New revelations on Ted Sampley of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

This is really rich. The man named the “Godfather” of the Swift Boat Cretins for Bush, Ted Sampley, levelled parallel charges of cowardice and lack of integrity against — are your ready — George Herbert Walker Bush! You simply have to read this to believe it. Apparently it wasn’t only Vietnam vets who were given undeserved medals, but WWII vets as well. Have they no shame? None at all? Hell, why don’t we just condemn all US veterans as lying, cowardly bastards?

And these men, the SBVFT, are dominating the news. These little pieces of shit, led by Ted Sampley and blatant anti-Semite/anti-Catholic Jerome Corsi. Read the Digby post and and check the other links, and you will see this is one of the ugliest, sleaziest smear jobs in American history, carried out by scumbags who live to slander. It’s unbelievable! And, of course, it’s pure, vintage Karl Rove. It’s his modus operandi, 100 percent.

One day we will look back at this with the revulsion and anger we feel when we look back at McCain’s character assassination in 2000. This is a sick episode in US politics, rivalling the crimes of Nixon’s CREEP back in the 70s. We will wonder how we ever allowed ourselves for even an instant to be sucked into this bullshit.

UPDATE: Yet more on Sampley. Unbelievable.

The Discussion: 29 Comments

Ouch, the charges must really sting, because Kerry supporters are certainly screaming loudly enough. Kinda reminds me of another candidate labeling his accusers “trailer trash.”

Sampley’s a ‘cretinous piece of shit’ because he’s rich. Does that apply to all rich people, or is there a special exception is you wealth comes from sucking at the teat of another man’s estate.

Richard, you are the first to scream about Republican smears. But the Democratic response to the swift boat members has been personal attacks and nasty insults from the beginning.

Are they paritsan? Sure, some of them at least, so what? Isn’t MoveOn?

Are they bankrolled by wealthy Bush supporters? Surely. So, what? Is George Sorros poor or pro Bush?

Have some of them made over-the-top political comments? Sure. So what? Is Michael Moore retrained? Is Al Sharpton soberminded?

I await a credible answer to one question. Where was John Kerry on Chrismas eve 1968? If it wasn’t Cambodia — meaning he told a blatant lie about what he claims was one of the transformative moments of his life — why is that not relevant?

Or, if you can label the accusers cretinous pieces of shit, does that somehow excuse a blatant and repeated lie?

August 12, 2004 @ 12:48 am | Comment

I know! I’ve got it!

He was in Cambodia before he wasn’t.

Next question: In 15,000 words or less, reconcile Kerry’s claim that he only voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq with Kerry’s claim that he would have voted for the Iraq resolution even if he’d received accurate intelligence showing the absence of WMD.

August 12, 2004 @ 12:59 am | Comment

Why’d you have to bring up McCain’s name? Now I’ll spend all day at work getting nothing done because I’ll be ruing the fact McCain is not President.

Although I disagree with McCain on gun control and a few other issues, he would have been a great Pres.

*stares out the window dreaming*

August 12, 2004 @ 1:01 am | Comment

If you finish the one above without doing yourself a serious injury, then here’s one more:

What did John Kerry throw over the
Capitol fence in 1971?

(A) His medals

(B) His ribbons

(C) Someone elses medals

(D) His souvenir of Cambodia coffee mug

(E) His copy of Gigilo Monthly

August 12, 2004 @ 1:06 am | Comment

Oops, post two should read “only voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq because Bush misled him. . . .”

Sorry for cluttering up your comments with even more illiterate gibberish than usual.

August 12, 2004 @ 1:08 am | Comment

It’s interesting that the very same people who bashed Clinton for not serving in Vietnam (while conveniently ignoring the fact that Li’l George didn’t either), are now bashing Kerry because he DID.

As far as moveon.org is concerned, let’s not forget that it started as a grass-roots movement whose purpose was to encourage the country to “move on” from the Lewinsky scandal. I suppose you could argue that FreeRepublic is a “grass-roots” organization too, but the Swifties’ other major sponsor, Richard Mellon Scaife, can hardly be described as such.

Finally, I don’t think anyone who has ever whined about the “liberal media” — and that includes every single conservative on the planet — has any right to criticize anyone for resorting to the “consider the source” argument.

August 12, 2004 @ 1:13 am | Comment

Conrad, have you read some pre-release copy of this book that everybody claims has evidence proving Kerry lied? I bet you haven’t, which would makes you a parrot at best.

Can ya tell me who the current Prime Minister of Cambodia is? King?

Can ya tell me how many people died in Cambodia from the political destabilisation caused by the US in the early 70s?

Did anyone die as a result of this alleged lie claimed by serial defamers?

With close to a thousand US service men and women dead and thousands more wounded and deliberately uncounted Iraqi military and civilian deaths and NO weapons of mass destruction found and the country’s PM one of Saddam’s Secret Policemen, I’ll start listening to you when you have some reasonable sense of priorities and shame.

August 12, 2004 @ 2:27 am | Comment

Minor point, but “dominating the news” seems exaggerated. I can’t scan all the news, but searches of the NYT and WashPost don’t turn up anything under “Cambodia”.

I realize their short ad doesn’t mention Cambodia, but the book certainly does, and since this one particular issue is a fairly critical point, you’d think something would show up if it’s dominating the news.

August 12, 2004 @ 2:34 am | Comment

Of course Tom Hun Sen and Sihanouk (sp?).

Between 1 and 2 million died in the Cambodian killing fields caused, not by the US, but by the Khmer Rouge and the failure to stop the spread of communism in the region.

Don’t bandy wits with me boy, you’ll lose.

Or to put it another way, I’ve forgotten more about history than you know . . . and I’ve not forgotten much.

August 12, 2004 @ 2:41 am | Comment

BTW Tom, can you define “defame”?

Clearly not since (1) you assert (foolishly) that having read the entire thing is necessary to judge the truth or falsity of any entry (2) you concede the entire text is not yet available and (3) a false statement of fact is a necessary element to a defamation allegation.

Now, back to the shallow end of the pool with you, son, you’re way out of your depth here.

August 12, 2004 @ 2:44 am | Comment

*lol* Failure to contain Communism? *lol* Oh please, you read like one of those Kissinger apologists.

The US incursions, e.g. the massive bombing, is what made Pol Pot possible. Pol Pot never would have gained traction against Sihanouk in the 70s or at any other time. The US of course didn’t like a guy like Sihanouk that opposed US policy and overthrew him and installed Lon Nol, who had zero credibility with the Cambodians and set the stage for Pol Pot. It was the communists in Vietnam, who as you state, the US “failed to contain”, that ended the killing fields (and Hun Sen is the direct result of that invasion).

Conrad, go bark up another tree. The book is the ONLY source for the alleged contradictory statements about Kerry’s being in Cambodia or not in Cambodia. Mind you the sources I’ve seen via InstaParrot don’t strike me as saying what the InstaParrot and the InstaClones want it to say.

As for false statements… Jerome Corsi has already backed off his false and defamatory statements as a freeper.

And what did the Swift Change Artists for Bush claim that Kerry threw over the wall? You nicely veil your accusations as rhetorical questions to provide yourself wiggle room to back out later. But if you’re smart, you might wiggle back under your rock and spare us all.

August 12, 2004 @ 3:03 am | Comment

Incidentally, I’m not convinced that anyone thinks Sampley is a scumbag just because he’s rich… the closest I can find to such a statement is this:

I am well familiar with Mr. Sampley, and I know him to be one of the most despicable people I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. I consider him a fraud who preys on the hopes of family members of missing servicemen for his own profit. He is dishonorable, an enemy of the truth, and despite his claims, he does not speak for or represent the views of all but a few veterans. The many veterans I know would think it a disgrace to be considered a comrade or supporter of Ted Sampley.

which of course was uttered by Sen. John McCain, as per the last link in Richard’s post.

Conrad: Do you buy into Sampley’s various denunciations of McCain as a “Manchurian candidate” and a Communist spy? If so: shame on you.

And now, here comes some more ritualistic Moore-bashing. But you know, I don’t buy into everything Moore says — I thought large chunks of “F 9/11” were garbage. Of course this probably conflicts with your “with us or against us” worldview, but there you go. I’d only suggest that you try to view the Swifties’ claims with a bit more skepticism.

And one final thought: Anti-Kerryism is not a serious ideology, any more than anti-Clintonism was. Or anti-Bushism, for that matter.

August 12, 2004 @ 3:29 am | Comment

Vaara:

I couldn’t tell you anything about Samply and have neither the time nor the inclination to explore his life story.

My questions are simple

1. Did Kerry ever, on Christmas 1968 or otherwise, pilot his swiftboat on a clandestine mission into Cambodia?

2. If not, as Kerry’s campaing appears to be conceding, how does he explaing lying about it on multiple occassions including to journalists and, more seriously, on the floor of the US Senate to justify a major vote on US foreign policy?

3. If not, why did he continue to repeat this lie as recently as one year ago?

4. If not, does Kerry think that employing a complete fabrication to accuse someone else — the US president — of dishonesty?

5. If not, what is the true origin of his “magic hat”, which he told a reporter rivals his wedding ring in significance to him, and why did he feel it necessary to spin an elobaroate fable to said reporter about such a stupid thing?

6. Was John Edward just dicking with us when he said to judge Kerry by the opinion of the men Kerry served with in Vietnam?

7. To Kerry defenders, would you hire someone to work for you who told you a lie like this in a job interview which you discovered, upon checking references, to be a utter load of bollocks?

Tom:

Does your mother know your running up the broadband account.

August 12, 2004 @ 4:33 am | Comment

Well, at the moment I have neither the time nor the inclination to explore the Kerry/Cambodia story.

I have a job interview.

August 12, 2004 @ 4:48 am | Comment

That’s my boy, Conrad. When you can’t advance your argument, always fall back to your talking points. Repeat them like a mantra.

It doesn’t make the accusations in the form of a question have any more gravitas. In the end if Kerry lied, and there is no proof out there at this time that he did, then the lie is still inconsequential. No one has died. No one was maimed. No one was tortured or even deprived of their civil rights. Unlike the lies and misleading statements made by our current Commander in Chief.

August 12, 2004 @ 5:17 am | Comment

Good luck Vaara. Remember, however, no lies about your experiences behind enemy lines.

Taom, I stopped reading your silly responses some time ago, save yourself the effort.

August 12, 2004 @ 6:02 am | Comment

Thanks, Conrad. It went pretty well — I think.

As far as Kerry’s character is concerned, I choose to defer to Richard — since he, unlike me or (I assume) you, has actually seen Kerry in person. And even if it does emerge that Kerry didn’t tell the truth about having been in Cambodia, it certainly won’t cause me to change or withhold my vote.

August 12, 2004 @ 8:45 am | Comment

I’m going to take this on in a separate post.

Sam, it was big news yesterday on all the cable news talk shows. The Post and the Times and most respectable journals will not waste time or space on such nonsense.

August 12, 2004 @ 1:44 pm | Comment

The question is not whether or not Kerry was in Cambodia. The question goes to his credibility. He claimed at several times that this was a seminal point in his life. This incident shaped the young Kerry”s anti-war idealogy. Only it never happened. Kerry’s people are now admitting it. After the threatening letters from the Kerry campaign, its Kerry that lied. This was not simple exagerration or a case of telling “war stories” It is deliberate falsehood.

Remember all the hoohaw and grand pronouncements about Bush’s time in Alabama? His being AWOL and lying about his NG service???? That was, of course, total and devastating proof of his complete evilhood and he was unfit to hold any public office higher than dogcatcher – if that. Now Kerry’s lies about his service are irrelevent. No double standard there.

The SWBT issue is just starting to unfold. He is going to get hammered on his testimony before Congress, his admission of committing war crimes and his trips to North Viet Nam during the war. General Giap credited the political success of the North Viet Namese to groups like the one led by Kerry.

Maybe someone could help me to understand something? I am a bit confused here. Bush is a war criminal for leading us into a war that Kerry now says he would have also lead us into – only handled it better. But no one calls Kerry a would be war criminal. Bush has never personally committed an atrocity. Kerry admits to having violated rules of engagement, turning the full firepower of a naval vessel on a village that presented no threat, and burned another village that also presented no threat – but his supporters don’t seem to see that as war crimes. Oh wait, I know. Kerry said Oops. How many people died as a direct result of Kerry destroying their homes and food supplies? Or maybe they don’t count or their lives are just not important enough in the bigger issue of getting Kerry elected.

August 12, 2004 @ 5:56 pm | Comment

Jim, please stop it. Kerry never, ever, ever said he would have led us into this war. Never. If you believe he did, show me evidence.

What he did say, and it is way different, is that knowing everything he knows today, he still would have voted for authorizing bush with the power to go to war. He has always believed that’s apower the president should have. He never said he would have ked us into the same war against Iraq. To the contrary, he said he would never have done it without a true and meaningful international coalition and a solid plan for getting out. Check your facts.

Did Kerry lie about Cambodia? I don’t know; do you? If so, evidence please, not a hypothesis. He well may have.

Don’t compare this to bush being awol. Being awol is a serious matter and that REALLY says something about the man. Screwing up about where he was one Christmas, something he’s never said in his campaign, some old bullshit that was pulled out of a hat by Kartl Rove just to fuck him, something that is so trivial and insignificant — cut the crap, please. You’re too smart. Kerry served, bush didn’t. This is pure rubbish and, sadly, it has set yet a new precedent for dirty tricks in US politics. It literally defies beliuef, taking such a trivial little anecdote and blowing it up to make it as important as what we will do about Iraq or the economy — it’s unconscionable, it’s sick and it’s pathetic. And the people will realize that.

August 12, 2004 @ 6:15 pm | Comment

The Post and the Times and most respectable journals will not waste time or space on such nonsense

Okay, I don’t get cable talk shows over here. So I guess it would be fair to say it’s dominating the trash media, but not the respectable news? Hey, no problem then!

August 12, 2004 @ 8:46 pm | Comment

Well, it was dominating yesterday. It’s almost gone from the news, even Fox — I had it on in the background all day today and I don’t think it came up once. Yesterday and the day before O’Neill was station-hopping and it all the buzz.

August 12, 2004 @ 8:52 pm | Comment

I would like to make clear my respect for Conrodd. He has self declared he is some kind of wizz, oh no, a wuss. It seems his main energy is finding someone to put himself into. I don’t need to say much more. Look at his blog. He is a self-promoting barnyard talker, “I’m a big time stud and businessman”. My huge brain is hanging between my legs so watch out if you attack me as I might ram you in the backside.” This guy is a pile of trash and vitual bully. He is just one of the useful fools being lead around by the nose by Rove and the other Bush cynical bastards that are holding up the talking puppet. Conrodd, get a life and quit sucking off your betters.

Sorry to Richard and others, but dickhead has piss me off enough with his arrogant crap and conceited self promoting.

August 12, 2004 @ 10:35 pm | Comment

that is “virtual” not vitual

August 12, 2004 @ 11:00 pm | Comment

Well, Conrad may be outspoken and misguided, but he’s definitely a lot of fun. And his bark is a lot worse than his bite; deep inside, I know he’s a closet liberal. He’ll come around one of these days.

August 12, 2004 @ 11:05 pm | Comment

Well, Conrodd has a funny way of expressing his liberal tendencies, but if I am wrong I hope he doesn’t wait until hell freezes over before lets the world know in language wouldn’t shock longshoremen. Yea I know he is fun; I read his blog all the time, but crap is crap

August 13, 2004 @ 2:45 am | Comment

Ouch is right. Dukakis sat on his hands when this same cast of characters ran the “Willie Horton” rope-a-dope on him and we all know how that story ended.

Seems like Kerry is going to try to take it to Bush for the “Swift Boat ads!!!

The Kerry-Edwards campaign today launched a new Internet ad that will give viewers across the country a severe case of Deja vu.
“The ad, titled “Old Tricks,” features Sen. John McCain rebuking then candidate Bush during a 2000 Larry King debate for refusing to disavow or condemn hateful and vicious attacks on his military record during the South Carolina primary.
McCain’s comments will ring true for Americans who are once again seeing their Commander-in-Chief dishonor America’s veterans through his silent support of the group “Swift Boat Veterans for Bush” while they smear John Kerry’s military service and the service of those who served in great danger with him on the Navy’s Swift Boats.
Beginning today, the Kerry-Edwards campaign will begin a systematic campaign to expose the president’s tactics, with a special emphasis on the veterans’ community. “Old Tricks” will be emailed to 200,000 veterans activists who will share it in their communities, posted on veterans websites and emailed to the entire Kerry online community of well over 1 million supporters.” (http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?ReleaseID=35007)

And: “Old Tricks” can be downloaded at
(http://www.johnkerry.com/video/082104_old_tricks.html)

What bothers me most about these developments is how the Swift Boat crew et al. in their zeal to bring down Kerry has raised an issue of the integrity of the US Navy’s combat award process and therefore every veteran who has received a combat award. And they call themselves “Patriots” and “Real Americans” in the process. If that’s what it means to be a real American……I’ll pass.

Moreover, this all may in fact prove once again, “Nice guys finish last” assuming Kerry is a nice guy that is……..

August 21, 2004 @ 2:11 pm | Comment

While not just sign the 180 and this could all go away.

September 24, 2004 @ 8:46 pm | Comment

Your posts are also full of lies so does that make you a shit bag? I personally know Ted Sampley and not only is he not rich as you claim he struggles daily just as the majority of common american citizens, just to make a living. Sampley calls it as he sees it without pulling punches as for McCain his claims in his book i.e. sampley wearing earrings is a total fabrication created to give McCain’s claims some credence. Tell the truth even if it hurts is Sampley’s credence which he lives by as personally witnessed by me.

October 6, 2006 @ 12:45 pm | Comment

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