It’s nice to see that some commentators maintain a semblance of sanity when discussing this nonsense. After citing a new article that blows away some of the smoke, he says:
So let me get this straight. Kerry did go to Cambodia — even though that was supposedly impossible, he did take CIA guys in — even though that was supposedly absurd, and he did get a hat from one of them — even though that was supposedly a sign of mental instability. The extent of Kerry’s malfeasance is that instead of doing it in December, he actually did it in January and February.
Considering that he’s mentioned this story only twice, most recently 18 years ago, and it turns out that his only crime is to have tarted it up with a bit of holiday pathos, I think I’ll pass on following it any further down the Swift Vets rabbit hole. But thanks to everyone who displayed their deep unseriousness about this election by participating in this smear. It will be remembered.
Deep unseriousness — indeed, heh, read the whole thing.
Incredible, as we are trapped in the Iraqi quagmire, as jobs are lost and people are thirsting for solutions and real leadership, we are tricked into taking this BS seriously. And war bloggers are aghast and furious that the big media aren’t following their lead and covering this non-story 24/7. For once, the media are doing their job and thinking for themselves, instead of chasing baseless rumors that are utterly irrelevant to the election.
1
By wayne
Hey, I want Bush unseated as much as you but…
Isn’t this the same Kevin Drum that’s written dozens of posts analyzing Bush’s National Guard records? Funny how that’s such a critical test of Bush’s character but when it comes to Christmas in Cambodia, no, we have to focus on the serious issues at hand, Iraq and the economy and such.
I can’t bear to read American politics blogs anymore. Between their microscopic attention spans and their moral outrage constantly turned up to 11, I don’t think I could stand the drama from now to November.
August 13, 2004 @ 6:50 pm | Comment
2
By richard
I know what you mean; it’s unbearable. But please don’t fall into the trap the Republicans have set. By equating Kerry’s mistaking whether it was December or February when he was in/near Cambodia with bush’s actually being AWOL — that is not a fair comparison. Kerry did serve. He was in Vietnam. He was, it appears, outside Cambodia. I don’t mind if bush served and then boasted about flying somehwere he actually didn’t or mistating a date. It might be worth noting, but it’s nothing to damn him for. It’s not in any way the same as actually being awol, with abnegating responsibility and lying about it afterward. But this is exactly what the Republicans want you to do — to see this kerfuffle as equivalent to charges bush didn’t fulfill his duties, so the one cancels out the other. There is simply no comparison, and they’ll be delighted to see people drawing such parallels. It’s just what they want.
August 13, 2004 @ 10:22 pm | Comment
3
By Brad
Christmas in Cambodia was a big lie, no way around that.
Whether Kerry’s claims of other crossings into Cambodia turn out just as big a lie remains to be seen. Considering that of Kerry’s boat mates that have spoken up so far ALL claim to have never crossed the border, the weight of evidence so far is AGAINST Kerry. So far the ONLY evidence that Kerry crossed the border is Kerry’s own word. And we have seen how good Kerry’s word is when it comes the Christmas in Cambodia story which he had repeated from 1979 until finally disavowing it today.
August 14, 2004 @ 12:29 am | Comment
4
By richard
Do we know it it’s a big lie? I don’t know yet. It may be. But did he campaign on this? Is it something he’s made a big deal about, or is it something they found that he said a couple of times and then pounced on it just to makehim look bad? There are plenty of much bigger lies we can find on bush that had far greater consequences. So far, the media have been reluctant to touch this, so I don’t see it hurting Kerry except in the short term, if at all.
August 14, 2004 @ 5:52 am | Comment
5
By Conrad
He mentioned it a recently as a year ago. Kerry is lying his ass off and got caught. How come not a single one of his “band of brothers” has confirmed the that they ever entered Cambodia?
Csuse they didn’t.
Ever.
The man made his Vietnam service the center of his campaign (understandable, since the only other notable accomplishment in his life is marrying money) then is found to be lying about it.
Rationalize all you want, but I wonder what you’d be saying if it was Bush who falsely claimed that, while in the Air Guard, he flew a secret mission over Cuba?
You and I both know the answer to that one.
August 15, 2004 @ 10:04 pm | Comment
6
By hkreportage
Yeah, Conrad…. “What? He didn’t bring back any cigars?!?”
August 15, 2004 @ 10:40 pm | Comment