Hypocrisy in the Air

I’ve read about the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (www.swiftvets.com) and their claims against Kerry. Kerry has been defensive saying that these ads should not be aired.

Some say that you do not have the right to criticize Kerry if you are not a Veteran. However, Kerry has been campaigning on his Vietnam record for 30 years and even opened the convention by goofily stating that he was “reporting for duty.” I think the public reserves the right to examine that record. If a candidate was campaigning on his record as a businessman, the public would have the right to examine his performance even though they are not businessmen themselves. I wouldn’t want to focus on events that happened 35 years ago in order to make my choice for the President. However, constantly lying or exaggerating claims of bravery and heroics is not honorable. Kerry then continues to dig himself further in a hole, by now contradicting statements he has made for years (like being in Cambodia). I wouldn’t have any interest in whether or not he had exaggerated claims if he just focused on America today, instead of constantly injecting his Vietnam service into every statement. He rarely talks about his Senate record or what he would like to do for the country, but only his 4 months stint in Vietnam.

My main problem with everything is that Kerry has attack the airing of the ads, and even called on the publisher (Salon) of the book “Unfit for Command,” to recall the book. However, he has spent little time actually refuting the claims. Kerry’s team has called on Bush to repudiate the ads. However, where were the Democrats when Fahrenheit 9/11 was playing? (Oh they were in the audience!). That movie was filled with countless documented factual errors, yet I didn’t see Kerry or DNC denouncing the movie. Bush didn’t call Miramax and demand the film not to be shown, nor did Bush didn’t declare that the they sent Michael Moore to do Kerry’s dirty work (as Kerry said about Bush and the Swifties).

Kerry laughed it up when Fahrenheit 9/11 was raking in the box office dough, but now he expects special privileges?