Wasn't it just two days ago, in that innocent time before the latest Moveon smear, that Tom Harkin was slamming dick cheney as cowardly for not serving in Vietnam? It turns out that Harkin, like his boy Kerry, has a history of exagerating his own service record. The Cheney/Harkin b****-fest story was reported on CNN with no reference to Harkin's past service embellishments: via Instapundit -- From a book called Stolen Valor: More from a Westlaw article: In 1979, Mr. Harkin, then a congressman, participated in a round-table discussion arranged by the Congressional Vietnam Veterans' Caucus. "I spent five years as a Navy pilot, starting in November of 1962," Mr. Harkin said at that meeting, in words that were later quoted in a book, Changing of the Guard, by Washington Post political writer David Broder. "One year was in Vietnam. I was flying F-4s and F-8s on combat air patrols and photo-reconnaisance support missions. I did no bombing." That clearly is not an accurate picture of his Navy service. Though Mr. Harkin stresses he is proud of his Navy record -- "I put my ass on the line day after day" -- he concedes now he never flew combat air patrols in Vietnam. . . . Mr. Harkin's Navy record shows his only decoration is the National Defense Service Medal, awarded to everyone on active service during those years. He did not receive either the Vietnam Service medal or the Vietnam Campaign medal, the decorations given to everyone who served in the Southeast Asia theater. "We didn't get them for what we did," Mr. Harkin says. "It's never bothered me." -- re the Moveon ad, i won't comment on the veracity of it, but it seems to me questionable from an electoral strategy standpoint. after all, it merely serves to highlight the swiftboat charges, perhaps leading people who haven't heard of the swiftvets to wonder what all the fuss is about and do a little investigating of their own. you'd think the Kerry camp would want to get the focus off the swiftvets and back on the reluctant-warrior-hero meme.
You do realize that the claims of Kerry's "exaggeration" have been disproven, right? Oh, that's right, you don't let facts get in the way of the party, huh?
really? please point me to disproof of the christmas in cambodia story. oh, and i do believe that's the first post i've ever read from you w/o at least one example of ALL CAPS...
You mean you want to have proof of Kerry being in Cambodia when you and I both know that those records were destroyed by the Nixon administration, right? There wasn't a word that needed emphasis in that post, but it is good to know that you focus on my use of caps.
kerry has already said he wasn't there at the time he originally claimed. , so it's interesting seeing you cling to a scenario that kerry himself has jetisoned...all of which avoids the point of the thread, which is the incredible temerity of tom harkin calling cheney a coward when his own he's engaged in a substantial amount of service inflation over his own record, and the media's giving him a pass on it.
Basso, I thank you for bringing Harken to the forefront of this reasoned political discourse that we engage in, as it illustrates extreme hypocrisy practiced by one of the presidential candidates. Score yourself an Ippon for that one.
And yet you have no problem with the "service inflation" of GWB. You really enjoy those GOP blinders, huh? BTW, regarding Kerry, he said he wasn't there at the time he originally claimed, but that doesn't change the fact that HE WAS THERE. Your red herrings are so transparent.
Are they suggesting that GWB knew Saddam was going to invade? i don't think even april gillespie got the head-up that far in advance.
IIRC, the US got a heads up from Saddam regarding the invasion, but that was when we were friendly with them so it just flew right by until the REST of the world threw a fit.
i think you mean Glaspie. http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/ARTICLE5/april.html Gillespie is the RNC chairman.
you're quite right, and as the article shows she met w/ saddam eight days prior to the kuwait invasion. bush sold his harken stock 2 months before, so whatever pathetic point the article sam-i-ain't linked to was trying to make, it's been rendered moot. and andy, the rest of the world didn't object. it was margaret thatcher who told H-dud not to go all wobbly...
Why hasn't this story about Kerry died already? You have no idea what it was like in VN. Whether Kerry was in Cambodia or miles on this side of the border of VN is insignificant. Don't you know they got shot at every where they went over there?
You have no idea what's going on here, do you? Dub sold his Harken stock just before it tanked and then neglected to make the appropriate filings. Oops! On an unrelated note, Ambassador Glaspie gave our friend Saddam a virtual green light to invade Kuwait. Is she just an unbridled moron (James Baker, too, apparently), or did George the First trick Saddam into the invasion? Maybe both!
