PM |
| #14 Just Googled him, he's got four Kerry books listed on Barnes & Noble. No one beats the Army Of Steve! Bwahahaha! |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-08-06 2:14:40 PM |
| #13 jeez...beat by the army of Steve! Again! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-08-06 2:12:48 PM |
| #12 Rush just noted that Globe writer Kranish is also writing the yet unpublished book memorializing Kedwards campaign...go figure! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-08-06 2:10:48 PM |
| #11 The Boston Globe reporter Mike Kranish is also one of Kerry's biographers and is writing the Kerry-Edwards official campaign book. Guess there's no bias there, huh? |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-08-06 2:08:51 PM |
| #10 According to Drudge: "Captain George Elliott describes an article appearing in today’s edition of the BOSTON GLOBE by Mike Kranish as extremely inaccurate and highly misstating his actual views. He reaffirms his statement in the current advertisement paid for by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Captain Elliott reaffirms his affidavit in support of that advertisement, and he reaffirms his request that he ad be played. Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire! |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-08-06 1:59:12 PM |
| #9 Here's Powerline's take on the situation: the DNC has way more $ to intimidate the swift boat vets with legal action. http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/007389.php But on the bright side, the Swift Boat Vets have their own lawyer in the ranks, John E. O'Neill, the gifted author of Unfit for Command and a very articulate speaker, to boot. |
| Posted by: rex 2004-08-06 1:43:25 PM |
| #8 I heard the Author of the book on Medvid yesterday and he had a VERY compelling story. He also debated Johnny on his calims back in ?1973? so he isn't "just coming out of the closet" with 'new' charges. His story hasn't changed in 30 years but Senators Kerry's story seem to change every five years or so. Read the chapter and you'll know what I mean. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2004-08-06 1:37:04 PM |
| #7 Kerry would have to re-enact the scene for us and add computer-generated bullet fire to the event. |
| Posted by: Chris W. 2004-08-06 11:43:08 AM |
| #6 Here's the deal: (1) Kerry brought this all on himself when he based his campaign on 4 months that transpired over 30 years ago. (2) Just as Kerry uses his stage hand 'band of brothers' to gin up his campaign, the Swiftvets have every right to set the record straight as they see it. While Elliott may have recanted, possibly pressured by DNC lawyers, there are many others who continue to stand on their affidavits. Of course, you will only hear about the one who recanted. (3) Kerry, demanding the spotlight be shined on him for what he did 30 years ago, has taken the spotlight away from where it should be trained today; namely, the brave men and women currently fighting dying in Iraq and Afganistan. |
| Posted by: Capt America 2004-08-06 11:26:09 AM |
| #5 The recantation of this fellow looks as though the DNC lawyer goons are working both ends of the issue. They must have something on this guy. Elliott is quoted as saying that Kerry ''lied about what occurred in Vietnam . . . for example, in connection with his Silver Star, I was never informed that he had simply shot a wounded, fleeing Viet Cong in the back." and Yesterday, reached at his home, Elliott said he regretted signing the affidavit and said he still thinks Kerry deserved the Silver Star. ''I still don't think he shot the guy in the back," Elliott said. ''It was a terrible mistake probably for me to sign the affidavit with those words. I'm the one in trouble here." Elliott said he was no under personal or political pressure to sign the statement, but he did feel ''time pressure" from those involved in the book. ''That's no excuse," Elliott said. ''I knew it was wrong . . . In a hurry I signed it and faxed it back. That was a mistake." This all sounds like the PC police intimidating a person to sign an apology for violating a speech code at a college campus, whern they did something wrong. Has to be Kerry's goon lawyers. |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-08-06 11:05:59 AM |
| #4 I heard that one of SBCFTT recanted his story (via Drudge). But that just the person who signed off on the Silver Star, not someone that was on scene during the action. I still find it odd that only one person (out of ?25?) was awarded a single award for valor and nobody else got any other awards. Were the rest of them standing still and watching Johnny Rambo save the day? |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2004-08-06 10:46:39 AM |
| #3 Interesting story. Except, Kerry would have knocked the man down in his haste to call the media himself... assuming he didn't take time to arrange for media coverage before he even set foot in the water. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-08-06 10:07:09 AM |
| #2 Bzzzzt! Bad answer! To the media Kerry is....not Bush! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-08-06 9:50:07 AM |
| #1 I am not Kerry supporter, but the man did serve with a forward unit and was under enemy fire during his service in Viet Nam. He ought to get a pass for that. I am pretty certain his combat record is fishy, but to me that is a non-issue. He did more than I ever did. Having said all that, I think his record following Viet Nam speaks volumes about Kerry much more than the character of his military service: the lies and the associations he made directly after coming back from 'Nam. It is like this: Kerry is walking along a lake shore. He sees a man he knows drowning, a gay man. So he dives in the save the gay guy. While Kerry is bringing the guy back to land, the gay guy is flailing and he strikes Kerry. Kerry shouts, "Stop hitting me you f*cking faggot!" When they get to shore, the gay guy runs to a news reporter and tell the reporter: "He just called me a f*cking faggot!" So what is the story? To the media, the story is Kerry is a homophobe. To the rest of us, Kerry just saved the like of an ungrateful f*cking faggot. |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-08-06 9:32:46 AM |