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[sprsk]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13267-2004Aug18.html?nav=rss_politics

This article is both funny and pretty funny.

 

[bishoptl]

Larry Thurlow in an anti-John Kerry ad. Thurlow said he would consider his own Bronze Star "fraudulent" if coming under enemy fire was the basis for it. (AP)

Fraudulent indeed. This is absolutely priceless. I fully expect Mr. Thurlow to return his Bronze Star to the appropriate authorities. Unless he was lying then. Or is he lying now? You never can tell when you're dealing with Bush's cronies, can you?

Credibility: it's not just for breakfast anymore.

 

[levious]

"I never heard a shot," Thurlow said in his affidavit


A document recommending Thurlow for the Bronze Star noted that all his actions "took place under constant enemy small arms fire which LTJG THURLOW completely ignored in providing immediate assistance" to the disabled boat and its crew. The citation states that all other units in the flotilla also came under fire.

So this is all just a big misunderstanding... Thurlow was so focused on the task at hand that he just didn't notice all the gunfire.

 

[bishoptl]

Pretty sweet to ride that "misunderstanding" into piles of money and a national profile based on fraud.

 

[mrmyth]

Bush has to hammer at Kerry's service because the GOP has absolutely nothing to counter it. They're hoping if they keep repeating the lie long enough, it'll become the truth to the voters.



Kerry should whip out an old M16 at the debates and cause GWB to shit his pants.

 

[levious]

Pretty sweet to ride that "misunderstanding" into piles of money and a national profile based on fraud.

I was being sarcastic... but maybe you knew, I can never tell.

 

[bishoptl]

Yeah I knew. Just going along for the ride.

 

[Makura]

So the washington Post is joining the smear campaign too eh?

But he has refused repeated requests for an interview after issuing conflicting statements to the Boston Globe about whether Kerry deserved a Silver Star.

Wrong.

I love how the smallest part of the article is his response to the entire subject:

"It's like a Hollywood presentation here, which wasn't the case," Thurlow said last night after being read the full text of his Bronze Star citation. "My personal feeling was always that I got the award for coming to the rescue of the boat that was mined. This casts doubt on anybody's awards. It is sickening and disgusting."

Slinece teh dissenters!!!1

 

[levious]

that was the first time he had ever read his own bronze star citation? And why was his award revoked anyway... the article either didn't say or I missed it.

Makura,

so you're into that show now? I only watched the first disc... not sure if I'll continue.

 

[happyfunball]

read a bit closer next time makura

 

[Incognito]

Doesn't this asshole live in Texas? Someone get me an address.

 

[Ripclawe]

The Post piece made it even worse for Kerry, because now the question is who filed the report that was the basis of the citation.
According to the swiftvets the only person to file a report was Kerry.

Thurlow responds
http://www.swiftvets.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3156

Van Del responds here(Screwed up the links)
http://www.swiftvets.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3298

Kerry's Cambodia story has already changed about 4 times. Another part of the story that seems to have changed is that out of all the boats Kerry's boat was the only one that fled and then came back, before it was he stayed.


The fact he has responded and running an ad during August when the campaign said they wouldn't means the charges are having an effect, there is a poll that Josh marshall has citied as saying the Ad had an effect on undecided voters.

O'neill was on Sean Hannity show and Kerry's people were supposed to come on afterwards, they have now bailed after O'neill was on and countered the new ad and Kerry's charges.

EDIT: Kerry's people were supposed to be on H&C tonight and bailed, not the radio show.

Also this story from the Boston Globe by Kranish
http://www.boston.com/news/politics...erry_disputes_allegations_on_cambodia?mode=PF

it further muddles the cambodia story at the end.

 

[Chesapeake Silt]

A courageous, soft spoken man of the Midwest, Larry Thurlow has a heart bigger than the great plains and a commitment to truth and honesty that is boundless.

HAHAHAHAHAAAHHHHAAA.

Good lord, you couldn't make this stuff up if you tried.

 

[Dan]

There needs to be a law that requires political campaigns to be centered on candidates' plans for the future rather than bullshit that may or may not have happened 35 years ago. God, this campaign sucks in every way.

 

[Phoenix]

Anything to cloud the real issues....

 

[Dilbert]

The Post piece made it even worse for Kerry, because now the question is who filed the report that was the basis of the citation.
According to the swiftvets the only person to file a report was Kerry.

Do you have an independent source for this claim, other than the Swift Vets? The Post article said quite clearly that the responsibility for filing the report would have fallen to Thurlow, as the senior captain. If Kerry did file an incorrect report -- where the hell was Thurlow at that time?

The fact he has responded and running an ad during August when the campaign said they wouldn't means the charges are having an effect, there is a poll that Josh marshall has citied as saying the Ad had an effect on undecided voters.

...which has NOTHING to do with the truth or falsity of the claim against Kerry. Bringing up poll numbers is totally disingenuous.

O'neill was on Sean Hannity show and Kerry's people were supposed to come on afterwards, they have now bailed

Again -- what does this have to do with ANYTHING? Not a fucking thing.

So, in your response, you have managed to cite not one but TWO details which are totally irrelevant to the veracity of the story, and repeated the original claim yet again, hoping that saying it multiple times will somehow make it true.

Oh, and by the way, Kerry's Vietnam service is only an "issue" because Republicans somehow have manipulated the public into thinking that Democrats are "soft" on defense, even though the current Commander-in-Chief avoided 'Nam, and might have even avoided his cushy National Guard assignment. What medals he earned or did not earn have ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY NOTHING TO DO with his qualifications to be President.

Nice troll, dude. Now go away.

 

[Drinky Crow]

But Thurlow's military records, portions of which were released yesterday to The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act, contain several references to "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" directed at "all units" of the five-boat flotilla. Thurlow won his own Bronze Star that day, and the citation praises him for providing assistance to a damaged Swift boat "despite enemy bullets flying about him."

Thurl0wn3d!

 

[Ripclawe]

Do you have an independent source for this claim, other than the Swift Vets? The Post article said quite clearly that the responsibility for filing the report would have fallen to Thurlow, as the senior captain. If Kerry did file an incorrect report -- where the hell was Thurlow at that time?

The Post article says might have been expected to write the report, but there is no convincing evidence that he did. This bolded quote also brings into question what and where exactly Rassman was. Kerry was also a commander of a swift boat, he could have filed the report instead of Thurlow who makes out like Rambo from the citation.

Thurlow and other anti-Kerry veterans have repeatedly alleged that Kerry was the author of an after-action report that described how his boat came under enemy fire. Kerry campaign researchers dispute that assertion, and there is no convincing documentary evidence to settle the argument. As the senior skipper in the flotilla, Thurlow might have been expected to write the after-action report for March 13, but he said that Kerry routinely "duked the system" to present his version of events.

For much of the episode, Kerry was not in a position to know firsthand what was happening on Thurlow's boat, as Kerry's boat had sped down the river after the mine exploded under another boat. He later returned to provide assistance to the stricken boat.

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0117d.html

On March 13, 1969, Rassmann, a Green Beret, was traveling down the Bay Hap river in a boat behind Kerry’s when both were ambushed by exploding land mines and enemy fire coming from the shore. Kerry was hit in the arm, while a mine blew Rassmann’s boat out of the water. With enemy fire coming from both sides of the river and swift boats evacuating from the area, Kerry’s crew chose to turn their boat toward the ambush to save Rassmann.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110005460

On March 13, 1969, John Kerry's courage and leadership saved my life.
While returning from a SEA LORDS operation along the Bay Hap River, a mine detonated under another swift boat. Machine-gun fire erupted from both banks of the river, and a second explosion followed moments later. The second blast blew me off John's swift boat, PCF-94, throwing me into the river. Fearing that the other boats would run me over, I swam to the bottom of the river and stayed there as long as I could hold my breath.

The swiftvets are saying
http://www.swiftvets.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3156

After the mine exploded, leaving swift boat three dead in the water, John Kerry's boat, which was on the opposite side of the river, fled the scene.

US Army Special Forces officer Jim Rassmann, who was on Kerry's boat at the time, fell off the boat and into the water. Kerry's boat returned several minutes later-under no hail of enemy gunfire-to retrieve Rassmann from the river only seconds before another boat was going to pick him up.
Kerry campaign spokespersons have conflicting accounts of this incident-the latest one being that Kerry's boat did leave but only briefly and returned under withering enemy fire to rescue Mr. Rassmann. However, none of the other boats on the river that day reported enemy fire nor was anyone wounded by small arms action. The only damage on that day was done to boat three-a result of the underwater mine. None of the other swift boats received damage from enemy gunfire.

Two other skippers, Jack Chenoweth and Richard Pees, have said they do not remember coming under "enemy fire." A fourth commander, Don Droz, who was one of Kerry's closest friends in Vietnam, was killed in action a month later.

If there was enemy fire, either the viet cong were the inspiration for Storm Troopers or there was no enemy fire. Thats 3 skippers against Kerry version which makes no sense as the press release shows.

...which has NOTHING to do with the truth or falsity of the claim against Kerry. Bringing up poll numbers is totally disingenuous.

I never said it did, I said for Kerry to come out and run ads now against this means it has done damage or he would not respond.

What medals he earned or did not earn have ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY NOTHING TO DO with his qualifications to be President.

If Kerry is lying or embellishing certain events, it will hurt him.

 

[Drensch]

Doesn't this asshole live in Texas? Someone get me an address.

Asshole hunting in Texas is like looking for water in the pacific ocean.

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

Jesus, can't we get back to the real issue: Bush avoiding service? Now, the big issue is what happened in war by an actual participant? It's dumb like how many seconds it took Bush to get up out of his seat on 9/11.