A major point of Senator John Kerry's character profile is that he enlisted in the military to fight in the Vietnam War and earned three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star. In highlighting his military experience, he is not-so-subtly distinguishing himself from President Bush, who avoided going to Vietnam by enrolling in the Texas Air National Guard instead. (Not to mention the persistent allegations that Bush never even finished his service, instead going AWOL and being rescued by his family connections from facing the music.)
The Republicans, of course, cannot let this go unchallenged. First they attacked Kerry's Vietnam Veterans Against the War activity and congressional testimony, claiming he was "disloyal" and "aided the enemy" by opposing the war in which he had earlier fought. Then they claimed that he had thrown away his medals, then said it was his ribbons. Everything was designed to make Kerry look like some America-hating hippie.
And now we have something called "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth," a group whose centerpiece is a 60-second TV ad called "Any Questions," featuring various Vietnam veterans all saying that Kerry lied about his military record, betrayed his comrades by opposing the war, didn't deserve his Purple Hearts because he wasn't really wounded that badly, and in general is some America-hating hippie.
But no sooner did the ad appear than it started falling apart. To start with, none of the men featured in the ad actually served with Kerry on the Swift Boat he commanded all those years ago. The closest it gets is by quoting George Elliott, Kerry's former commanding officer, as saying "John Kerry has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam." But after the ad appeared, Elliott recanted his statement. And at the time, Elliott was the one who actually recommended Kerry for his Bronze and Silver Star medals.
Dr. Louis Letson also appears in the ad, claiming that Kerry was insufficiently wounded to get his first Purple Heart, saying "I treated him for that injury." The only problem is that Letson is not listed anywhere on Kerry's medical record at the time. Several other people are quoted as saying that Kerry lied about the circumstances under which he won the Bronze Star -- but their claims are flatly contradicted by the testimony of Kerry's shipmates.
Since Kerry has made a great deal out of his war record, it is, of course, fair game for scrutiny and criticism. And if Kerry lied about his record, then of course it should be exposed. But most of this criticism seems to be based not on what Kerry actually did while he was in Vietnam, but rather on his antiwar activities after he returned to America. As with Jane Fonda, many Vietnam veterans have never forgiven Kerry for publicly opposing the war, and running for President makes him a tempting and very public target.
But by calling Kerry a traitor, a coward and a liar, it all adds up to something that looks more like a smear than any genuine critique.
The fine print at the end says that the ad is "not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee." It's hard to believe, though, that the Bush campaign is not supportive of the ad and its contents. The group's number-one financial backer, Bob Perry, gave them $100,000, making up two-thirds of their reported receipts. Now, it just so happens that Perry has also given a quarter of a million dollars to Republican candidates since 2000, making him one of the top GOP donors in Texas. It's a safe bet that he doesn't want Kerry to win the election.
Interesting coincidence, isn't it? Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and their "Any Questions" ad looks less like a genuine veterans' organization than a Republican front group, a way for the GOP to smear Kerry without looking like they're the ones actually doing it. Are they more interested in getting to the truth, or just in getting Kerry?
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