GOP TREEHOUSE - Dems keep out!
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GOP TREEHOUSE - Dems keep out!
| Thu, 07-08-2004 - 10:51am |
This thread is hereby officially dedicated to Republicans, conservatives, and Bush supporters. Make of it what you will, but please observe the TOS and refrain from personal remarks about other I-Village members.

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http://www.townhall.com/columnists/robertnovak/rn20040809.shtml
Kerry's war record
Robert Novak
August 9, 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The television ad that aroused the wrath of John McCain and journalist supporters of John Kerry just begins deconstruction of the Democratic presidential candidate's war record. "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry," a 214-page critique of his performance in Vietnam and the antiwar movement, is off the presses ahead of schedule.
I have read the book and found it is neither the political propaganda nor the urban legend that its detractors claim. It is a passionate but meticulously researched account of how Kerry went to war, what he did in the war and how he conducted himself after the war. The very serious charges by former comrades deserve answers but so far have produced only ad hominem counterattacks.
Why should details of what Kerry did more than 30 years ago be part of this election campaign? Only because the senator has made them integral to his strategy. Kerry as war hero received more attention at the Democratic National Convention than plans for the future. Thus, what he did in his shortened four months of combat becomes a valid campaign issue.
John E. O'Neill, co-author of "Unfit for Command," replaced Kerry as commander of Swift Boat PCF 94 in 1969 and has been confronting him since 1971. O'Neill told me he is no George W. Bush partisan and probably would have supported John Edwards had he been nominated for president, but is committed to keeping Kerry out of the Oval Office. Thus, reversing the usual formulation, the assault on Kerry is personal but not political.
O'Neill told me neither he nor his co-author (Jerome R. Corsi, a writer and expert on the Vietnam antiwar movement) has had contact with the Bush White House or the Bush-Cheney campaign. He said he and Corsi, on their own initiative, went to conservative Regnery Publishing to offer the book.
The co-authors paint Kerry as a reluctant warrior. Contrary to claims by Kerry's supporters that he served two combat hitches in Vietnam, his one-year term aboard a guided missile frigate was far from action. His four months in the brown water navy were terminated eight months early by a third Purple Heart wound, none of which required hospitalization.
The book's strength is the vehemence of testimony by swift boat veterans, alleging that Kerry "gamed" the system to win decorations and later betrayed comrades by charging war crimes. Typical is the quote by Bob Hildreth, commanding an accompanying boat: "I would never want Kerry behind me. I wouldn't want him in front of me, either. And I sure wouldn't want him commanding our kids in Iraq and Afghanistan." Some 200 "Swiftees" on May 4 signed a letter to Kerry demanding full release of his service records.
The book's weakness is support for Kerry's presidential campaign by his swift boat crewmates, presumably people who knew him best. O'Neill told me that these former sailors served with Kerry no more than five weeks. Jim Rassmann, now part of the Kerry presidential campaign, was a Special Forces lieutenant spending a few days with Kerry when he fell or was knocked off the swift boat while under fire and was fished out of the Mekong River by the future candidate.
The "band of brothers" was organized by Kerry, according to this book. It tells of a 2003 telephone call to Adm. Roy Hoffmann, who commanded swift boats in Vietnam, telling him he was running for president. Hoffmann, mistakenly thinking it was former Sen. Bob Kerrey, "responded enthusiastically." Once the admiral realized it was John Kerry, "he declined to give Kerry his support." Hoffmann is quoted as saying, "I do not believe John Kerry is fit to be commander in chief of the armed forces of the United States."
"Unfit for Command" sends a devastating message, unless effectively refuted. Perhaps most disturbing are allegations that Kerry's combat decorations are unjustified. His first Purple Heart, the book alleges, was accidentally self-inflicted. His commander, Grant Hibbard, is quoted as saying: "I didn't recommend him for a Purple Heart. Kerry probably wrote up the paperwork and recommended himself." Full release of documents demanded by his critics could settle this claim quickly if it is unwarranted.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39885
ELECTION 2004
Anti-Kerry cover altered
on Barnes & Noble
Website displays front of 'Unfit for Command' with pro-John slant
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: August 9, 2004
7:37 p.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
The cover of the highly popular critique of John Kerry's war record, "Unfit for Command," was briefly altered at Barnes & Noble's website today, making it look like the book favored the Democrat.
The apparent hacking job included deleting the "Un" in the title so the book read "Fit for Command." The photo, an unflattering image of the candidate's face, was replaced with a Vietnam-era picture of Kerry in uniform. The subtitle of the book, "Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out against John Kerry," was not changed, and the rest of the book's page appeared to be genuine.
According to a report on CNET News.com, the image was repaired sometime this afternoon.
In "Unfit for Command," scheduled for release Aug. 15, John O'Neill, who took over Kerry's swift-boat command, and co-author Jerome Corsi analyze several of Kerry's claims about his service and Vietnam, most of which they say are untrue. The authors write that two of Kerry's Purple Heart medals resulted from self-inflicted wounds and that a story the Democrat tells about being ordered to illegally enter Cambodia is false.
OH!
Miffy - Co-CL For The Politics Today Board
Sincerely,
Zell Miller
Hey Everyone!!
OH!
Miffy - Co-CL For The Politics Today Board
Hope I'm as lucky as you! =)
---Sandy
Found these little snippets:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/3564088.stm
"...the arrival of the 500-strong American team prompted the loudest reception of the night so far."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/081404dnspoolytv.b4ccc.html
"A tremendous roar of approval," said Costas, noting that the Greeks generally disapprove of U.S. foreign policy but "always make a distinction between the U.S. government and American citizens."
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CORRECTION: I finally found the audio on NPR-
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=3851377
Edited 8/14/2004 9:56 am ET ET by schifferle
Edited 8/14/2004 9:57 am ET ET by schifferle
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63087-2004Aug13.html?referrer=email
"...The long parade of nations siphoned drama from some of the evening. The U.S. team entered in its navy berets to the same applause reserved for most nations. Marching in tight rows of eight -- the U.S. Olympic Committee doled out behavioral tips to prevent any repeat American jingoism from past Opening Ceremonies -- the athletes walked into the stadium's center without incident.
Afghanistan also drew cheers after the nation returned to Olympic competition -- fielding a team that includes its first female athletes -- after an eight-year absence from the Games..."
And the NYTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/14/sports/olympics/14roberts.html
The Greeks welcomed the United States members with polite applause, but saved themselves for their own. The instant the Greek Olympic team was spotted, there was an unabashed outpouring of pride and passion for the athletes who were marching without any sense of embitterment over those who were not.
On a positive note:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/14/sports/olympics/14olympics.html
'...Despite fears that anti-American jeers might greet the United States' athletes, the team was greeted with the same polite chorus of cheers that welcomed other national teams. The American athletes skipped any strutting and prancing, opting instead for a subdued march in dark blue warm-up suits and the waving of a few small American flags.
Some American Olympic veterans, including the tennis champion Venus Williams and the swimmer Michael Phelps, did not participate in the procession. Phelps is scheduled to compete - and is expected to win his first gold medal - on Saturday.
Dawn Staley, the three-time Olympian and the point guard on the women's basketball team, carried the American flag. The men's basketball players brought up the rear of the delegation, filming the moment with video cameras.
For the diver Caesar Garcia, the best moment was when the team emerged from a tunnel leading into the stadium and heard cheering.
"It was phenomenal," he said. "The only ones I heard who got a bigger introduction were the Greeks, which is to be expected."..."
"...The ceremony Friday also provided some politically poignant moments. North Korean and South Korean athletes marched together. Afghanistan's two female Olympians, the first in its history, paraded proudly behind their flag. The women - Robina Muqimyar, a track sprinter, and Friba Razayee, a judo competitor - trained in Greece the past two months..."
Aug 14, 10:10 AM EDT
Bush Lauds Afghan, Iraqi Olympic Teams
By PETE YOST
Associated Press Writer
REDMOND, Wash. (AP) -- The war on terrorism is transforming the complexion of the Olympic games in Athens with the rise of teams from Iraq and Afghanistan, President Bush says.
Afghanistan was suspended from the International Olympic Committee in 1999 due to the Taliban ban on participation of women athletes.
Saddam Hussein put his son Odai in charge of Iraq's Olympic committee, a step that allegedly led to torture of athletes who did not do well. Iraq is the only Olympic committee in the world with its own prison, a former U.S. diplomat has said of Saddam's regime.
"For the first time in history, people everywhere will see women competitors wearing the uniform of Afghanistan," the president said Saturday in his weekly radio address.
"For the first time in decades, the world will see Iraqi Olympians free from the brutal punishment of the dictator's son," Bush added.
Twenty-nine athletes from Iraq are competing in Athens, including the Iraqi soccer team, which thrilled the world by winning its first game, the president noted.
The country whose team Iraq defeated is Portugal, which has sent 120 police officers to Iraq.
"By coming together in friendly competition, all Olympians are sending the message that freedom and hope are more powerful than terror and despair," said the president.
Bush said one woman on the Iraqi track team declared that she wants to represent her country because someone who represents only herself has accomplished nothing.
In his campaign speeches around the country in recent weeks, Bush has said how gratifying it was to see Afghan girls participating in this summer's international children's games in Cleveland. He made the same point about Afghan women's participation in the Olympics.
"At the opening ceremony, Team USA marched alongside men and women from Afghanistan and Iraq, nations that four years ago knew only tyranny and repression," said Bush.
Hello fellow GOP'ers!
Guess what came in the mail yesterday??
Miffy - Co-CL For The Politics Today Board
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