HOWLER nuking the Swift Boat Vets today

[BOSSHOG]

Another excellent article by the Daily Howler. He does what today's "journalists" don't do. He researches and investigates. He does not print or read whatever comes over the fax from karl rove's office.

Note to lurkers. Don't go to this sight. It deals in truth. Something you have proven you can't handle. You'd rather "think independently" and agree with everything some right wing punk with a microphone tells you. It must suck being you.

www.dailyhowler.com/dh050504.shtml

[jjanpundt]

1. Please don't slam all lurkers

I lurk on DU all the time, for a couple of years actually. I visit most of the forums and have found so much valuable information on this site. There are some great writers on any number of topics. It makes my day. There's so much to read here and follow up on. I just don't feel much like posting.

[lcooksey]

6. Welcome to DU, jjanpundt

:toast:

I'm sure he meant "freeper lurkers", not all lurkers. You don't have to post if you don't feel like it.

[newyawker99]

12. Hi jjanpundt!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[sadiesworld]

2. I never pass up a chance to give props to the Daily Howler.

The Daily Howler & Bob Somerby: :yourock:

[TacticalPeek]

3. Kewl. Thanks for posting this.

And reminding us of the EXcellent work Somerby does.

:toast:

[Timbuk3]

4. On Kerry's boat

I have a few things to add.

First, I've read the howler for a while now, and I love the site. If you like the howler, you'll like David Brock's new site, too.

"Media Matters for America will document and correct conservative misinformation in each news cycle. Media Matters for America will monitor cable and broadcast news channels, print media and talk radio, as well as marginal, right-wing websites that often serve as original sources of misinformation for well-known conservative and mainstream media outlets." http://mediamatters.org/

Second, the story below is by Kevin Drum, formerly of Calpundit.

"ON JOHN KERRY'S BOAT"....Over at The Campaign Desk, Thomas Lang has some questions about the Wall Street Journal editorial page and its journalistic ethics. It turns out that today they finally ran their eagerly-awaited hatchet job against John Kerry from Vietnam vet/Republican shill John O'Neill, who, despite his "reluctance to become involved once again in politics," apparently decided his conscience wouldn't let him rest until he told the world the truth: Kerry is unfit to be America's commander in chief. Why? Because he dislikes some of Kerry's testimony about the Vietnam War 30 years ago.

Right. But we were talking about journalistic ethics, weren't we? Lang, it turns out, read the print (!) edition of the WSJ this morning and noted that the editors had added something to O'Neill's contribution to the public discourse: a pull quote designed to break up the masses of gray type. And he had a problem with that pull quote. Unfortunately, he said, "We can't show you the print edition of the Journal." Here at the Washington Monthly, though, thanks to the miracle of affordable personal computer technology, we can. So here it is. (You need to go to the link and see the picture to really appreciate how blissfully unaware the average reader of the WSJ must be.)

Lang, nitpicker that he is, had two problems:

It's not actually a quote from anywhere in the article. Which, really, it ought to be. Since they put it between quote marks and all.

It's obviously designed to catch the attention of readers who don't actually read the article and fool them into thinking that O'Neill served alongside John Kerry. Saw him in action. Knew him personally back in the day.

Nope. "On Mr. Kerry's boat" turns out to mean that after Kerry left Vietnam O'Neill happened to get assigned to the boat that Kerry had previously commanded. See? "On Mr. Kerry's boat." Cute, isn't it?

Anyway, I apologize for using the phrases "Wall Street Journal editorial page" and "journalistic ethics" in the same sentence above. That's clearly an abuse of the English language.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2004_05/003846.php

Third, lurkers are cool. I is one (or is that "I are one"?) sometimes, too. I think what was meant was "whacked out phony Christian fundagelic right wing nut job lurkers".

Just my 2 bits on this.

[tom_paine]

5. Yes, it must suck being them

You might want to inspect my "Message to the tom_paine fanclub at CU" that is embedded in my sigline.

I guarantee a smile, BOSSHOG!

[SEpatriot]

7. Gotta love the Howler

This stuff needs to be posted everywhere. Maybe someone could do a nice piece on how necessary GW's visit to the dentist in Alabama was and, oops...well his evaluations speak for themselves.

[Cocoa]

8. lol

literally, the Howler consistently makes me laugh out loud. "Not too swift." :-)

[LuLu550]

9. I suppose these "morans"

don't get that in putting Kerry down for not "suffering enough" for his fist Purple Heart, they are putting down a hell of a lot of other troops who got purple hearts after receiving less than major wounds. It is not up to the troop to give himself or herself the purple heart, it is awarded after the individual "sheds blood for his/her country."

[VOX]

10. I finally read the "swiftboat vets" schtick and it made me want to vomit.

This is such a sad and hateful act, and it should be debunked and neutralized with **extreme** prejudice.

Kerry was **there**, in Nam. And where was * ??????? Over the hill, jerking off -- by choice.

on edit: typos

[Nicholas_J]

11. As I have said in numerous places

Even if Kerry earned his purple heart by getting a splinter in his butt sitting in the swift boat gives him an infinite degree of credibility over the majority of Republicans in the Legislature, most of who found ways to avoid the draft, while the Democratic side of Congress is filled with many who served in the military and won any number of medals for valor. Even Tom Dashle is served in the air force. Republican listed as having served in the military were by and large all in either the reserves, and a few in the coast guard.

You compare the list of prominent Democrats who served and recieved high honors:

Former Senator Bob Kerrey... Democrat... Lt. j.g., U.S. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam (1, 2)

Senator Daniel Inouye, US Army 1943-'47; Medal of Honor, World War Two (1, 2)

Senator John Kerry, Lt., U.S. Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, and three awards of the Purple Heart for his service in combat (1)

Representative Charles Rangel, Staff Sgt., U.S. Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea (1, 2)

Former Senator Max Cleland, Captain, U.S. Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam (1, 2)


Senator Fritz Hollings (D-SC) - served as a U.S. Army officer in World War II, receiving the Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons. (1)


Representative Leonard Boswell (D-IA) - Lt. Col., U.S. Army 1956-76; two tours in Vietnam, two Distinguished Flying Crosses as a helicopter pilot, two Bronze Stars, and the Soldier's Medal. (1, 2)

Former Representative "Pete" Peterson, Air Force Captain, POW, Ambassador to Viet Nam, and recipient of the Purple Heart, the Silver Star and the Legion of Merit. (1, 2)

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-CA: Staff sergeant/platoon leader with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, U.S. Army; was wounded and received a Purple Heart. (1, 2)

Bill McBride, Democratic Candidate for Florida Governor - volunteered and served as a U.S. Marine in Vietnam; awarded Bronze Star with a combat "V." (1)

Gray Davis, California Governor, Army Captain in Vietnam; received Bronze Star. (1)


to Republicans who have been honored for meritorious behavior during their service:

Prominent Republicans

Senator John McCain - McCain's naval honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.

Chuck Hagel - two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, Vietnam. http://www.senate.gov/~hagel/Information/bio.htm

Duke Cunningham - nominated for the Medal of Honor, received the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, fifteen Air Medals, the Purple Heart, and several other decorations

Representative Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), served in USMC in Vietnam; wounded in action.

http://awolbush.com/whoserved.html

We see a clearly lopsided degree of patriotism through military service and decoration in Congress and other high offices.

Democrats have two Congressional Medal of Honor Winners to their name, and considerablly more winners of the highest honors.

Republicans have Dick Cheney, who had better things to do.

[SiouxJ]

13. Too bad we can't find some of Shrub's old war buddies to

smear him. Oh yeah! That's right, no one remembers ever serving with him.

If they want to base "fitness to be President" on events that took place 30 years ago, who is more fit, a drunk or decorated soldier?