McCain speaks out against Bush camp's anti-Kerry ads
On CBS News, Republican Senator John McCain calls an ad criticizing John Kerry's military service "dishonest and dishonorable" and urges the White House to condemn it.
"I can't believe the president would pull such a cheap stunt," says McCain.
One of the veterans says in the ad "When the chips were down, you could not count on John Kerry," but in fact none of the veterans who appear in the commercial actually served with Kerry. Of the six men who did serve with Kerry, five support his candidacy and one is deceased. McCain also said the ad "was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me," referring to a rumor campaign against McCain sponsored by Bush supporters during the 2000 presidential primaries.
Update, 9/4/04 (yes, I still exist... I moved in July and life got...interesting...)
On
About.com's urban legends site, it says:
Comments: All of the above quotes are authentic, so far as I can tell, but don't be misled by this partisan political screed. Though it is frequently forwarded under the header "John Kerry's Shipmates Speak Out," only one of the men quoted in the message, Steven Gardner, actually served under John Kerry during his stint as a swift boat captain in the Vietnam War.
Gardner's appraisal of Kerry, according to historian Douglas Brinkley, author of a book on the candidate's military career, is distinctly at odds with that of every other surviving member of Kerry's swift boat crews, not to mention Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Chief of U.S. Naval Operations during Kerry's tour of duty, who has stated: "Lt. Kerry's calmness, professionalism and great personal courage under fire were in keeping with the highest traditions of the US Naval Service."
Thanks to Brian McGroarty for pointing out this inaccuracy!
