www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30151-2004Aug24.html?referrer=e...
Sponsor: Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
Analysis by Howard Kirtz:
Kerry's testimony after retruning from Vietnam helped launch his career and is certainly fair game for a negative ad. He was a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War and has just led a major Washington protest against the conflict. The strength of this spot, by the independent group that has rolied the campaign by accusing the senator of lying about his military record, is that it uses Kerry's own words and voice.
But Kerry's testimony is selective edited in a way that is misleading. He began by talking about a conference on Detroit several months earlier in which some of the 150 veterans told of stories of atrocities. "They told stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads." Kerry said, but the add deletes the first six words, making it sound like Kerry is offering firsthand account instead of reporting on what was dubbed the "Winter Soldier" investigation. Swift boat veteran John O'Neill says the ad is "very fair" because Kerry was describing crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full knowledge of officers at all levels of command and "there's no way to put the whole speech in."
Some of the atrocities Kerry described have been documented, such as at the MyLai massacre, and otheres remain in dispute. While Kerry's testimony angered many veterans, he portrayed himslef as speaking out on behalf of disaffected vets, not attacking them.
By using Kerry's testimony, the group avoids the credibility issue raised by its first attack spot in which some veterans have given inconsistent acounts of the candidate's military record.
Sponsor: Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
Analysis by Howard Kirtz:
Kerry's testimony after retruning from Vietnam helped launch his career and is certainly fair game for a negative ad. He was a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War and has just led a major Washington protest against the conflict. The strength of this spot, by the independent group that has rolied the campaign by accusing the senator of lying about his military record, is that it uses Kerry's own words and voice.
But Kerry's testimony is selective edited in a way that is misleading. He began by talking about a conference on Detroit several months earlier in which some of the 150 veterans told of stories of atrocities. "They told stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads." Kerry said, but the add deletes the first six words, making it sound like Kerry is offering firsthand account instead of reporting on what was dubbed the "Winter Soldier" investigation. Swift boat veteran John O'Neill says the ad is "very fair" because Kerry was describing crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full knowledge of officers at all levels of command and "there's no way to put the whole speech in."
Some of the atrocities Kerry described have been documented, such as at the MyLai massacre, and otheres remain in dispute. While Kerry's testimony angered many veterans, he portrayed himslef as speaking out on behalf of disaffected vets, not attacking them.
By using Kerry's testimony, the group avoids the credibility issue raised by its first attack spot in which some veterans have given inconsistent acounts of the candidate's military record.
