Lying like rugs (again)

Turns out that the swing-state ad buy made by "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" (a misnomer if ever there was one; more on that later) was financed by a wealthy Republican donor in Texas. The article describes how the Bushies employed the same sleazy tactics on John McCain during the primaries in 2000. (Incidentally, Sen. McCain has denounced the SBVT ad.)

Just so you know, "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" is a Republican put-up job. Not ONE of the so-called members ever served on a Swift boat with John Kerry. As you know if you watched the convention last week, the men who actually served with Kerry enthusiastically support his candidacy, as do several retired military officers, including several former Joint Chiefs of Staff -- among them Adm. William Crowe, Gen. John Shalikashvili, and Gen. Merrill McPeak. For retired military brass to endorse a presidential candidate so publicly and in such numbers is unheard-of -- it clearly reflects not only their concerns about George W. Bush but also their confidence in John Kerry.

The front man for "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" is John O'Neill, who was recruited by the Nixon administration to attack John Kerry during his days as an antiwar activist. Although O'Neill tries to pass himself off as "apolitical," the facts indicate otherwise: he parlayed his Nixon connection into a lucrative career with a Houston law firm that has close ties to the Republican party. Another person involved in "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" is retired Adm. Roy Hoffman, who commanded the young Lt. Kerry and gave him glowing reviews back then -- but has since changed his story. As documented by historian Douglas Brinkley in Tour of Duty, Hoffman was notorious for not caring how many Americans died in the pursuit of a military objective. Kerry, on the other hand, was determined to bring his men back alive, and did so. (Just ask Jim Rassmann -- the Green Beret fished out of the Bay Hap River by a wounded John Kerry under Viet Cong fire.)

More on the subject from Pandagon.

I think this calls for a Googlebomb. All you bloggers out there, let's link "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" to Joe Conason's expose of "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth," at http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2004/05/04/swift/index_np.html (which is what I've done throughout this post.)