Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Kerry's Smears

Speaking of Kerry laundry lists, here’s one detailing Kerry’s own direct attacks on President Bush’s military record:

Kerry Said President Bush “Didn’t Learn The Lessons” Of Vietnam And Is Putting Soldiers “At Greater Risk.” (Pete Yost, “Bush, Kerry Honor Veterans On Memorial Day,” The Associated Press, 5/31/04)

Kerry: The President “Can’t Even Answer Whether Or Not He Showed Up For Duty In The National Guard.” (ABC’s Good Morning America, 4/26/04)

Kerry: “This Comes From A President Who Can’t Even Show Or Prove That He Showed Up For Duty In The National Guard.” (ABC’s Good Morning America, 4/26/04)

Kerry: “George Bush Has Yet To Explain To America Whether Or Not, And Tell The Truth, About Whether He Showed Up For Duty.” (ABC’s Good Morning America, 4/26/04)

Kerry Compared President Bush’s Guard Service To Draft-Dodging. “‘If people went to Canada, if people opposed the war, if people chose to be in the Guard, that’s their choice, and I’ve never raised that in an issue,’ he said.” (Noelle Straub, “Kerry Presents Himself As GOP’s Worst Nightmare,” Boston Herald, 2/3/04)

Kerry Questioned If President Served In Alabama National Guard. “‘I don’t have the answer to that question. And just because you get an honorable discharge does not, in fact, answer that question.’” (Patrick Healy, “Kerry Casts Doubt On Bush Credibility On Iraq,” The Boston Globe, 2/9/04)

Kerry Even Attacked President’s Service In 2000: “‘Those Of Us Who Were In The Military Wonder How It Is That Someone Who Is Supposedly Serving On Active Duty, Having Taken That Oath, Can Miss A Whole Year Of Service Without Even Explaining Where It Went,’ Said Kerry.” (Mike Glover, “Gore Defends Home Turf As Bush Concedes ‘Mistakes,’” The Associated Press, 11/4/00)

In February 2004, Kerry Claimed He Never Passed Judgment On President’s National Guard Service: “It’s Not An Issue That I’ve Chosen To Create.” (Ron Hutcheson, “White House Releases National Guard Documents,” Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, 2/11/04)

The aforementioned Jim Geraghty asks, “Why are the Swift Boat Vets ads criticizing Kerry's military record part of an inappropriate ‘smear and fear,’ but Kerry's comments [about the President] are appropriate?

I guess in Beacon Hill they only have one-way streets.