John O'Neill: "We're Not GOP Shills"

[tim_duncan2000]

We formed Swift Boat Veterans For Truth for one purpose: to present to the American public our conclusion that John Kerry is not fit to be commander in chief. We are organized as a "527 group" with Adm. Roy Hoffmann at the helm, our leader today as he was some 35 years ago when we served under him in Coastal Squadron One in Vietnam. Our membership is transparent and shown on our Web site, www.swiftvets.com, currently including more than 250 Swiftees. We have 17 of the 23 officers who served with Mr. Kerry, most of his chain of command, and most sailors. We have more than 60 winners of real Purple Hearts. No one has a better right than we do to speak to the matters involving our unit.

Are we controlled by the Bush-Cheney campaign? Absolutely not. The Swift boat veterans who joined our group come in all political flavors: independents, Republicans, Democrats and other more subtle variations. Had another person been the presidential candidate of the Democrats, our group never would have formed. Had Mr. Kerry been the Republican candidate, each of us would still be here.

We do not take direction from the White House or the president's re-election committee, and our efforts would continue even if President Bush were to ask us directly to stop.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110005536

Even though I don't think it is anyone's business, it would be interesting to see the voting records of the Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth to show that they are not partisan hatchet men.

Personally, I think it would prove nothing even if everyone voted straight Republican in every election their whole lives. It still would not change the fact that they were there (don't a lot of the Kerry supporters say that Kerry's service gives him the right to say what he says?) and saw what they saw.