John Kerry Endorses Activist Charging Republicans "Aid the Terrorists" And "Aid The Enemies of This Country"
Video Bonus! Harry Reid Calls The Troops Liars

A tip sent to me:

John Kerry, who said “We're going to build an army of truth-tellers” in 2004 and complained long and loud about the tactics of the Swift Boat Veterans, today held a press conference with a veterans organization to criticize the handling of the Iraq war. After complaining long and loud about the tactics of the Swift Boat Veterans, which group did John Kerry stand beside?

VoteVets.

Time Magazine called VoteVets “Swift Boat 2.0”. New York Magazine called them “the Democratic version of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.” John Soltz called himself “the Swift Boat Captain of ’06." Judge for yourself just how upset John Kerry really is about “swift boat tactics”.

MEANWHILE: the fellow Democratic Senators are standing with? He says Republicans “aid the terrorists."

Jon Soltz, an Iraq war veteran who chairs VoteVets.org, a political action committee critical of President’s Bush’s war policy, told reporters at a Wednesday press conference that Senate Republicans were “cowards” for their role in procedural maneuverings this week that have prevented a vote on resolutions on the troop surge, reports Politico's Carrie Budoff. “They aid the enemies of this country,” said Soltz, flanked by four Democratic senators – John Kerry of Massachusetts, Patty Murray of Washington, and Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, both of Rhode Island. “They aid the terrorists that attack this country.”

Capitol Hill can be an endless parade of press conferences, where talking points are repeated over and over and over again. So the comments stood out, and a reporter pounced, asking the senators whether they agreed with Soltz’s assessment. “I would probably choose a different way of saying it,” said Kerry, the only senator who stepped to the microphone. But veterans – and in the case of Soltz, someone who fought in Iraq – “have earned the right to express those feelings,” Kerry added.

But didn't John O'Neill earn the right to express his feelings about you, Senator? Seems to me he was in Vietnam a lot longer than you -- he didn't phony up three magic "wounds" to get his ass home after three and a half months.

I have trouble being too outraged by Kerry's shabby hypocrisy. He is a poltiician, after all -- he is a partisan, and hypocrisy is his stock in trade.

What annoys me more is that media is supposedly nonpartisan, and a vigilant watchdog against hypocrisy, but gives this sort of hateful speech a pass.

The speech itself is hateful, but it's political hardball -- look, if you believe your political opponents are acting against the American interests, and aiding Al Qaeda, you ought to say so.

And yet when Republicans say so, the media has a stroke.

When Democrats say so, they just nod in quiet approval and think to themselves, "You go, girl."

Sorry, cocksuckers: You have to impose a single standard on all, not a strict prohibition on such speech by Republicans and a great deal of "nuanced" latitude when it comes from your ideological fellow-travellers. Decide now-- is this sort of speech out of bounds or not?

If it's out of bounds, then I expect Chris Matthews to devote six segments on his next ten shows to exposing the Democrats' "smear and fear" strategy.

If it's legitimate speech, then stop bashing Republicans when we say, quite sincerely, that we believe the actions of Democrats are directly contrary to the interests of this country and yes, indeed, do "aid the terrorists."

And if you won't settle on a single standard: then at least have the candor to admit you are partisan political actors with a very heavy rooting interest in the Democrat Party's electoral fortunes.

More Tippage: John McCain, aka Mr. Rightwingsparkle, spoke out on behalf of the troops, and said that the troops had told him they did not believe it possible to "support the troops" while attempting to undermine their mission.

How did Harry Reid respond? By calling the troops liars -- by saying they had been dishonest in their remarks to McCain for fear of... I don't know, maybe being retalliated against by being reassigned to a dangerous billet or something. Like Germany.

So-- the troops are liars, according to the troop-supportin' "Majority" Leader of the Senate.

Question for Mr. Kerry: Have these men, enduring physical hardships and hazards that few will ever experience, also "earned the right" to express themselves without being branded cowardly liars?

Video Bonus! Harry Reid Calls The Troops Liars&bodytext=A tip sent to me: John Kerry, who said “We're going to build an army of truth-tellers” in 2004 and complained long and loud about the tactics of the Swift Boat Veterans, today held a press conference with a veterans...&topic=world_news"> posted by Ace at 07:36 PM

| Access Comments