Koppel missed this in the Nightline episode.....

[SeekingTruth]

When O'Neill kept pointing out that Kerry has stated he was glad there was only one VC with a rocket launcher and it is documented in many places, Koppel failed to point out as opposed to what?

Hell, yes, anyone would be glad to only come across one opponent with a rocket launcher instead of three, four or ten. At no time did Kerry ever claim that there was only ONE VC present - just that when he chased that one VC down, he was greatful that he was the only one present with a rocket launcher as opposed to more than one.

O'Neill was trying to persuade viewers that Kerry's documentation and the reports appear to state only ONE VC was present at all times.

This guy is a complete nut and they just need to quit covering him.

[Skarbrowe]

1. So true!

I just caught the last 10 minutes of Nightline and O'Neill kept propping up these books. Damn the guy looked silly. I remember when this was first discussed ages ago, that Kerry meant that he and his crew were glad there was only one guy with a rocket launcher. I never, ever took it that there was only one VC guy in the whole area. Are the repugs getting desperate or what? What a strange point to harp on. I did miss the whole point of the show though. Did Nightline recently interview people from Viet Nam that remember the incident and told their side?

[DemBones DemBones]

2. I didn't see all of it, either, but that seems to be the case -- that

the Vietnamese people remembered the events the way Kerry told them, not the way the Swifties would like to.

[krkaufman]

3. Correct. Vietnamese accounts match what is in the OFFICIAL record...

... including Kerry's citation.

- MANY VietCong attacking (not just one)
- A 26-year-old adult with a rocket launcher (not a kid in a loin cloth)

[LynnTheDem]

4. EXACTLY!!!! THANK YOU!!!

I;ve screamed this about a dozen times in threads here tonight!

The US Navy reports also ALL mention JUST ONE VC with a ROCKeT LAUNCHER...and OTHERS with OTHER WEAPONS.

Kerry's bio does say ONLY ONE VC WITH ROCKET LAUNCHER...and mentions the OTHERS with OTHER WEAPONS.

The SB crewmen have also ALL mentioned ONLY ONE VC had a rocket launcher...and OTHER VC had OTHER weapons.

But O'Neill is trying to convince people that the ONE VC W LAUNCHER was the ONLY VC there.

NOT TRUE and ALL eyewitnesses (crew and the Vietnamese) and ALL documentation AGREE; ONLY ONE had a LAUNCHER, but there were OTHER VC there with OTHER weapons.

And they should know more than O'Neill; O'Neill WASN'T EVEN IN VIETNAM at that time.

[knowbody0]

5. i agree

the rocket launcher would have destroyed a boat. this "kill" haunts jfk - he does not talk about it

[lanparty]

7. Jeesh anyone who plays Quake ...

Anyone who plays quake knows that you have to frag the guy with the rocket launcher FIRST before he takes your entire team out with one shot!!!!

;-)

[MidwestTransplant]

6. Email Nightline to tell them. I did to tell them that very thing.

I wish Ted had picked up on it but he did an OK job overall.

[RafterMan]

8. But Koppel pointed that out

He said the one guy wasn't the whole battle -- that there were 20 other VC there, according to the after-action report and to the eyewitnesses.

[gavodotcom]

9. I mentioned this in the big nightline thread.

I don't know what to think of it. The same thing crossed my mind when I heard O'Neill, and I hadn't EVER looked into either Kerry or O'Neill's Vietnam activities before tonight--but the O'Neill Nixon connection is very, very intriguing (anyone with a clearinghouse resource site on this connection they could point me to would be appreciated).

But yeah, I heard him quote Kerry's book, then he misconstrued what Kerry said. Ridiculousness.

I think Koppel just let O'Neill hang himself with his own rope, to be honest. Having said that, he could have done a better job.