HEY Pennsylvania! Kerry, Sestak, Vets campaigning in Radnor. Swifts BEWARE!

[blm]

Admiral Sestak Joins Senator John Kerry, Fellow Vets, to Denounce Shameless Swiftboat Attacks from Weldon and other Political Opportunists

Radnor, PA — On Thursday, former Vice Admiral Joe Sestak, the Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, and Senator John Kerry, a decorated Navy veteran and 2004 Democratic Presidential nominee, will join fellow veterans to denounce the "Swiftboat" style attacks. Curt Weldon and other petty political opportunists have shamelessly swiftboated Senator Kerry, Senator John McCain, Senator Max Cleland, and Congressman John Murtha (D-PA 12). When veterans are swiftboated, it is not only an embarrassment to our Democratic process, but it also undermines the integrity of the US military and value of serving.

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, it is particularly troubling that Weldon consistently belittles the U.S. military and Sestak’s service, especially in a time of war, for selfish political gain. Weldon should examine his own disgraceful actions and take accountability for them rather than attacking everyone else in such an embarrassing and disgraceful fashion.


WHO: Former Vice Admiral Joe Sestak, Senator John Kerry, Fellow Veterans

WHAT: Admiral Sestak Joins Senator John Kerry, Fellow Vets, to Denounce Shameless Swiftboat Attacks from Weldon and other Political Opportunists

WHERE: Meridian Venture Partners, 201 King of Prussia Road, 6th Floor, Radnor, PA

WHEN: Thursday, October 26, 2006 at 1:15 p.m.

[whometense]

1. Look what I just found at the American Prospect

Re: repukes digging up ammo for swiftboating

http://www.prospect.org/web/printfriendly-view.ww?id=12169

Crossed Lines?
E-mails allege that Curt Weldon’s office attempted to obtain information on his opponent from the Navy.

By Laura Rozen
Web Exclusive: 10.26.06

E-mails recently forwarded to the Justice Department by a government watchdog group describe alleged efforts by staff of Congressman Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania to call Navy employees for information and negative statements about his Democratic opponent, retired Rear Admiral Joe Sestak. Two e-mails that were forwarded to the Sestak campaign by one current and one former Pentagon employee appear to detail guidance from superiors to staff not to speak with Weldon's office should it call soliciting information about Sestak; Weldon’s office is described in one e-mail as “calling everyone and his brother” in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) about Sestak. A third e-mail written by a defense contractor to the Sestak campaign says that he had been told that Weldon's office had allegedly compiled a “hit list” of defense contractors whose officers had donated to the Sestak campaign, of which he was one, and suggested "retribution" against them. The e-mails were provided to The American Prospect by the Sestak campaign.

The Prospect has confirmed the authenticity of two of the three e-mails, speaking directly with their authors. The Sestak campaign is protecting the identity of the sender of the third e-mail, who it says is an active-duty Pentagon employee.

The Prospect has also interviewed a fourth person, Christine Fox, president of the Center for Naval Analyses, a federally funded research and development organization where Sestak briefly worked after retiring from the Navy; Fox confirms the authenticity of the e-mail written by her and forwarded by a third party to the Sestak campaign describing Weldon's office as "calling everyone and his brother” in OPNAV. But Fox downplays the e-mail, saying that her own e-mail encouraging staff at her organization CNA not to talk about Sestak with Weldon's office was preemptive in nature, based on a tip she heard at a Navy staff meeting at the Pentagon.

"The short story is that I attend meetings in the Pentagon regularly," Fox told the Prospect Monday. "At one of them, I heard people were trying to gather information on Admiral Sestak, and I wrote my vice president that we should warn staff that were that to happen, the appropriate thing is to send to the Navy's chief of information."

House ethics guidelines and U.S. criminal code prohibit government officials or their staffs or campaigns from using their official positions for partisan political or campaign purposes, such as obtaining information about a political opponent from employees at executive branch agencies. "If this is in fact going on, it is clearly a violation of congressional ethics rules and not just by Weldon, but also by any public official in the executive branch who participated in the scheme," said Craig Holman, campaign finance and lobbying specialist at the government watchdog group Public Citizen. "It also potentially crosses the line into criminal behavior." ...

just lovely.

[Norquist Nemesis]

2. Stupid Weldon!

If he hadn't started screaming Abel Danger! all over the place, he could have just rung up Bush for an NSA wiretap to keep watch over the enemy! (Still waiting to hear the results of whether Bush did any wiretapping of Democrats during the 2004 campaign.)

[whometense]

3. You know, I'm waiting to hear about that too.

The ball seems to have been dropped on that, at least - happily, I'm sure - by the press, but I haven't forgotten either.

Frankly, I'd be shocked if he didn't wiretap the opposition.

[David Zephyr]

4. K&R

Kerry at his best!

[DinahMoeHum]

5. Weldon is on Rolling Stone's list of "10 Worst Congressmen"

No. 8 - The Conspiracy Nut:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/12054520/the_10_worst_congressmen/8

:evilgrin:

[blm]

6. Heh - Moonie Weldon probably never even heard of Rolling Stone.

.

[Penndems]

7. Patrick Murphy, the PA-8 Dem Congressional candidate, should be invited, too

The Swift Boaters have gone after him mercilessly. Was he extended an invitation by Admiral Sestak's campaign and Senator Kerry?

Tsk, Tsk . . . :eyes:

[blm]

8. Didn't Kerry work for Murphy 2wks ago? Isn't that where "chickenshits"

attack came from? I'll see if I can track back to it.

[Penndems]

9. Yes, he did, and I'm sorry to say I don't have a link to it

Here's the Murphy '06 website: http://www.murphy06.net/index.php

blm, I stand corrected: The Patrick Murphy website has a graphic on it stating that he was at a rally with Senator Kerry this morning at 10:00.

My bad. :(

[blm]

12. No - you're good - I didn't even know about the earlier rally w/Murphy so

you just informed ME. Grazie.

Alot of our Dems are moving all over the place for really tough races. Kerry, Clark and Cleland have been going nonstop since 2003, with few days left for themselves.

I love those guys. I think I have to toss Dean in there, too, for working so hard on the party infrastructure that had been pretty much left to collapse since 1997.

[Penndems]

19. Whoever the company was that put together Patrick Murphy's website did a heck of a job

The graphics are just outstanding.

I love that trio, too. Wonderful, honorable veterans in every sense of the words.

[blm]

10. Here - Kerry worked with Murphy just 2 weeks earlier.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-marsh/john-kerry-fights-for-pat_b_31227.html

And from what I recall, he's been working for Murphy for many months. I think I've received at least a half dozen fundraising requests targeting Murphy since the beginning of this year.

[Penndems]

11. Thanks for your detective work in locating this link

I'm hoping that Admiral Sestak takes that seat away from Representative Weldon, but I'm a huge Patrick Murphy supporter!

[karynnj]

14. Didn't he and Kerry even do a joint op-ed for one of the PA

papers about a month ago as well? (I remember in it Murphy mentioned he was named for someone who died in Vietnam.)

[Penndems]

18. It was either the Philly Inky or the Philly Daily News

Not sure which one.

(earlier text edited to reflect correct response.)

[zulchzulu]

13. 2 of the original Swifties hang out at Greenville Country Club in Delaware

It's right next to PA. It would be cool for the fellas to give the place a visit.


Robert G. Elder, a Wilmington banker, is one of the big "organizers".

George Elliott also goes there...

I'm sure John would love to pay them a visit.

http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=Greenville+Country+Club+Owls+Nest+Road,+Greenville,+DE

Radnor, PA is only 30 miles away:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&saddr=Radnor+PA&daddr=Greenville+DE&ie=UTF8&z=11&om=1

:evilgrin:

Here's the Swiftie transcript with their words:

Al French: I served with John Kerry.

Bob Elder : I served with John Kerry.

George Elliott: John Kerry has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam.

Al French: He is lying about his record.

Louis Letson: I know John Kerry is lying about his first Purple Heart because I treated him for that injury.

Van O'Dell: John Kerry lied to get his bronze star...I know, I was there, I saw what happened.

Jack Chenoweth: His account of what happened and what actually happened are the difference between night and day.

Admiral Hoffman: John Kerry has not been honest.

Adrian Lonsdale: And he lacks the capacity to lead.

Larry Thurlow: When he chips were down, you could not count on John Kerry.

Bob Elder: John Kerry is no war hero.

Grant Hibbard: He betrayed all his shipmates...he lied before the Senate.

Shelton White: John Kerry betrayed the men and women he served with in Vietnam.

Joe Ponder: He dishonored his country...he most certainly did.

Bob Hildreth: I served with John Kerry...

Bob Hildreth (off camera) : John Kerry cannot be trusted.

Actually, Elder NEVER served with Kerry...and Elliot had said in earlier ties that he really admired Kerry as a soldier.
http://www.factcheck.org/article231.html

[blm]

15. Good info - - figures they're country club boys, just like Bush.

Only a controlled press corps could turn Bush into a rancher in 2000, when he lived in golf communities most of the time and only bought the "ranch" for the campaign. Then he got the country to spend TAX DOLLARS to finish it off.

[zulchzulu]

16. I accidentally ran into these scum at a Christmas party last year

I was too much of a gentleman to take them out into the woods and show them what the Democratic version of Shock and Awe is. But I did walk up to Elliot and flip him the bird...gentlemanly...of course...

[blm]

17. heheh...I've seen a few "gentlemanly" birds in my time.

They always make me laugh. The meaning is just. so. clear.....in a refined way, of course. ;)