Vietnam Vet Says Has No Proof for Claim Kerry Lied

[cal04]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A veteran who disputed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites)'s Vietnam war record acknowledged on Sunday he had no proof to back his charge that Kerry fabricated the reports of enemy fire that won him two medals.

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Van Odell, a member of the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that has spearheaded a campaign against Kerry's service record, said his was one of seven eyewitness accounts and he was not being directed by President Bush (news - web sites)'s campaign.

He has charged that then Navy Lt. Kerry, a Swift boat commander, fabricated the "after-action" report saying he faced enemy fire on March 13, 1969, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star and his third Purple Heart for being wounded while pulling a fellow soldier to safety. "I do not have a single document," Odell said. "I have the fact that I wasn't wounded in that 5,000 meters of fire that he wrote about." "There was no enemy fire from either bank," he added.

Odell said he had met with Republican strategist Merrie Spaeth, a public relations consultant to his group, and once bought a home from Bob Perry, a large Republican donor from Texas and close associate of Karl Rove, the president's chief political adviser.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&e=1&u=/nm/20040822/pl_nm/campaign_kerry_dc

[fujiyama]

1. The lies of these ass holes

are collapsing by the weight of the bullshit.

This was a smear campaign from the begining. Nothing more.

[Joanne98]

2. It's all "fog of a war thirty years ago" or "heresay"

They have NOTHING. But we have Bush by the balls.

[2Design]

3. if there was no enemy fire why didn't they pick the guy out of the

water....instead of kerry having to go back...

[SoCalDem]

4. Just like how Hannity can't prove that the pedophile rumors are false.

It annoys me to no end that the "supposedly reliable" media outlets have kept beating this drum..

A "normal" press might have reported on day ONE:

"ads coming from some Bush supporters are "alleging" that Kerry's service was less than what he claims"..."kerry's campaign says that these are just typical campaign smear ads, and that kerry served in battle, while mr bush did NOT"...

"some of the participants of the Bush ad were actually supporters of Kerry in the past, and perhaps the real story here, is "what made them switch sides?"..and one in particular is a close personal friend of Karl Rove's"....

"John McCain has denounced these ads as scurrilous and eerily similar to the smear campaign waged against him in 2000 when he was running against bush"... Is there a connection here?"....


THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE APPROPRIATE COMMENTARY ON THE ADS...

Had it gone dowthat way, the bushies would have dropped it like a hot potato..

[Bozita]

5. Maybe a 30 yr mortgage turns into a 20

[Moderator]

6. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=769246