Pentagon to Check Kerry War Record

Suddenly, Bush Believes in Open Government

Published on September 7, 2004 By blogic In Politics

In a fresh blow to John Kerry's flagging presidential campaign, the Pentagon has ordered an official investigation into the awards of the Democratic senator's five Vietnam War decorations.

The highly unusual inquiry is to be carried out by the inspector-general's office of the United States navy, for which Sen Kerry served as a Swift Boat captain for four months in 1968, making two tours of duty.

This is as about as dirty as it gets, and reflects the willingness of the Bush Campaign to resort to viciousness, in order to stay in power. As I've said before, Republicans deserve better leaders than these.

Notice how eagerly Rumseld's Pentagon has jumped to investigate Kerry's record, as compared to its stonewalling on Bush's own National Guard service record, with its missing documents, routine forms that disappear and reappear from the record, and an Alabama tour that apparently consisted of only a free dental exam.

Judicial Watch, the watchdog group that submitted the request for investigation to the Pentagon, is better known for pressing Dick Cheney to reveal the details of his energy policy meetings. Those meetings led to new regulations that have vastly improved the position of the big energy companies, at the expense of consumers and the environment. Under previous presidents, those discussions would have been available under the Freedom of Information Act. The Bush administration was so dead set against revealing any information about Cheney's meetings that they took their obstructionism to the Supreme Court.

I believe in open government, but these slimy Republican leaders -- who are unmoored from the honorable values of their party -- will do whatever they can get away with, no matter how slimy, in order to keep ruling America.

Comments

eieio

on Sep 07, 2004

Regardless if this investigation is partisan or not, shouldn't the record be cleared up?

Kerry himself said "If you wind up being less than what you're pretending to be, there is a major confrontation with value, self-esteem and your sense of how others view you" regarding the same action (claiming a Silver Star with Combat V) taken by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jeremy Boorda in 1996. Kerry also said the error was "sufficient to question his leadership position."

Catechumen

on Sep 07, 2004

Come on! I can't believe people are griping about it this much!

Democrats always use negative ads against Republicans, I think it should be just fine for Republicans to use negative ads.
It's just people expect it from democrats (i.e. clinton and gore).

Deference

on Sep 07, 2004

No problem here, Kerry has nothing to hide. This is just another short term tactic to cast doubt on Kerry's record, when he is finally absolved, this will be old news....

(hasn't anyone caught on yet to these tactics?)

ShoZan

on Sep 07, 2004

Judicial Watch was and still believe are investigating one medal, I don't know when somebody just repeated all the medal were under scrutiny, but only one medal is under investigation, that being the Silver Medal with V device, which the Navy did not award to any during the whole Vietnam War. Silver Medal with V Device is what the whole investigation is into, and I thought this was covered by the non-partisan media groups already, as for medals under investigation, it is a common thing, not so uncommon as you think, you wouldn't believe the number of soldiers who check other soldiers to make sure they got awarded what that soldier says he/she got awarded.

Still as it has said before Kerry did question an Admiral who later committed suicide all because of the Silver Star with V device, and now he says it is not that bad, when he hammered down on a man who devoted his life to the military over the same award, this is a case of double standard.

'Do as I say don't do as I do' a phrase that is commonly associated with Evangelical preachers who acted up, I think it can apply to other people as well, case in point this problem with the Silver Star with V device and Kerry.

Lee1776

on Sep 07, 2004

No problem here, Kerry has nothing to hide. This is just another short term tactic to cast doubt on Kerry's record, when he is finally absolved, this will be old news....

I've been asking on this forum for the last month wondering why Kerry will not release the AARs and other reports that the Navy has repeatedly asked him to release. But Kerry is bringing this on himself for not releasing them. If he had nothing to fear, then why has he not done it yet?

Catechumen

on Sep 07, 2004

Every Politician has something to hide.

Bush isn't perfect and neither is Kerry. They both have vices. I haven't seen many Kerry virtues. Most of the things Kerry promises, should he deliver them, will make us much like Europe (example: Universal Health Care)

Deference

on Sep 07, 2004

ShoZan

on Sep 07, 2004

On Bush:

As for Bush being AWOL, I don't think that was the case, after all AWOL for a year, some National Guards men or women can answer my question on this, but from my own experience of filling out AWOL paperwork and doing up Deserter paperwork in my brief time in the military, that if an individual is AWOL, after 31 days he is charged as a Deserter and dealt with as such, even officers get charged, if Bush was AWOL for a year he would have been declared a deserter no matter how powerful his Dad is, because the Military loathes Deserters with vengeance, which should be clear to see with the guy who went AWOL in Korea close to 50 years ago, they don't forget Deserters. So if Bush was AWOL for a year he would have been charged and lost rank with a court martial, but the fact that he did not and received an Honorable Discharge shows that he was not AWOL, you can't be AWOL and receive an Honorable Discharge, and I think if Bush presented that right there it's enough to stop his supposed AWOL in Alabama attackers (which I did see an LTC from that Unit come and say Bush was there on Hannity and Colmes, and Colmes was asking the question well what about the people who were there and said they didn't see him, last time I checked there are more than twenty people in a guard unit like that, hell do you think a First Sergeant (I was a SPC) out of my Battalion knew I was there on Fort Benning. So I want Bush to release his Honorable Discharge papers and other release papers such as the DD 214 (don't know what it's predecessor was) to show he was not AWOL.

On Kerry:

I too would like to see Kerry release his AARs, but the bigger question is when did he a get a Honorable Discharge, I heard a rumor it was in 2001 is when he finally got the paperwork, now the military will back date paperwork when it comes to things like that, but 2001 that's quite a time after his discharge that he got an honorable discharge paper, he should have had it after his four months in which he received his purple hearts.

Also a question for other military, since when did the words "OFFICIAL COPY" get stamped on all of the Military's paperwork, I thought the document was official without the stamps.

Daiwa

on Sep 07, 2004

Oh, come on, blogic - stop tiptoeing around the subject and come right out with your real feelings!

Kerry himself said "If you wind up being less than what you're pretending to be, there is a major confrontation with value, self-esteem and your sense of how others view you" regarding the same action (claiming a Silver Star with Combat V) taken by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jeremy Boorda in 1996. Kerry also said the error was "sufficient to question his leadership position."

I hadn't heard that before - thanks for sharing it, pictoratus. Shoe appears to fit.

Cheers,
Daiwa

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