Another Swift Boat Vet Bows Out of Obama Attacks

[grantcart]

Source: Washington Post

Another veteran of the Swift Boat campaign against John Kerry has indicated he will not participate in financing ads attacking Democrat Barack Obama.

Already, Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens said in interviews that he would bow out to pursue a campaign to end the nation's dependence on foreign oil. Now a second major donor, Texas billionaire Sam Wyly, who has given about $10 million to Republican candidates and causes since the 1970s, has said publicly he will not participate in independent group efforts to tarnish Obama this year.

A number of veterans of the withering ad campaign against Kerry in 2004, which was sponsored by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, are trying to reorganize in the final weeks of the 2008 campaign through the American Issues Project, The Post reported over the weekend. But in an interview with the Associated Press published this morning, Wyly was asked if he would finance another Swift Boat-type campaign this year.

"No, no, no," Wyly said. Laughing, he said, "I've done that, and other people can do that now."

One clue as to why he might be sitting this election out can be found in his 2000 campaign efforts. Wyly gave $2.5 million to a group that favored then-Gov. George W. Bush over Sen. John McCain. McCain complained bitterly about the ads, calling on the Federal Election Commission and the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the group, which went by the name Republicans for Clean Air.



Read more: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/15/another_swift_boat_vets_bows_o.html

[bluestateguy]

1. Eh

T. Boone is looking out for his legacy and reputation, or maybe this is some kind of a courtesy gesture because Obama was willing to meet with him about his energy plan.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

4. Ole T. Boone knows a money-making opportunity when he sees one.

How can his Repuke friends call him stupid on energy and dismiss his ideas?

[dchill]

5. Besides, T. Boone has some natural gas...

to sell us. He needs Dems to buy it, too.

[madrchsod]

2. they do`t trust the crew that gramps and moose will put in the whitehouse

they need the democrats to restore the economic system so they can make some money....those tax breaks for the "new energy" is looking mighty good to the oil patch boys.

[DeadManInc]

3. They know the stock market is in the shitter, and

the repuke ticket is too fucking dumb to turn things around.

[gtar100]

6. If that's true (and I hope it is), they'd do well to undermine mccain

If not overtly, covertly.

[grantcart]

7. I think its also a matter of wasting money - they know McCain is going to lose