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« Drudge: CBS Plans Spring Retirement for Rather | Main | John Elway, Republican MVP »
September 27, 2004

WaPo Liberal Columnist Changes His Mind on the SwiftVets

He doesn't suddenly agree with them down the line. But he does now seem to understand that it's not some petty criticism that John Kerry accused his comrades of murder and rape in Vietnam:

Those who dismiss critics of John Kerry's Vietnam service as just a bunch of right-wing Republicans out to advance George W. Bush's cause don't know what they are talking about -- or they are engaged in wishful thinking. Okay, I may have once thought that about the critics, too. But after poring over the large volume of e-mail I received after my Aug. 28 column, "What Matters About Kerry and Vietnam," I don't any longer.

...

I spoke with Coleman this week about citing his e-mail in a column. He agreed, adding that he was still wrestling with his Election Day decision. His final written words are worth remembering, especially by those in the Kerry high command.

"I served my 13 months in combat. Returned in 1972 with the Bronze Star and the Vietnamese Technical Services Honor Medal to a very anti-Vietnam America. [Harry] "Butch" Robinson, Denny [Dennis] Hightower, and many more that you know did the same. We endured the pain of separation from our loved ones, were frightened when the rockets came in to camp and lives were lost. But we were never unfit for command.

"Kerry still hasn't satisfied me and many others. . . . It's September and I'm still conflicted. Speaking for myself, it is NOT enough that he served!" Those aren't the thoughts of a Republican-funded, right-wing, over-the-top Swift boat veteran. Ignore them, Kerry camp, at your peril.

It's a little shocking that liberals actually thought this would never be a live issue. Just because they didn't mind a bit slander in agitating against the Vietnam War, they assumed that no one else did either; they also assumed, as they frequently do, that their near-monopoly on the dissemination of information would be enough to keep this story underground and unread.

It's been pointed out by others -- Jonah Goldberg, I think -- that in some ways the LLM actually hurts Democrats. It cocoons them; it misleads them into a false notion that the nation's thinking mirrors that of the LLM; it leads them unaware into nasty surprises.

The LLM might want to start getting on these stories earlier if only to help the Democratic Party they love so much.

Thanks to TL for sending me the article.


posted by Ace at 12:04 PM
Comments



Did Colbert King change his mind, even a little, on the Swiftvets? Doubtful. Here’s how he starts out:

“Those who dismiss critics of John Kerry's Vietnam service as just a bunch of right-wing Republicans out to advance George W. Bush's cause don't know what they are talking about -- or they are engaged in wishful thinking.”

The key word here is “just.” He means that there are two kinds of critics, the “right-wing republicans” and the others. Here’s how he ends:

“’Kerry still hasn't satisfied me and many others… it is NOT enough that he served!’ Those aren't the thoughts of a Republican-funded, right-wing, over-the-top Swift boat veteran. Ignore them, Kerry camp, at your peril.”

So, the Swifties are still right-wing nuts. Rodney Coleman, the veteran he’s quoting here as being unsatisfied, is put forward as the sensible critic, and King thinks smart Democrats should listen to what Coleman is saying.

I certainly agree with you that “The LLM might want to start getting on these stories earlier if only to help the Democratic Party they love so much.” But King isn’t helping very much. By citing only Clinton appointee Rodney Coleman and simultaneously shouting down the Swifties he’s allowing some in his party to gather that criticism is worth listening to, but only if it comes from Democrats. The focus remains internal and self-referencing. His piece would be stronger by half if he hadn’t mentioned the Swifties at all. And I’d be even more impressed if he had pointed to some aspect of the Swiftvet presentations – or critical comments by any other of the unfaithful - that he now thinks Democrats should have taken due note of.

Posted by: Lastango on September 27, 2004 01:04 PM

It's been pointed out by others -- Jonah Goldberg, I think -- that in some ways the LLM actually hurts Democrats. It cocoons them...

Mark Steyn says it too:

After the 2002 election, I wrote, "Remind me never to complain about 'liberal media bias' again. Right now, liberal media bias is conspiring to assist the Democrats to sleepwalk over the cliff."

The media and the Democrats sustain each other's make-believe land. Dan Rather tells his staff, "Kerry's told me there's nothing to this Swiftvet thing." Kerry tells his, "Rather's assured me this Swiftvet story's going nowhere."

George W. Bush ought to wake up every morning and thank the Lord the media aren't on his side.

Posted by: Brian on September 27, 2004 01:05 PM

Few in the media have served in the Armed Forces. Claude King is one, ex-officer from Howard U. Secretary Coleman gave him a reality check on how serious even liberal Black Democrat Vets view Kerry's Vietnam transgressions.

But most media people don't get it, still. Beldar just got so sick of them he started a contest for anyone who can prove the SwiftVets charges on anything can be discredited, let alone "widely disproven, entirely groundless" and other phrases the MSM has tried to shovel dirt on the Swifties to bury a story they don't want to cover.

Dave Broder, one of the insiders who has an " august journalistic reputation" on a par with Dan Rather as of Sept 7th, at least, kept it up with an exceptionally stupid, pompous, condescending Sunday article bemoaning "ill-trained Bloggers" and comparing the SwiftVets work to the CBS document forgeries.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49279-2004Sep25.html

I wrote him an email, and I suspect the WashPost will get tons, and called Broder pathetic. I do credit the WashPost with at least putting out some of the most unbiased articles on the CBS forgeries and the River Incident where Kerry rescued Rassman, but thats not saying much.

Mr. Broder,

Attempting to conflate the SwiftVets 60 charges against Kerry with the document forgeries was pretty lame.

I happen to believe that the liberal media has shown it's true colors once again by the prevalance of the party line - the Vets are almost universally called "scurrilous, partisan" and all their charges are deemed "widely discredited".

Nothing the Swift Vets have said has been discredited. Either Kerry has admitted he lied or has had his "Band of Brothers" deny some details and then count on his willing media tools, such as yourself, to claim Kerry's own men disprove it!

As a Vet, I noticed all the TANG stories in big media outlets in 2000 and again last February. I also noticed you had to be dragged kicking and screaming to address the Swift Vet charges. I noticed the uniform demand last January that "Bush release all his military records" on America's biggest TV stations and newspapers. Bush did. But I notice the total code of silence surrounding Kerry releasing his own miltary files and disproving the charges.

Right now, the public is not just laughing at Dan Rather and how his liberal bias shattered his credibility. They are laughing at other one-sided blowhards like Keith Olberman, laughing at the NYTimes allowing it's pro-Democrat bias to lead to it's becoming the Old Yellowpage Whore of Journalism, and laughing at columists like yourself that are so soaked in liberal bias that you can't even do a proper mea culpa.

Fortunately, the people running the Washington Post seem to "get it", are safeguarding journalistic credibility, and are reporting many stories in an open an objective manner. Unlike the NYTimes, which still has big bias problems.....

As for you, ever wonder what is in Kerry's files and why you never wanted him to release them? Ever wonder how he could have forgotten his involvement in the assassination plot of 1971 involving 7 Congressional Leaders, that led him to quit the VVAW? Why it took Kerry 30 years to get his honorable discharge signed? How Kerry managed to discharge his own Reservist Duty?

No, of course not!!

Because as a journalist of high reputation, you hope that we can finally prove Bush Lied about his Guard service, finally cease the irrelevant long-ago charges about Kerry's heroic conduct, then move on to Finally Addressing the Real Important Issues, right?

Posted by: Cedarford on September 27, 2004 01:10 PM

"But most media people don't get it, still."

One example for you:

Columnist Richard Reeves gave a speech at my law school last spring, and as a 3L of minor importance (journal editor) I was invited to the post-speech reception. Though Reeves spoke favorably of Reagan, having written a biography of him, he made no bones about his disapproval of Dubya, which of course at a law school in San Francisco got him lots of cheap applause.

At the reception afterwards, I was standing around with my antitrust professor (one of the two or three out-of-the-closet Republicans on the faculty) and a couple of other people, listening to Reeves hold forth on what an unpleasant personality Al Gore is in person, when talk shifted to the 2004 race. Reeves offered his opinion that Kerry had a huge advantage over Bush because of Kerry's Vietnam service.

I jumped in and asked Reeves, "But don't you think Kerry is going to be a little vulnerable on his conduct after he got back from Vietnam?" He dismissed the question out of hand, not even comprehending that anyone could care about that.

Since the Swift Vets surfaced, I've been occasionally tempted to send Reeves a note reminding him of that comment, with a little bottle of Worcestershire sauce for his serving of crow.

I think I'll wait until November 3, though. It'll be much more satisfying that way.

- Alex (remove "dotcom" to reply)

Posted by: Alex on September 27, 2004 01:26 PM
Posted by: Roy on November 4, 2004 08:17 AM
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