Can We Call It "Swiftboating"?
By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in 2008 | Smearing And Sliming John McCain — Comments (22) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
I seem to recall that there was a great big hue and cry about the supposed denigration of military service back in the last election. To be sure, I don't think that anyone's service ought to be denigrated and I remember not paying much--if any--attention to the case of Swift Boat Veterans v. John Kerry. But if that was the traveshamockery everyone and their pet canaries say it was, then what to make of this?
John McCain, of course, not only served in uniform but has taken an active role in military and national security policy throughout his Congressional career and is the Ranking Member on the Senate Armed Services Committee. If Republicans were in the majority, he would be the Chairman. To say that he is not prepared for the role of Commander-in-Chief or that he is less prepared than Hillary Clinton is just laughably ridiculous.
Will we hear a renewed hue and cry over "Swiftboating"? Or will there be a great big, yawning silence? I await a pleasant surprise that entails having people on all sides of the political spectrum denounce this attack on McCain but I have little hope that this scenario will play itself out.
Call it a hunch. And call me a cynic.
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Can We Call It "Swiftboating"? 22 Comments (0 topical, 22 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
... commanding officers and fellow servicemen successfully prove that you've told fibs about your service, about them, and helped others (including fake veterans) to lie about them as inveterate murderers, thieves and rapists.
Come to think of it, one could say that Kerry fired the first shot. These guys just returned the favor.
you had better go back to the Flint Tropics. You might be a star in the ABA, but you are not yet ready for the big leagues, kid.
Michelle Malkin defines swiftboating accurately. Republicans and Conservatives would do well to take note and remember what actually happened:
A reminder about the definition of "Swift-Boating"
A reminder to conservatives: “Swift-Boating” does not equal smearing.Swift-Boating means exposing hard truths about corrupt Democrats.*
By using “Swift-Boating” in the context of the John McCain/NYT story, you are doing a grave disservice to the Swift Boat Veterans who courageously told the untold truths about John Kerry that the mainstream media wanted buried.
* emphasis mine.
to say that Hillary Clinton is more qualified to be COMMANDER-In-CHIEF?????
So, being married to a president gives her the experience to be president and now she is better equipped to run our military, more so than McCain. What the HE!! is wrong with these people!?
MelZ
I'm not sure how much of an authority on what it takes to be CIC a man who was known as Capt. Stillman around the Pentagon and was forced into retirement for almost starting World War III over some crappy little airport in the Balkans is.
Honestly, the thing that scares me most about a Hillary presidency isn't Hill herself, but Wesley Clark as Secretary of Defense.
Do you have a link where I can read about the "crappy little airport" incident? Thanks.
(Unrelated to this topic, please visit my political blog, "Plumb Bob Blog: Squaring the Culture," at http://www.plumbbobblog.com. Thanks.)
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/671495.stm
http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed101503c.cfm
It cam up in General Sir Mike Jackson's memoirs and hit the news again then, afaik
Thanks for the link.
After I asked, I discovered that the Wikipedia entry on Clark actually contains a description of the incident. It's a neutral description, but from where I sit, any incident in which a senior officer literally refuses to carry out an order and does not get pilloried for it indicates a gross error in judgment on the part of his commander. I find the claim that he was forced out believable.
(Unrelated to this topic, please visit my political blog, "Plumb Bob Blog: Squaring the Culture," at http://www.plumbbobblog.com. Thanks.)
Swiftboating? No. High comedy, perhaps. Give him chutzpah points for saying it with a straight face.
Does he really expect anybody to take him seriously? Good God, Hillary Clinton talks about her kids with Benazir Bhutto, kisses Suha Arafat's cheek, and attends a few dozen state dinners, and this qualifies her for "...dealing with the tough issues of national security?"
Talk about stretching a thin resume'... this looks like Clinton trying to put a condom on a truck.
(Unrelated to this topic, please visit my political blog, "Plumb Bob Blog: Squaring the Culture," at http://www.plumbbobblog.com. Thanks.)
Dang, now I'm going to have to carry that image the rest of the day. Well at least it keeps my mind off anticipating the primary results.
are merely moving the goal posts and Wes Clark is bucking for a VP nomination. The last couple of elections Chickenhawking was used against Bush and Cheney by, get this, the party of Bill Clinton.
I believe McCain will put himself above the fray (after all, his record speaks for itself) and will destroy his ultimate opponent by sticking to the prominent issues.
After all, "Swiftboating" means "telling the truth", and Clark, sober or drunk, and Steinem as always, have no familiarity with truth.
give you a *5*.
Perhaps Wes Clark can enlighten us on why Kerry's discharge occurred in 1978. I bet he knows.
In 1980, McCain's political rivals pushed the ideas that his stint as a P.O.W. left him mentally unstable, that he was closeted homosexual, that he was a "Manchurian Candidate" operative, and that he had fathered an illegitimate child of (some) color. It hurt him in South Carolina.
That was swift-boating at its shadowiest and most effective.
Do you suppose that McCain feels like he's being swiftboated now?
McCain just got the opportunity to plat T-Ball. This is why HRC distanced herself from it so rapidly.
"I believe we must adjourn this meeting to some other place." - The last recorded words of Adam Smith.
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
Obviously I wasn't saying that. My point was that McCain is unlikely to be bruised by recent rabbit punches from the democrats.
Also, I'm hardly the first to notice a parallel between the attacks by McCain's rivals in 2000 and the swiftboating of Kerry in 2004.
When you use 'swiftboating' to refer to false attacks, you essentially implies the Swifties were lying.
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
I happen to agree with those who say that just because McCain was a 5-year captive POW doesn't make him eminently qualified for "commander in chief". If anything, that experience might account for why the man is slightly screwy. I do believe, however, he can empathize with the average GI. Afterall, he was one of those.
I'm concerned about McCain's executive ability. Unlike Warren Buffet who would trust one of his businesses to the Magic Negro or Krone Woman, I don't think any of the candidates have any - - including Mr. Potato Head. My fear is that all three would be play acting the role of CINC and, as a result, get us all in deeper kimshe than we're already in.
The problem with career politicians is they are each ideologues. Mr. Potato Head wants to pour lives and money into the impossible task of securing Mesopotamia for democracy (Woodrow Wilson ideology). The Magic Negro and Krone-Woman care less about Mesopotamia and instead want to confiscate from each according to their abilities to distribute to each according to their needs (Vladimir Lenin ideology)
Who among this current crop of pretenders to the keeper of the flame can really say they're the most qualified to be the Commander in Chief when all they each have is ideology in the way?
YOu tell me. You apparantly seem to prefer "The Magic Negro" and "Krone-Woman" to "Mr. Potato-Head." Maybe you should just run for president. That way we could call you "The Virtuperative Ego-Case" and you could know how much fun ad hominems really are.
"I believe we must adjourn this meeting to some other place." - The last recorded words of Adam Smith.
is strong...and Wesley Clark is a disgrace to his Alma Mater.
Duty...Honor...Country. Three words that are the hallmarks of military service and why it is held in such political esteem.
Clark (and McCain opposition) are more than aware of McCain's impregnable credentials in that department and his (Clark's) musings are as mis-directed, transparent and fallacious as they are shameful.
As to whether this is or is not "swiftboating", real swiftboats float. Cardboard swiftboats sink rather quickly...and Clark's observations are already heading to Davy Jones' locker.
Gen. Clark said:
IMHO I don't think this really counts as swiftboating. I agree with Gen. Clark that being a soldier - even being a POW and all like McCain - does not mean one is prepared to be Commander-in-Chief. It helps, but it is one of many things. Same way that Isiah Thomas was a great basketball player but has gotten poor reviews as a GM/Coach. If Isiah Thomas were "running" to be GM of some other team, and for some reason fans got to vote, a lot would say "sure he was a great basketball player, but that doesn't make him a good GM." Swiftboating would be analogous to saying that Isiah Thomas was a bad player, or that he lied about being the NBA Finals MVP once.
What Gen. Clark said would be analogous to someone saying of Sen. Kerry, "Just because he was in Vietnam does not make him the right guy for being President today," which was not what the swift boating was all about.