Counterbias: The Company You Keep - Swift Boat Veterans Vs. The Truth

The Company You Keep: Swift Boat Veterans Vs. The Truth

August 18 2004
Counterbias.com
Scott C. Smith

The game of politics is an ugly game, and there’s no better example of this than the current campaign against John Kerry by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for The Truth. The group has been attempting to counter John Kerry’s claims of honorable service in Vietnam by employing the classic smear campaign tactics of misinformation, lies, and distortion of the truth.

What’s worse is the so-called liberal media has been too lazy, unable, or unwilling, to get to the truth.

John O’Neill has been a Kerry adversary for over thirty years. He’s co-written a book called Unfit For Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry. O’Neill wrote the book with Jerome R. Corsi, a longtime friend of O’Neill. Some people say that Corsi is a bit of a loon. He posts to the ultra right-wing message board Free Republic under the user alias JRLC. Corsi, who holds a PhD, posts such thought-provoking items as this gem, about Chelsea Clinton, from the Free Republic, November 29, 2001: “We know where Hillary was -- she was on the NBC TODAY show being interviewed by Little Katie Communist, her unofficial campaign manager for her run to be commander-in-chief (barf!) But the real question is: WHERE IS CHUBBIE CHELSEA? Is she in Kabul in danger, looking for a Starbucks? Waldo wants to know. Please, Little Katie Communist, HELP US FIND CHELSEA. THE SITUATION MAY BE URGENT.” I’m guessing crazy-man is referring to the Sept. 11 attacks when he poses his question about Chelsea Clinton’s whereabouts.

So the guy sounds nuts. And John O’Neill chooses to befriend a grown man who would attack the looks of a young woman, and the two have written a book claiming John Kerry is unfit to lead the nation as commander-in-chief. They back their claims with testimony from 60 swift boat veterans who “served” with John Kerry in Vietnam. By “served” they mean, “were in the Vietnam Theater of operations the same time as John Kerry.” See, none of the 60 actually served directly with John Kerry. I’m a Desert Storm veteran, so I’d be as accurate as the Swift Boat guys in saying that I served with General Norman Schwarzkopf during the first Gulf war. This is an example of intentionally misleading the public by technically telling the truth – yes, these men were in Vietnam the same time John Kerry was – but they were not on Swift Boat PCF-94 with Kerry.

Unfit For Command attempts to make the case that Kerry was an incompetent opportunist in Vietnam who exaggerated the circumstances surrounding his injuries and the situations that resulted in Kerry being awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. The Swift Boat Vets are currently running a misleading television ad where, again, a group of men say the served “with” Kerry in Vietnam and offer their opinions on how Kerry did not deserve the decorations he received in combat. Keep in mind that these are the 35-year-old recollection of men who, again, did not serve directly with Kerry.

Senator John McCain has denounced the group and has called on President Bush to do the same. Not surprisingly, Bush has so far refused to distance himself from a group using the tactics of misinformation to distort the truth.

What it comes down to is three versions of the “truth”: the testimony of the Swift Boat Vets; John Kerry’s account of his tour in Vietnam; and the official Department of Defense record of Kerry’s service. Frankly, I have no use for the Swift Boat Veterans For The Truth and do not believe they are telling the truth. The military records released by Kerry support his version of events, not the Swift Boat Vets version.

The non-partisan group Fact Check dot org (a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, http://www.factcheck.org) has analyzed the claims of the Swift Boat Veterans and found them to be largely without merit, especially when you consider the story of Jim Rassmann, the U.S. Army special forces officer Kerry and his swift boat crew saved after being thrown overboard from Kerry’s boat following a nearby mine detonation. In the water, Rassmann was shot at by snipers on both sides of the Dong Gung canal of the Bay Hap River. Rassmann, a long-time Republican, has often said John Kerry saved his life that day.

Who to believe? A group with an axe to grind? An author of a book known for his crazed rantings at a conservative Internet message board? Or the testimony of a man who lives today as a direct result of actions taken by John Kerry? Kerry, his crew, and Rassmann’s account of events paint the real picture of what happened to John Kerry in Vietnam. We’re unlikely to get any in-depth reporting from the so-called liberal media on this issue.

One last point to consider: John O’Neill never met John Kerry in Vietnam. And Kerry, unlike our current commander-in-chief, did not get to take time out from active duty for several months to work on a political campaign. Kerry put his life on the line. How long he served in Vietnam is irrelevant. The fact that he did serve is.