Not so Swift: Group of ‘veterans’ sets sights on Murtha
If you had any doubts that the cleverly named “Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth” were a political front group designed to undermine Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry, consider them erased by that group’s newest target: U.S. Rep. John P. “Jack” Murtha. Like Kerry, Murtha, a Johnstown Democrat, is an acknowledged war hero and recipient of the Purple Heart that signifies being wounded in combat. In fact Murtha, who volunteered to serve in Vietnam at a time when many eligible men sought any and all available ways to wiggle out, has two Purple Hearts. Murtha, who spent 37 years in the Marine Corps and retired as a colonel, has built a solid three-decade reputation in Congress as a solid friend and supporter of the military.
But like Kerry, who spoke out against the Vietnam War after his return, Murtha has apparently run afoul of the Swift Boaters for suggesting that it’s time to redeploy from Iraq. Although Larry Bailey, a North Carolinian and president of the renamed Veterans for the Truth, says the genesis of his group’s ire was Murtha’s comment that military investigation will show that Marines killed innocent Iraqi civilians “in cold blood” in the Haditha incident.
Never mind that Murtha is entitled to hold that opinion, may indeed be proven correct as the investigation unfolds and should be commended for being the first prominent national politician to question the U.S. direction in a war that increasingly looks like a true debacle. In the ultimate act of irony, a handful of politically motivated veterans want to punish a man whose military contributions to the nation far exceed any of their own.
Because they specialize in disseminating innuendo and repeating the big lie so often that some people think it’s the truth, the Swift Boaters were effective in helping do Kerry in during the 2004 presidential election. But here’s all you need to know about them, courtesy of two tidbits plucked from wikipedia.org, the online encyclopedia:
1. “Of the 3,500 Swift boat sailors who served in Vietnam, the names of some 250 appeared on the group’s initial statement against Kerry; most did not serve at the same time or in the same place as Kerry.”
2. “No members of SBVT were aboard Kerry’s boat during any of the incidents for which he was decorated.”
The so-called Veterans For Truth are planning a national rally in October in Johnstown, Murtha’s back yard, no doubt to hurt his re-election chances and boost those of GOP challenger Diana Irey, a Washington County commissioner. But Murtha isn’t as feeble as Kerry, in terms of aggressively taking on his critics, and we predict these rabble-rousing outsiders will have a tough time sniping at the battle-tested veteran on his own turf without being challenged. We encourage his camp to fight back hard.
The group can use whatever catchy name they want, but their real purpose is clear: Try to knock another Democrat out of the political ring, truth or integrity be damned.