Bush helped into guard
Ben Barnes, a former Democratic speaker of the Texas House, said he is
ashamed he helped President Bush and the sons of other wealthy
families get into the Texas Air National Guard in 1968 so they could
avoid serving in Vietnam.
"I got a young man named George W. Bush into the National Guard when I
was lieutenant governor of Texas, and I'm not necessarily proud of
that, but I did it," Barnes said in the 45-second video, which was
recorded May 27 before a group of John Kerry supporters in Austin.
Barnes, who was House speaker when Bush entered the Guard, later
became lieutenant governor.
He said he became ashamed after walking through the Vietnam Memorial
and looking at the names of people who died.
The New York Times reported in Saturday's editions that the video was
posted June 25 on the website
http://www.austin4kerry.org/ but didn't get much
attention until Friday, when Jim Moore, an Austin-based author of
books about Bush, sent out e-mail messages calling attention to it.
Statement of RADM William L.
Schachte, Jr.
USN (Ret.)
[The following statement contests the first purple heart award
given to John Kerry in Vietnam... from the
NationalReviewOnline]
August 27, 2004
As was true of all "Swiftees," I volunteered to serve in Vietnam and
was assigned to Coastal Division 14 for a normal tour of duty.
I was a Lieutenant serving as Operations Officer and second in command
at Coastal Division 14 when Lieutenant (junior grade) John Kerry
reported to us in mid-November, 1968. Lt. (jg) Kerry was an
Officer-in-Charge (O-in-C) under training in preparing to be assigned
as one of our Swift Boat O-in-C's.
At some point following President Johnson's announcement of the
suspension of bombing in North Vietnam in March 1968, we were directed
to become more aggressive in seeking to find and destroy or disrupt
the enemy in our operating area. As part of this effort, I conceived a
new operation that became known as "Skimmer OPS." The concept was
simple. A 15-foot Boston Whaler was sent into an area where, based on
coordinated intelligence, North Vietnamese cadre and Viet Cong were
expected to be meeting or where, for example, concentrations of enemy
forces might be involved in the movement of arms or munitions. We were
to draw fire and quickly get out of the area. This would allow more
concentrated firepower to be brought against the enemy forces we had
been able to identify.
These operations were carried out only in "hot" areas and well away
from any villages or populated areas. A Swift Boat would tow the
skimmer to the general area of operations, and the ambush team would
then board the skimmer and proceed to the designated area of
operations. The Swift Boat would be riding shotgun and standing off,
occasionally out of sight, to provide fire support and long-range
communications. The Skimmer was powered by an outboard motor, and we
carried an FM radio, handheld flares, an M-60 machine gun with a bipod
mount, and an M-16 mounted with a starlight scope. If the night was
heavily overcast, we brought an M-14 mounted with an infrared scope.
We also carried an M-79 single-shot grenade launcher. In addition to
our combat gear and flak jackets, we often carried .38-caliber
pistols.
The operation consisted of allowing the skimmer to drift silently
along shorelines or riverbanks to look or listen for sounds of enemy
activity. If activity was identified, we would open fire with our
automatic weapons, and if we received fire, we would depart the area
as quickly as possible, leaving it to air support or mortar fire from
a Swift Boat standing off at a distance to carry out an attack.
I commanded each of these Skimmer operations up to and including
the one on the night in question involving Lt. (jg) Kerry. On each
of these operations, I was in the skimmer manning the M-60 machine
gun. I took with me one other officer and an enlisted man to operate
the outboard motor. I wanted another officer because officers, when
not on patrol, were briefed daily on the latest intelligence
concerning our sector of operations and were therefore more familiar
with the current intelligence. Additionally, at these daily briefings,
officers debriefed on their patrol areas after returning to port.
On the night of December 2-3, we conducted one of these operations,
and Lt. (jg) Kerry accompanied me. Our call sign for that operation
was "Batman." I have no independent recollection of the identity of
the enlisted man, who was operating the outboard motor. Sometime
during the early morning hours, I thought I detected some movement
inland. At the time we were so close to land that we could hear water
lapping on the shoreline. I fired a hand-held flare, and upon it
bursting and illuminating the surrounding area, I thought I saw
movement. I immediately opened fire with my M-60. It jammed after a
brief burst. Lt. (jg) Kerry also opened fire with his M-16 on
automatic, firing in the direction of my tracers. His weapon also
jammed. As I was trying to clear my weapon, I heard the distinctive
sound of the M-79 being fired and turned to see Lt. (jg) Kerry holding
the M-79 from which he had just launched a round. We received no
return fire of any kind nor were there any muzzle flashes from the
beach. I directed the outboard motor operator to clear the area.
Upon returning to base, I informed my commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr.
Grant Hibbard, of the events, informing him of the details of the
operation and that we had received no enemy fire. I did not file an
"after action" report, as one was only required when there was hostile
fire. Soon thereafter, Lt. (jg) Kerry requested that he be put in
for a Purple Heart as a result of a small piece of shrapnel removed
from his arm that he attributed to the just-completed mission. I
advised Lt. Cmdr. Hibbard that I could not support the request
because there was no hostile fire. The shrapnel must have been a
fragment from the M-79 that struck Lt. (jg) Kerry, because he had
fired the M-79 too close to our boat. Lt. Cmdr. Hibbard denied Lt.
(jg) Kerry's request. Lt. (jg) Kerry detached our division a few days
later to be reassigned to another division. I departed Vietnam
approximately three weeks later, and Lt. Cmdr. Hibbard followed
shortly thereafter. It was not until years later that I was surprised
to learn that Lt. (jg) Kerry had been awarded a Purple Heart for this
night.
I did not see Lt. (jg) Kerry in person again for almost 20 years.
Sometime in 1988, while I was on Capitol Hill, I ran into him in the
basement of the Russell Senate Office Building. I was at that time a
Rear Admiral and in uniform. He was about 20 paces away, waiting to
catch the underground subway. In a fairly loud voice I called out to
him, "Hey, John." He turned, looked at me, came over and said,
"Batman!" We exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes, agreed to have
lunch sometime in the future, and parted ways. We have not been
together since that day.
In March of this year, I was contacted by one of my former swift boat
colleagues concerning Douglas Brinkley¹s book about Senator Kerry,
"Tour of Duty." I told him that I had not read it. He faxed me a copy
of the pages relating to the action on the night of December 2-3,
1968. I was astonished by Senator Kerry’s rendition of the facts of
that night. Notably, Lt. (jg) Kerry had himself in charge of the
operation, and I was not mentioned at all. He also claimed that he was
wounded by hostile fire.
None of this is accurate. I know, because I was not only in the boat,
but I was in command of the mission. He was never more than several
feet away from me at anytime during the operation that night. It is
inconceivable that any commanding officer would put an officer in
training, who had been in country only a couple of weeks, in charge of
such an ambush operation. Had there been enemy action that night,
there would have been an after action report filed, which I would have
been responsible for filing.
I have avoided talking to media about this issue for months. But,
because of the recent media attention, I felt I had to step up to
recount my personal experiences concerning this incident.
Kerry’s Vietnam battle
The NY Times has a story titled "What They’re
Really Fighting About." The story deals with the cultural wars and how
Kerry is not going to be allowed to skate on his political opportunism
of the past, which he is trying to do again:
Perhaps, more significantly, Mr. Kerry has also used Vietnam as a
proxy for the issue that has given him the most trouble in this
campaign: Iraq. Because he has struggled to define how he would use
American power, Mr. Kerry counted on his Vietnam service to prove his
standing as a soldier-patriot, and his Vietnam protest to show his
willingness to question well-intended policies gone bad.
But the old culture wars followed him into the 21st century, and he
now finds himself bombarded by veterans who question not only his
patriotism but his honor -- in a sometimes distorted discussion that
has nevertheless played into public doubts about the Democrats'
strength abroad and values at home and that has hurt Mr. Kerry's
standing in the polls.
If Kerry is wondering were he went wrong, he might take this advice
from Bruce N. Kesler, a former Marine sergeant and one of his leading
former critics who organized against him:
"I think if back a year ago, or even six months ago, he had made a
complete, honest, sincere apology, and even a recanting of obvious
falsehoods from then, it would have kept this in a bottle," Mr. Kesler
said. "Instead, he touted it as the center of his whole qualification
to be president."
Then again former Sen. Bob Kerrey may have it right:
"The way it's opening up, they full-bore hate him," said Bob Kerrey,
the Vietnam veteran and former Democratic senator from Nebraska,
referring to the detractors. "It's not just what he said in '71; it's
what he did in the 90's. If John Kerry had been one of the leaders in
saying, 'Hell, no, we're not going to recognize Vietnam,' this would
not be happening."
Kerry’s Social Security fantasy
Sen. John Kerry said that "We've made little fixes, little jots and
jags here and there, that have been able to change it [Social
Security]."This was the assurance that Kerry gave loyal Democrat
voters about the call to action by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan
Greenspan. He said, "If we delay, the adjustments could be abrupt and
painful."
The Congressional Budget Office reported that Social Security will
start paying out more in benefits than it collects in payroll taxes in
2019. The same report calculated the program won't become insolvent
until 2052.
"I guarantee you, the first best thing to do to protect Social
Security is to put America back to work in jobs that pay more," Kerry
said.
Maya MacGuineas, executive director of the Committee for a Responsible
Federal Budget, said she disagrees with Kerry's assessment that a few
minor changes here and there will keep the system afloat, and his
position that a stronger economy can solve Social Security's problems.
"Those are pretty darn large tweaks we're talking about," she said,
adding that economic growth alone won't bolster the program because
workers' benefits increase as their wages rise, increasing the future
obligations of the system.
A number of government studies have come to the conclusion that the
baby boom wave will force the government to cut benefits, raise taxes
or push back the retirement age to preserve the benefits.
Admiral miffed at Kerry’s citation
Former Navy Secretary John Lehman has no idea where a Silver Star
citation displayed on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's
campaign website came from, he said Friday. The citation appears over
Lehman's signature.
"It is a total mystery to me. I never saw it. I never signed it. I
never approved it. And the additional language it contains was not
written by me," he said.
The additional language varied from the two previous citations, signed
first by Adm. Elmo Zumwalt and then Adm. John Hyland, which themselves
differ. The new material added in the Lehman citation reads in part:
"By his brave actions, bold initiative, and unwavering devotion to
duty, Lieutenant (jg) Kerry reflected great credit upon himself...."
Delegate quits because of Bush
The Congressional Quarterly reported Friday that after attending four
previous conventions, Philadelphia's Jesse Walters would not be going
as a delegate to this year's GOP convention in New York. He resigned
the position, saying he could not support Bush and expressing concern
with the rightward move of the Republican Party.
Walters said he plans to cast his first-ever vote for a Democrat for
president in November.
Kerry promotes welfare state
Sen. John Kerry has been offering the following message to stir voters
support for his candidacy. He has a long list of new social spending
that he has proposed that he constantly states will be funded by
taxing the wealthy. His expenditures far exceed all that the wealthy
own.
Here is Kerry’s appeal:
"Forty-one years ago, Martin Luther King gave his 'I Have a Dream'
speech," Kerry said in a statement released in advance of a rally in
the Seattle area. "He told us his dream that one day, all Americans
would have the chance to share in the promise of our great country.
"John Edwards and I have the same dream and together, we can make it a
reality. Together, we can build an America that's stronger at home and
respected in the world.
"I don't believe that four years of lost jobs, lower wages, higher
health care costs, higher tuition and tax cuts for the few are the
best we can do," Kerry said.
"The fundamental choice we face is this: Do we want an economy that
benefits the special interests or do we want an economy that works for
middle-class families?"
Poll watching, 8/28
More Than 3 in 4 (77%) Have Seen, Heard or Read About Swift Boat
Attack Ads; A Majority (56%) Say Ads are ‘Politics as Usual,’ While
Almost 1 in 3 (35%) Say ‘Some Truth’ to Ads according to a Time poll.
to read past Daily Reports