"I remember Christmas of 1968, sitting on a gunboat in Cambodia," John Kerry allegedly recalled in 1986. "I remember what it was like to be shot at by the Vietnamese and the Khmer Rouge and Cambodians, and the President of the United States telling the American people that I was not there, the troops were not in Cambodia." He maintained: "I have that memory, which is seared--seared--in me."
It turns out the memory was seared in him in the way that Shirley MacLaine's remembrances of past lives are seared in her. Unfit for Command by John O'Neill, a fellow swift-boat veteran and Kerry debate foe in the '70s, is the number one book on Amazon.com. More importantly, it has sent the Kerry campaign in a tailspin with its disputations of Kerry's war record--especially the accusation surrounding Kerry's lost Christmas in Cambodia. The Kerry campaign has refrained from addressing this central charge, and their silence is being interpreted as a tacit admission of the accusation's correctness. They need to act, but if O'Neill's charge proves airtight--and it certainly looks like Kerry wasn't in Cambodia during Christmas of '68--it will open up a whole new can of worms.
This controversy is amazing for a number of reasons. First, who would have thought that the candidate who avoided serving in Vietnam would gain the advantage on the Vietnam War issue that the Kerry campaign has highlighted since the convention? Second, Kerry made his career in Massachusetts on his anti-war movement credentials. Now it appears that his ultimate career aspiration will take a hit because of them. John Kerry may not have a long memory, but John O'Neill and his cohorts do. And their memories of John Kerry and the anti-war movement are not fond ones.
The Leftist protectionist media has conveniently forgotten that Kerry was the one who highlighted his military career as a campaign gimmick and as such his record (or lack thereof?????) is open for criticism and scrutiny.
One interesting thing from the book (reinforced by photos) is John Kerry’s induction into a Hanoi Hall of Fame provided for Americans who had helped the V.C. war effort.
The focus could easily shift from what he did while ‘over there’ to what he did when returning to this country. Dissing your compatriots when it’s convenient to use them as props by referring to them as war criminals will likely stay with him. This is not open to opinion. He said and did it.
I have the word Traitor seared, seared in me.
I'd take Kerry's war record over George Bush's anyday. Bush was a drunken loser till his forties. While Kerry was nam, Bush was AWOL!! End of story.
It’s very interesting how Kerry has offered two accounts of his “Christmas of 68’” Story.
In one, he offered from the Senate floor in 1986, that is a the standard now for his claim that he was sitting on a boat in Cambodia with the Khmer Rouge and Viet Cong firing at him.
The other was reported by Kerry to the Boston Herald in 1979 where he reported basically the same story but where he said his own South Vietnamese allies were drunk with Christmas cheer and shooting at him. Oh yeah, he also alludes to how President Nixon had them there. Funny thing though: President Johnson was in the White House at the time.
He’s turning out to be the worst of liars.
Bush was AWOL. End of story.
Its comes down to this Guys - You would rather elect Satan than George Bush.. NO Really, you would. However, we wont have to worry about that - John Kerry will not be elected. His polls - ALL of them are dropping. Thank God we wont see his face in the oval office except when Bush calls him in to talk to him.
Teresa Heinz Kerry? That would be an embarassment for our nation.. Oh My Goodness, what a foul mouthed woman, NOT lady, Woman. Laura Bush is the epitomy of Grace, Class and Humility - a LADY in every sense of the word.
