"That's my president, hooah!"

From Blogs for Bush

After the pool boarded Air Force One, following the president, it was observed that the Secret Service had not boarded, and we were told that the plane was "waiting." It eventually was learned that we were waiting for the arrival of a "World" airlines charter MD-11 carrying 292 Guardsmen and reservists for duty in Iraq. The plane departed from Ft. Bragg with the 30th Brigade Combat team, a guard unit from North Carolina, the 414th Transportation Battalion reserve unit from South Carolina, and the 230th Area Support Group, a guard unit from Tennessee. There seemed to be a few other units as well, such as the 150th armored cavalry, a guard unit from West Virginia. They are heading to Germany and then to Kuwait, for 18-24 months duty in Iraq. They were obviously excited to see the president, and a few confessed to being down when they had to say goodbye to their families, but they said they were boosted by the president's appearance. They were reluctant to talk about the mission in Iraq, appearing stoic about that. They were all wearing desert fatigues and filled virtually every seat on the 3-engine plane. The officers were seated in business class.

Continue reading "That's my president, hooah!"

Jean Fraud Kerry: The wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time

Simply a Shift of Incoherency?

With his policy speech on Iraq, Mr. Kerry garnered praise that he'd finally put forth 'coherency' on the issue of Iraq. Although he probably lost a lot of cred on the issue today by taking cheap potshots at the Iraqi PM's address to Congress from the safety of a firehouse in Ohio. Instead of being present at the body to which he's an elected member of. To be on hand to accept Mr. Alawi's thanks to the United States for ousting his country's dictator. ...

Aside from just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Kerry seems to be doing his best to also demonstrate that his campaign appears to be operating on a static pie model, where if there is an increase in one area, it means a decrease in another. ...

[...]

Let's give this man an Oval Office!

Giuliani Apologizes to President

Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani told President Bush this week that he is sorry.

“I owe you an apology,” Mr. Giuliani began. “I made a mistake during my [Republican National Convention] speech ... I said that with 64 days to go, John Kerry could change his mind five or six times about what to do in Iraq. Well, he’s already changed his mind four or five times and I’m going to be proven wrong again because I think we’re looking more like eight or nine times.”

From Inside the Beltway via LGF

Burkett: 'Jury still out' on memos CBS aired

(CNN) -- Bill Burkett, who gave CBS News the alleged documents about President Bush's National Guard service, insists "the jury is still out" on whether those documents are authentic.

"The documents have not been conclusively proven false," Burkett said. "Neither have they been proven authentic. That jury is still out."

[...]

You just ain't been payin' attention, have ya hoss? The jury's back. The jury done said "Fetch a rope."

CHIEF WIGGLES NEEDS YOUR HELP

CHIEF WIGGLES NEEDS YOUR HELP to save the life of a 9-month-old Iraqi girl. Follow the link for more information.

Copied directly from Instapundit. Please help spread the word and help if you can.

The Veteran in the Wall

My research assistant Mr. Google located a Russ Vaughn piece that apparently hasn't been posted on any of the MilBlogs before. The only place I could find a copy was in a reader comment at The American Thinker. Russ is rapidly becoming known as the poet laureate of the right non-left portion of the blogosphere, and I think this item deserves a wider audience than it has had previously.

A poem from Russ Vaughn, who served with the 2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, in Vietnam, 1965-66. ....

The Veteran in the Wall

Here I lay within this wall,

And cry out to be heard.

I committed no crimes

I served,

Purely and simply,

I served,

Bravely and honorably.

I did not serve any political belief,

I served my country.

I gave up every good thing that I had,

And volunteered for this fierce duty,

To do the will of this nation

To defeat an enemy

That threatened our well-being.

So here I lie, moldering,

Close by the oaks of Arlington,

Wondering, wondering,

Will ever my voice be heard?

-Russ Vaughn

Russ, thank you for being the voice of so many who can no longer speak for themselves. November 2nd will truly be Veterans' Day, and you can take pride in having done your part.

In President Kerry's Army

Alliance building, the Kerry way

When Allah sends me over 3,000 hits in under two days, the least I can do is send him a few (not that I wouldn't anyway. PBUH.)

Click the picture, infidel! It is Allah's will!

Welcome, new readers.

Welcome, new readers. I hope you'll enjoy your stay and come back soon and often.

I'm getting major traffic from Say Anything, LGF, Allah Is In The House, Castle Argghhh! and Silent Running, all favorites of mine who I didn't know knew I existed, all directed to my Kerry smeared a hero: my dad post. Thank you one and all.

I'm not sure who saw the post first and told others about it; Say Anything left the first trackback, so I'll say an extra "Thanks" to Rob.

I'm somewhat baffled by the traffic from Allah's site. I read everything Allah writes, and click most of the links in his posts, but I still haven't found the link that's generating the heavy traffic. Would someone who came here from Allah's place enlighten me? Peace be upon you.

The Nuanced Hero

The Nuanced Hero

It truly hurt and I so swore
About that grievous scratch I bore,
From tense and darkened nighttime battle,
So fierce that it might surely rattle
Those who failed to see my deeds
And could sense not my future needs
For medals to lob o’er a fence
Then boast of in elections hence.
So thus it fell alone to me
To swear to what they didn’t see,
And gain myself a Purple Heart,
So they could soon see me depart.

I knew the rules and knew that three
Were all it took to spring me free
From that despised and desperate land
So I devised my nuanced plan,
To cry of wounds that hurt me naught,
But got me out ‘fore things got hot.
And thus I laid my lifetime track,
March in the front duck out the back.
So don’t expect the least contrition
When ere I boast about my mission,
And without shame brag every day
Of the medals I won in that fray.

Some vets may say they cannot see
How I could turn my back and flee
The oath I swore and my duty station
To fly back to a war-torn nation,
Where my deceiving perverse word
Was widely through the country heard,
And to forever falsely damn
Those left behind in Vietnam,
All branded by my condemnation
As villains to their saddened nation,
All while my pseudo hero throng
Gave succor to the Viet Cong.

But come now can you truly doubt
Because I got three hearts and out,
Abandoned combat and my mates
To run back early to the states,
Had any other goal in life
Than politics and richened wife?
To all you lesser men I say,
But in my subtle nuanced way,
So what I scorned you once before?
Put that behind you I implore,
Forget those slights and any others,
And join those fools in my band of brothers.


Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66

Republished from The Mudville Gazette.

Unconquered Men

Unconquered Men

(With veneration to Ralph Waldo Emerson's Concord Hymn)



From Swift Boats they did brave the flood,

Their flag to autumn's breeze unfurled,

Here again, embattled sailors stood,

And fired the shot heard round the world.



Their foe no longer silence kept,

Believing that the veteran sleeps;

That Time's assured his treason's swept

Down history's stream which backward creeps.



Tween hostile banks of media's stream,

They fixed the sights of truth's own gun;

Seeking but their honor to redeem,

And stay the march of Judas' son.



Their Spirit made these warriors dare

To keep their nation's honor free,

But Time and Nature will declare

Their honored place in history.


Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66

Update: Some other things you should read if you enjoyed Unconquered Men:

• Power Line: Bias? No, by us
• The Night Before Christmas (Cambodian Version)
• Johnny (From Russ Vaughn)
• Veterans Day comes early this year
• The Road Less Graveled
• A request from Russ Vaughn
• An Open Letter to Senator John McCain from a Vietnam Veteran
• The Nuanced Hero

I was glad to see that Greyhawk still has computer access often enough to beat me to posting this at The Mudville Gazette. We miss you already, sir.

Another despised vet speaks out

Reader "Carridine" left the following comment on my Kerry smeared a hero: my dad post. I think he speaks for a lot of veterans and his story is another that needs to be told:

I served VietNam ERA, doing almost 3 years in Korea, on mountaintops just south of the DMZ, 1964-68; I was hand-picked by NSA to cover the follow-on to the USS Pueblo, being a Korean-linguist and all...

But none of this mattered to the 'peace protesters' flinging bags of [feces] and spitting on me as I returned from Korea ("Babykiller!" splat!) at Sea-Tac [Seatle-Tacoma)] Airport...

No one said 'Thank you' and there were no parades. We were scorned, reviled and abused.

I wear that abuse as a Badge of Service, for my beloved America. Kerry's scurrilous, cowardly and mean (small) attacks only serve to distinguish, clearly, Americans from the gutless few who would twist the American dream into 'The Root-Cause of All the World's Suffering'

Kerry has not the power to make ME suffer! America is bigger than he will EVER know, and Americans are stronger and more honest than he can fathom!

I've thought about this a lot, recently. I post as Carridine, and sell anti-Kerry songs and pro-American ditties and commentary at www.cdbaby.com/cd/kdean1 because years ago my Air Force father and his loving wife named me Kerry Dean, not realizing those names would be hijacked by leftists intent on vilifying Americans in these days!

The link in his comment leads to some music you might enjoy, but I hope you'll also check out his personal memories at http://www.tw3.wethai.com/.

Thank you for your service Carridine, and a belated "Welcome home."

Slogan contest -- You could be a winner!

Best of the Web helped promote a Heinz ketchup promotioanal slogan contest yesterday:

Submitted With Relish

The H.J. Heinz Co. has announced its "Say Something Ketchuppy II" contest:

Sometimes our label gets tired of saying "Tomato Ketchup" all of the time. We received a huge response from our first talking label contest, and now our ketchup is begging for more of your ideas. So make a joke about french fries or have some fun at the expense of mustard. Once again it is time to send your funny phrase (8 words or less, please) and the best ones will be featured on our front label in stores across the country.

Early winners include "Easier to spell than Worcestershire" and "Seeking employment in your kitchen." But we got to thinking: Why not a slogan that pays homage to Teresa Heinz Kerry, the outspoken ketchup heiress and philanthropist?

Best of the Web readers came up with some far better suggestions:

Getting Sauced

With anticipation, we opened our e-mail this morning to see what suggestions you, our readers, would have for Heinz ketchup slogans after our item yesterday on the subject. Here are our favorites:

• "Only an idiot would use mustard."
• "Our flavor is stronger at home and respected in the world."
• "Foreign leaders prefer ketchup."
• "Ketchup: C'est magnifique."
• "The taste that's smeared--smeared--in your memory."
• "For your papases fritas, your pommes frites, your patate fritte and your fritadas francesas."
• "Mustard: The wrong condiment in the wrong place at the wrong time."
  
• "By the way, served in your kitchen."
• "Too good for the common man."
• "Hunt's is for scumbags."
• "It's red, like the blood John Kerry spilled in Vietnam."

Doesn't anyone ever get tired of picking on poor little Johnny?

Can you top the early entries?

Jean Fraud Kerry finally answers a key question

Senator Kerry, How Are You Going To Give The Middle Class A Tax Cut, Spend a Trillion More Dollars and Cut the Deficit in Half?

From Kerry Haters

Is my site loading a little slow?

Is my site loading a little slow? I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. Charles Johnson at LGF got wind of my Kerry smeared a hero: my dad post and sent some people to read it. A l-o-t of people. It's interesting how the blogosphere works. Pat at Kerry Haters posted a short excerpt from Carol Gell Crowley's guest opinion piece in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His post caught my eye and I read the whole article, then excerpted a bigger chunk of it, including a photograph, on my site and at The Mudville Gazette. The stat sheet on the side of LGF says the site had 131,200 visitors yesterday. He posted a link on his site, no excerpt, just the title of the post, linking to my site. That was about two hours ago. So far about 2500 people have clicked on that link. Very soon there will be links all over the blogosphere to my post and/or the AJC article, and a lot more people will have read what Carol wrote than have ever picked up a copy of the Journal-Constitution.

Carol, I can't bring your daddy back, but if helping slap down John Kerry eases your pain in any way, I'm glad to be able to say I helped a little. I wish I could do more.

John Kerry Does it Again

THIS ARTICLE FORWARDED BY: http://Vets4Bush.com

John Kerry Does it Again
by Cal Thomas

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has achieved something that may be unique in the history of our country. He has managed to oppose two wars while they are being fought, undermine the objective of the nation and give aid and comfort to those who are killing American soldiers and kidnapping American civilians.

In a speech at New York University on Monday, Kerry questioned President Bush's judgment in ordering American troops to topple Saddam Hussein, saying the president had exchanged a brutal dictator for "chaos."

While acknowledging "there has been some progress, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our soldiers and civilians in Iraq, (and) schools, shops and hospitals have been opened, (and) in parts of Iraq, normalcy actually prevails," Kerry claimed that "most Iraqis have lost faith in our ability to deliver meaningful improvements to their lives. So they're sitting on the fence . . . instead of siding with us against the insurgents."

Kerry is an expert at fence-sitting, having sat on one most of his life. He has taken both sides in the war and tried even in this speech to distinguish between granting George W. Bush authority to wage war and reserving his right to micromanage the war the president wages if it doesn't immediately produce victory.

It wasn't long after Kerry returned from Vietnam that he joined Vietnam Veterans Against the War. He slandered his fellow soldiers, calling them indiscriminate killers and comparing them to Genghis Kahn.

Returning prisoners of war said their North Vietnamese captors played excerpts from Kerry's congressional testimony in an attempt to break their morale and convince the POWs their country had abandoned them. Sound bites from Kerry's NYU speech could be played in certain mosques to persuade the insurgents and other Muslim extremists that all they have to do is step up the killing between now and the U.S. election and victory for them is assured. They have seen America cut and run before. Kerry's address may again provide aid and comfort to America's latest enemy.

Kerry claimed President Bush has offered "23 different rationales for this war." Even if that were true, he is still far behind the number of flip-flops committed by Kerry on the war and a long list of other issues.

Kerry once again returned to his pledge to seek help in Iraq and against terrorism (as if the two can be separated) from America's "allies," despite statements from many European leaders indicating that they will not become involved in Iraq no matter who wins the November election.

Kerry criticized the president for "colossal failures of judgment - and judgment is what we look for in a president." So is decisiveness, and Kerry fails on both counts. There is nothing in his Senate record, in his pronouncements during this campaign, or in much of his life story that gives voters confidence that this is a man with strong principles whose judgment and vision can be trusted. Instead, Kerry's life has been one of self-promotion and self-indulgence. As with the Vietnam War, he doesn't talk about victory, or America's unique place in the world to which free people, and those yearning for freedom, can look.

Terrorism didn't begin on September 11, 2001. It started earlier than the Beirut barracks attacks in 1983. It began in the hearts of evil men who preached about an angry god intent on wiping out his enemies through violent acts. That disease spread, and whether it found a host in Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden, the virus exploded into a worldwide plague. Sen. Kerry's remarks were not about finding a cure to the plague but about surrendering to it, or taking diplomatic placebos hoping the disease will go away.

It won't go away, even if America withdraws from Iraq tomorrow. Had we not gone there in the first place, terrorism would still be around.

The objective should be victory. It was a word absent from Kerry's speech, because it is a concept foreign to a man who has demonstrated his preference - first with Vietnam and now with Iraq - to help America's enemies in times of crisis far more than helping his own country.

We're on to you, Jean Fraud. Veterans Day falls on November 2nd this year. Enjoy it. We will.

Blog problems -- my fault

I tried to make some minor changes to my blogger template and something went way wrong. For now you can read my blog, and most of the sidebar buttons work, but there's no way to leave me comments or find out the permalink address to link to an individual post. I'm working on it.

Update: It seems to be a file corruption problem that I'm apparently going to have to back way up to fix. There will be some important things missing from my sidebar for a while but I'll have things back to normal just as soon as I can. Please bear with me.

Arizonans to Consider Ballot Measure Targeting Illegal Immigrants

[...]

If passed, PAN would require that anyone receiving public benefits prove they are a legal resident of the United States. The measure would also require anyone registering to vote to prove their U.S. citizenship and then show a photo ID at the polls. Also, state employees who fail to report someone trying to skirt the law could be held criminally liable.

[...]

Go read it all. Now, if we could just get the citizens of about 49 other states to wise up.

Hat tip: Demoncratic Blunderground

A heartfelt public Thank You.

To those who responded to my bleg: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I've emailed those of you who identified yourselves, but this is the only way I have to reach some of you. The financial crisis is far from over, but knowing you care means a lot to me. The only way I can repay you in any way is to continue to try to provide you with something informative and occasionally entertaining to read. I'll do that as long as I can afford a computer and internet service.

My baby sister was informed this morning that she does have breast cancer. She's scheduled for more surgery next Monday, to be followed by chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Her doctors do not expect the cancer to kill her, but she's going to be going through a lot of discomfort and missing a lot of work. Her husband's health insurance plan will cover most of the medical expenses but her employer does not provide any sort of sick pay, short term or long term. It's going to be rough.

I'm a Christian, but not a very good one. I gave up on organized religion when an Air Force chaplain in Saigon offered me a copy of "Open Marriage," then never really found my way back to the church. My sister's situation has me praying, but I really can't think of anything I've done over the years to earn God's help. Please, will those of you who are religious and remember how to pray mention my baby sister the next time you do? I know you will, and I thank you.

A request from Russ Vaughn

Infidel Cowboy just posted a letter he received from Russ Vaughn, noted author and poet. I'm usually on Russ's mailing list but if he's sending me a copy I don't have it yet. The sooner it's posted the sooner you can start helping Russ, so here it is:

Bill O'Reilly just told James Carville, tonight, that if John Kerry would just apologize to Vietnam vets all this Swift Boat stuff would just go away.

That statement clearly demonstrates the O'Reilly never has had a grasp of the problem that Vietnam veterans have with John Kerry and still does not. O'Reilly is in over his head on this issue but refuses to admit it. He claims he's been fair to all sides but I was watching the night he dismissed the Swiftees as smear artists.

We need to let O'Reilly know what value we place on a meaningless apology from a serial liar. Please contact Bill at: oreilly@foxnews.com and let him know what veterans think about his opinion that our thirty years of anger can be assuaged with more lying words from a turncoat traitor. Go Troops!

Airborne and God bless America.

Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66

We're with you all the way on this, Russ.

A worthy new charity you should know about

Michelle Malkin, as usual, has the scoop.

The bloggers at SgtStryker.com (now known as "The Daily Brief") have launched a new charity.

They're asking you to send your old pajamas to Dan Ra^ther: ...

Please, help this poor man out (...the door).

On Leaving

Damn it!

I awoke in the quiet watches with my youngest in my arms, wondering what I might say to her and her brother and sister and their mom and knowing I was done with sleeping for this night.

Here is why: Some must go to fight the Dragons. And if you think such things don't exist then it must be I read you the wrong sorts of stories when you were young.

If you ask only why I and not some other than I can tell you this ...

Go read the rest. Greyhawk's really leaving. So much for hoping he was just going to be at a NATO conference for a few days or something safe like that. I'm one of 5 guest bloggers he's allowing to help try to hold down the fort while he's away. We'll do our best, but we WILL NOT be able to make up for his absence. The best we can hope to do is to keep people in the habit of coming by his site so he isn't starting over when he gets back.

"Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

Be safe, sir, stay in touch and hurry back. You'll be missed.

Chapter 7: MEETING WITH THE ENEMY

Chapter 7 of Unfit for Command is now available for online viewing at no cost. I haven't been able to locate it in .html format yet, so you'll have to be patient enough to read it as a .pdf file.

S E V E N

MEETING WITH THE ENEMY

Ion Mihai Pacepa, the highest-ranking Soviet intelligence officer to defect to the West, spoke out in June 2004 about the KBG intelligence operation that he believed was the basis for the assertions of war crimes and atrocities at the heart of John Kerry’s 1971 testimony to the Fulbright Committee.

For Pacepa, the case was clear. John Kerry’s 1971 accusations of war crimes in Vietnam sounded to him just “like the disinformation line that the Soviets were sowing worldwide throughout the Vietnam era.” The KGB had as a top priority the damage of American credibility in Vietnam. To this end, the KGB spent millions producing “the very same vitriol Kerry repeated to the U.S. Congress almost word for word and planted it in leftist movements throughout Europe.”

[...]

The chapter goes on to discuss Kerry's activities in Vietnam Veterans Against the War and his clandestine 1970 meeting with the North Vietnamese delegation in Paris. Go read the whole thing. Don't forget to take your blood pressure medicine first.

Update: Chapter 7 is now available in .html format. Click here.

Possible light blogging while I do some "housekeeping"

I time-share a computer with a young nephew who's a little more trusting that I wish he'd be sometimes, so now and then I have to spend some time cleaning junkware off the computer. I can do most of it in the background and work on other things at the same time, but the computer slows down noticeably while I'm running Spybot, Ad-Aware and Norton. I hope you'll forgive me if this turns out to be a lighter than normal blogging night.

More Suppresion Of Dissent

I saw this post on my daughter's blog today:

Free Speech Zones again

Click here to read about another person arrested for having the audacity to disagree with the president in public. I am too tired to speak eloquently today, so I will just say that this really bugs the crap out of me.

I clicked the "Click here" link, which led to a Slate article, linked from there to an article on TheState.com for a little more information, then Googled the judge involved. After doing that, left the following comment on my daughter's post:

I'm sure the gang at al-Slate knows a lot more about what really happened than 12 South Carolina jurors and a federal judge, who by the way was nominated for his position by President William Jefferson Clinton, could possibly have. Whether you disagree with a particular law or not, it’s still a crime to violate it. The jurors in S.C. and that federal judge understood that. Even al-Slate says your “victim” was warned first and told what his legal options were. He decided to break the law anyway, so now he’s in jail. Boo-hoo-hoo. I won’t be able to enjoy supper tonight worrying about whether he’s getting enough bread and water.

She responded to my comment with her own ... :

I am not saying that it was illegal to arrest him, only that I find it audacious that Bush is so afraid of seeing someone who disagrees with him express their opinion. Jeez.

... to which I replied:

The Republicans threw a private party, from which they ejected an uninvited guest. The Democrats do the same sort of thing. The only difference is when they do it al-Slate, C-BS, and the rest of the lame-stream media don't get excited about it.

I guess my daughter and I are still friends. The next post on her blog was:

Hey Republicans!

Click here to read my Dad's web site. It is updated every day (which I can't attest to) and very well written; he just happens to disagree with me 90% of the time. So if you don't like what you see here, be sure to give his site a read.

Is this a great country, or what?

What do you think about what happened in South Carolina? Any thoughts on the subject? Leave me a comment.

Btw, the only reason I started blogging to begin with was that my daughter started putting things I disagreed with on her blog. She still isn't "assimilated" but I'm still trying. ;-)

The Mysterious Ms. Ramirez

DNC internal memo

111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron
P.O. Box 12345
Houston, Texas 77034

21 September 2004/1972

MEMORANDUM TO ALL WRITERS

SUBJECT: New Word settings

Effective immediately please ensure that all documents produced with Microsoft Word for "Lucy Ramirez" are left justified and use Courier 10 as the font. Also,please run all documents through a photocopier a minimum of 15 "generations". And no more of that little "th" thing!

Jerry Killian
Lt. Colonel

CBS internal memo

111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron
P.O. Box 12345
Houston, Texas 77034

21 September 2004/1972

MEMORANDUM TO ALL STAFF

SUBJECT: Mary Mapes' going away party

Although it is clear that Ms. Mapes will be leaving us shortly, we have not yet announced the date for her going away party. Please expect the date to be announced within the next 7 days on The Drudge Report. It is likely that her party will be followed immediately by similar parties for Dan Rather, Andrew Heyward, Richard Katz, Bill Glennon, Mary Beth Cahill, John Edwards, John Kerry, and Terry McAuliffe - in more or less that order.

Jerry Killian
Lt. Colonel

I'm sitting here wondering: Has anyone ever seen Lucy Ramirez and Mary Mapes in the same place at the same time? Does that make anyone but me wanna go "Hmmm!"?

Quote Of The Day

Thomas Paine, via Power Line: "If there must be trouble let it be in my time, that my child may have peace."

The REAL Kerry plan for Iraq

Have you been listening to what Jean Fraud Kerry's been telling you about Iraq?

1. "Iraq is a losing proposition and such a dangerous place that I'm going to start pulling out our troops as soon as I'm inaugurated."
2. "I'm going to keep Iraq for going to Hell in a handbasket after I pull our troops out by using my great physique, good looks, charm and diplomatic skills to convince the French and Germans to send a bunch of their troops there to take up the slack."

Sure is a good thing they didn't hear him say how dangerous it is there.

AND DON'T COME BACK NOW, Y'HEAR?

Cat Steven's isn't allowed in the U.S. any more and Michelle Malkin is crying great big crocadile tears. I agree with her. Boo-freakin'-hoo. Go read it.

Kerry smeared a hero: my dad

The Soldier in the picture is Sgt. Jack Gell. The baby is his daughter Carol. That was the last day his family saw Sgt. Gell alive. Care to guess how Carol feels about John Kerry's bid for president? Here's a little taste:

[...]

I don't blame Kerry for my father's death, and I don't much care if he shamelessly chased after medals. But I do care that when he returned from Vietnam he gave aid and comfort to the enemy while our soldiers were still dying. I care that he smeared my father and a generation of our armed forces with false charges of war crimes while posing himself as a hero. I care that Kerry's false charges encouraged our enemy who was pressuring our POWs in inhumane ways to confess to imaginary war crimes. I care that he went to Paris to meet with the Viet Cong in 1970 while still an officer in the Navy Reserve, returning to publicly advocate for their position and against America's position.

This isn't about politics. It's about honor and betrayal and protecting our country. And for me it is deeply personal, as it is for countless vets. Thirty-nine years later, my mother still cries on Nov 14. Thirty-nine years later, we miss my father every day. Thirty-nine years later, Kerry poses as a hero. As children of Vietnam veterans, many of us feel an unwelcome emotional strain as the arguments about what really happened in Vietnam are tugged back and forth, often by people who were not there. We deeply resent the suggestion that our fathers were war criminals as that theme inevitably seeps into the argument.

[...]

As long as I have breath and Kerry seeks the office of president, I will speak out against him. Others like me are too many to count.

Go read the whole thing. Please. You'll have to go through a painless registration process to get to it, but it's worth it. Trust me.

(I've also posted this item on The Mudville Gazette, where I'm honored to be allowed to guest-post in Greyhawk's absence.)

Hat tip: Kerry Haters

Update: My good blogfriend Sergeant America at Johnny Four Months has reminded me that he also posted on this, before Kerry Haters did. I'm not sure how my site ended up with the LGFalanche and not his or The Mudville Gazette. I've had more site traffic in the last 14 hours than in the previous 6 weeks. Thank you, Charles.

SBVT Ad # 6 is out. Watch It Now!

The new Swift Boat ad is out. This one's going to leave marks.

Announcer: Even before Jane Fonda went to Hanoi to meet with the enemy and mock America, John Kerry secretly met with enemy leaders in Paris.

Announcer: Though we were still at war and Americans were being held in North Vietnamese prison camps.

Announcer: Then he returned and accused American troops of committing war crimes on a daily basis.

Announcer: Eventually [even!] Jane Fonda apologized for her activities, but John Kerry refuses to.

Announcer: In a time of war, can America trust a man who betrayed his country?

Click here to watch the ad in Windows Media Player or here to watch it in Real Player.

More American Atrocities in Iraq!

Can't Rummy keep these people under control?

If you enjoyed these, click here and here for continued enjoyment.

Hat tips: The Mudville Gazette, Medienkritik, Expat Yank

A Post I Really Am Not Enjoying Writing

I just added an Amazon bleg button (Update: There is also a PayPal button now.) to my sidebar. I didn't want to. Things like that are hard on a man's ego. When I started blogging, I did so with no delusions of getting rich from it and no intention to ever use my blog to ask for help. I thought if I could get a few dozen people to read what I posted and maybe change someone's mind now and then that would be more than enough to justify the effort I put into it. Sometimes life forces people to do things they'd rather not.

Those of you who've read my bio, or some of my other posts, may know that I'm too sick to hold down a job, possibly ever again. The condition the VA doctors think I have isn't life-threatening, at least not in the near future, but it is disabling. I can spend several hours a day sitting in front of a computer, but not on any predictable schedule, and any job that requires any significant physical labor or spending a major part of the day standing or talking is out of the question. I'm waiting for the VA and Social Security people to decide whether they're going to help, and in the mean time the only thing keeping me out of a homeless shelter is my younger sister's generosity. I'm writing this sitting in one corner of of the room where I slept from the time I was 7 years old until I left for college.

My sister is currently off work, without pay, waiting for the soreness to go away and the lab results to come back from a lumpectomy/ biopsy performed yesterday morning. All I can do to help is make a feeble attempt at some of the household chores, pray for her, and bleg. It's not supposed to be this way, damn it! I'm supposed to be 13, helping my baby sister learn to walk; I'm supposed to be calling her from Saigon to wish her a happy 10th birthday; I'm supposed to be going to work every day and trying to send some money home now and then. She isn't supposed to be trying to take care of me, I'm supposed to be taking care of her.

I'm not asking for money for luxuries, I'm asking for help keeping food on my sister's table and the lights on. The closest thing to a luxury involved is a rented computer (Gateway is back-ordered on power supplies; I guess they're supposed to outlast the warranty.) and a broad-band internet connection, and those will be the first things to go as things get worse.

Please don't help if you can't afford it, but if you can and want to it will mean a lot.

While I'm on the subject, I'm a reasonably competent non-fiction writer and a fair to middlin' web site designer. There's nothing I'd like better than to find something I can do from home on a by-the-job basis of some sort and remove the bleg button from my site. Any ideas? My email address is just a little way below the bleg button on my sidebar.

Thanks for listening. God bless.

Update: My baby sister does have cancer. Please read A heartfelt public Thank You.

Wictory Wednesday -- 9-22-2004

It's Wictory Wednesday Again

Dozens of blogs across the country participate in Wictory Wednesday. Every Wednesday, these bloggers put up a post asking their readers to volunteer and/or donate to worthy Republican campaigns. In their Wictory Wednesday posts, they also include the Wictory Wednesday blogroll, which lists all participating blogs.

I display the Wictory Wednesday blogroll on my sidebar seven days a week. -- Why wait for Wednesday to support the president's efforts to be reelected when we need a good man person (Rice/Lieberman '08!) in charge every day? Please do whatever you can for the Bush/Cheney campaign. We're in a war, people. We need a leader who understands that.

President Bush has accepted the nomination for a second term. It's too late to donate to the official Bush/Cheney campaign, but there's still plenty of time to help get some good Republicans into the Senate. This week Wictory Wednesday bloggers are directing attention to Florida Senate candidate Mel Martinez. Please visit his web site for information on how you can help him to victory.

PowerLine makes the cover of Time

RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie Statement on CBS

Washington, DC--Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie issued the following statement on CBS’s admission today that memos regarding the President’s National Guard service are not real. ...

[...]

Go read it all.

Mamamontezz's Mental Rumpus Room: Good Screw-up, Rather

Good Screw-up, Rather

*Sung to the tune of "Good Morning Starshine" from the musical, Hair.

Good screw-up, Rather.
The blogs say "you blow."
You passed off a doozie.
We caught you, you know.
Good screw-up, Rather,
You strung this along.
My friends and me as we post
our early morning Jammie-Blog.

[...]

Go read it all. Lila's been on a roll, lately.

Teresa: My Critics Are 'Scumbags'

[...]

Hot-tempered would-be first lady Teresa Heinz Kerry has once again lashed out at her critics, this time during a Pittsburgh television interview where she called them "scumbags."

[...]

Read the whole thing. Wouldn't she make an absolutely fabulous First "Lady"?

Hat tip: pawigoview

A Public Apology Of My Own

I have a public apology of my own to make, since that's in vogue these days. First, some background so I don't confuse anyone:

• Ed M. at Captains Quarters is not a veteran and has never claimed to be. IIRC he has explained in the past that the nickname "Captain Ed" has a nautical but not Naval history. Nonetheless, he has proven in his blogging to be a true friend of Americans in uniform and no fan of John Kerry, which are two of the many things I admire about the gentleman.
• For a brief period, way back before I had a blog of my own, let alone a key to Greyhawk's, there was a blog called "JAG Wire", written by a JAG officer named "Whiskey" at http://2whiskey.blogs.com/jagwire/. The blog had a very brief life, apparently due to complications of some sort arising from separation of official duties and blogging interests. During its brief life the blog was good enough that I still have it bookmarked, even knowing there's no one there any more.
• Not long after "JAG Wire" went away, Captain Ed welcomed aboard a new co-blogger named "Whiskey" and mentioned that she'd had some legal training. After seeing approximately one sample of her writing, I left a comment asking whether she might be the same "Whiskey" who used to have her own blog. She was quick to neither confirm nor deny my theory.
• After a few weeks of writing some wonderful posts at Captain's Quarters, the "Whiskey" who had been posting there took a blogging hiatus to take care of some unspecified business somewhere in Asia. She's back now.

Now for my apology: Whiskey, I'm sorry I tried to start that conspiracy rumor before and I won't do that again, although who knows who CBS will go after next? Since you aren't a military person and therefore can't post to The Mudville Gazette as a guest MilBlogger, I'll just have to start coming by Captain's Quarters twice a day now instead of once like I did while you were away. Welcome back to the blogosphere. You were missed.

Vote for Bush - Training Exercise

I just received the following email from Vets4Bush.com.:

We need to activate a training exercise of our Vets4Bush.com Veterans "voting block".

Please go to the following CNN URL and Vote for Pres Bush:

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/paula.zahn.now/

If you can't click on the above link, please copy and paste it into your browser

You don't have to be a member of Vets4Bush to participate in the poll. Go do it. Now!

Going to War with Michael Moore

I got an interesting email earlier today that I'm not sure what to make of, but I don't see any obvious way for it to be a scam and I like what these guys say they want to do.

PUBLISHER SPONSORING “DVD BUY-BACK” PROGRAM TO KEEP AMERICAN HOMES SAFE FROM MICHAEL MOORE’S DANGEROUS PROPAGANDA

Similar to Gun Buy-Backs, World Ahead Publishing Exchanges “Fahrenheit 9/11” for Copies of THANK YOU, PRESIDENT BUSH

LOS ANGELES, September 17, 2004 – In an effort to ensure the safety of American homes, World Ahead Publishing, publisher of THANK YOU, PRESIDENT BUSH, announces its Fahrenheit 9/11 DVD Buy-Back program for U.S. purchasers of Michael Moore’s documentary. In urban areas, city leaders periodically sponsor gun “buy-back” programs to help reduce gun violence. Similarly, the Fahrenheit 9/11 DVD Buy-Back program is designed to protect Americans from harm, especially young children who might accidentally slip this dangerous propaganda into the living room DVD player.

[...]

Read the whole thing if you're interested.

Jean Fraud Kerry: Ready to cut and run in Iraq

The Kerry Line: John Kerry's Retreat And Defeat

"John Kerry's latest position on Iraq is to advocate retreat and defeat in the face of terror. ..."

• John Kerry's Military Advisor Says U.S. Must Consider Withdrawal
  • Kerry Military Advisor Retired Admiral William Crowe Raises The Possibility Of Leaving Iraq.
• Kerry On "Retreat And Defeat":
• Kerry Pledged To Significantly Reduce Troops In Iraq, Surprising Aides.
• Kerry Said The People Running The Iraqi Election "Just Can't Do It At This Point In Time."
• Kerry Said Our Troops Are Not Doing The Training Necessary "To Establish The Security" In Iraq.
• Kerry: "I Believe This Administration And Its Policies Is Actually Encouraging The Recruitment Of Terrorists."
• Kerry Said President "Didn't Learn The Lessons" Of Vietnam And Is Putting Soldiers "At Greater Risk."
• Kerry Wrote That Iraqis Are "Lashing Out" At U.S. Soldiers For Bush Failures.
• John Kerry Called Iraq's Liberation "Wrong War … At The Wrong Time" And Declared The Coalition "Phoniest Thing."
• Kerry's Surrogates On "Retreat And Defeat ":
  • John Edwards Said "Iraq Is A Mess."
  • Kerry Foreign Policy Advisor Richard Holbrooke Said "The Situation In Iraq Is As Bad As The More Pessimistic Observers Have Said."
  • Kerry Surrogate Max Cleland Called Iraq A "Nightmare" That Is "Going South."
  • Cleland Said Iraq Is "Descending Into Civil War And Chaos" And "We Have Another Vietnam In The Making In Iraq."
  • Kerry Surrogate Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) Accused The Administration Of "Misrepresenting And Distorting The Progress That's Being Made Over There."
  • Kerry Surrogate Retired General Merrill McPeak Called Iraq "A Wall-To-Wall Disaster" That Is "Likely To Get Worse."
  • Kerry Surrogate Wesley Clark Called Iraq A "Grand Strategic Blunder."
  • Kerry Foreign Policy Adviser Richard Holbrooke Said: "The Situation Is Clearly Getting Worse, And There Is No End In Sight, And There Is No Strategy Either For Success Or For Victory Or For Exit."

Go read it all. You helped us snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in Viet Nam, Jean Fraud, and you haven't changed a bit. This is how you're going to keep my family safe? ... Dumb ass.

Update: "sidtara" left this as a comment. I think he has a very good point:

In his 1971 Senate testimony, Lt(jg) Kerry estimated that only a few thousand SE Asians would need to be evacuated when US troops withdrew from Vietnam. We now know that MILLIONS were murdered by Communist regimes unleashed in SE Asia after we abandoned the Vietnamese.

Mission: Find out how many thousands of Iraqis John Flip-Flop Kerry thinks will need to be evacuated from Iraq when "phony" coalition withdraws, then multiply this number by about a million. This will give us a rough idea of the killing fields this man would leave behind him in Iraq if he is elected.

(Yes, I realize Jean Fraud was no longer on active duty in 1971. Since he has refused to release all of his military records I can't prove it, but I believe he was still a member of the Naval Reserve at that time, so the title "Lt(jg) Kerry" in sidtara's comment is appropriate.)

I'm am now a MilBlogger

I finally got around to submitting my application to be a member of the MilBlogs ring and just got back word it was approved. I don't know why I hadn't taken time to apply earlier. I've been an official "Friend of MilBlogs" for several weeks, but that doesn't require anyone's OK but mine. Watch for the Prev-List-Random-Next links to appear under the MilBlogs button on my sidebar within the next few hours.

Update: I've added the appropriate code to my sidebar so you can link the previous or next ring member, a random ring member, or a list of all the MilBloggers. Appropriately enough, the "Next" link takes you to Johnny Four Months, which is run by my good blogfriend Sergeant America.

Originally posted 20SEP04 04:39.

RatherBiased has a new temporary home -- Please help spread the word.

The gang at RatherBiased.com is temporarily unable to update their site due to a fire at their web hosting service. Greyhawk has given them temporary posting privileges at The Mudville Gazette, already a great site. Please help spread the word so their regular readers will know where to find them.

BREAKING: CBS: Bush Memo Story A 'Mistake'

(CBS/AP) CBS News said Monday it cannot prove the authenticity of documents used in a 60 Minutes story about President Bush's National Guard service and that airing the story was a "mistake" that CBS regretted. CBS News Anchor Dan Rather, the reporter of the original story, apologized.

GO READ IT ALL!! Then go read how important I think this is.

Did Dan Rather just hand George Bush a landslide?

What is the final effect of Ra^thergate going to be? Obviously our boy Danny is going to be lucky to come out of it with his skin, but it may be much, much bigger than that. I've seen a couple of other bloggers almost come out and express a theory I think may be true but stop just short of saying it. Dan Rather's credibility is history. CBS's credibility is history. I think we can all agree on that. Even my little bitty home town paper knows it. Joe and Edith Sixpack now understand that "Just because CBS says it don't mean it's true." It's one small step, one I think Joe and Edith may be ready for, from "Just because CBS says it don't mean it's true" to "If CBS says it, it probably ain't true." Of course that reasoning's bogus, but then Joe and Edith aren't the brightest bulbs on the porch anyway. I mean, after all, they were going to vote for Kerry before all of this happened. So now Joe and Edith add "If CBS says it, it probably ain't true" to "CBS has been telling us for months that George Bush is a jerk and John Kerry is a gentleman and a scholar" and what do they come up with? Two votes for George Bush, that's what they come up with. Think I'm wrong? Jean Fraud's poll numbers are already in freefall. Let's wait and see where they go from here. Let's see what happens in the poll that counts, in another 43 days. Why the long face, Johnny boy?

Do we need to draw you a picture?

The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is still just as true as it ever was. Realizing that a lot of their readers may still not have the foggiest idea what words like "superscript" and "kerning" mean, the Washington Post has put it all in pictures, proving once again for anyone who still had any doubts that the CBS documents are bogus. Go look at it.

Must read: Admiral Roy Hoffman Op-Ed

Just enough to whet your appetite from Admiral Hoffman's Op-Ed piece in The Richmond Times-Dispatch:

The Grand Deception
'Kerry, War Hero,' Is a Myth

The widely repeated myth of "John Kerry, the Vietnam Navy Hero" is one of the most dishonorable and dangerous deceptions ever perpetrated upon the American public.

John Kerry is not a hero. He built this facade with unabashed personal promotion, aided and abetted by a supportive liberal media ready and willing to repeat in print his gross exaggerations, distortions of fact, and outright lies about his abbreviated four-month, 12-day tour of duty in Vietnam.

[...]

Kerry arrived in Vietnam on November 17, 1968, with a strong anti-war bias and a self-serving determination to build a foundation for a future political career. Even a most casual review of his biography, Tour of Duty by Douglas Brinkley, will reveal that Kerry entered the Naval Reserve as a "vain intellectual" with contempt for military authority.

[...]

Kerry's meeting with Madame Binh representing the Viet Cong and with other members of the Vietnamese Communist delegations to the Paris Peace Conference in 1970, while he was yet a Naval Reserve officer, constitute meeting with the enemy during time of war. ...

[...]

Go read the whole thing. It's worth it.

The Mamamontezz/SlagleRock Letter Project

This post is reproduced in it's entirety from Mamamontezz's Mental Rumpus Room:

You all remember how torqued-off I get when people disrespect military personnel? You remember how that inspired me to write an open letter to the troops that started out like a snowflake and snowballed and ended up starting a drive for letters at Slaglerock's Slaughterhouse? Remember?

Well, after collecting about 300 of these letters, Slagle and I built a site for them and he has been posting them all online. We thought that having a site where our men and women in uniform could go anytime they needed a pick-me-up or a warm message from home was a good idea. No politics, no advertisements, no pressure, just letters from appreciative people.

I want to direct you to The Letter Project, the outcome of our brainchild and of the gracious goodwill of the many many people who cared enough about our troops to take the time to send a letter for posting.

If you know anyone who is serving, whether they are deployed overseas or not, pass along this link. If you want to post a letter to the letter project, you can do so at any time by contacting me at mamamontezz(at)sbcglobal(dot)net. I will make sure it is posted.

Expect this site to evolve over time as we find better ways to get the letters up. And if you have any suggestions for sites to include in the gutter, support sites or humor sites, as long as they are not political, let us know.

I'm proud to say that I made a small contribution to the original letter project with my Let Our Troops Know You Care and An Open Letter posts and I'm pleased to be part of the effort to get the word out about its latest incarnation.

Slaglerock is an active duty Air Force NCO and a MilBlogs member. Mamamontezz is a Friend of MilBlogs. Correction: Mamamonezz and Slaglerock are both MilBlogs Members. Sorry, Lila, I don't know how I got confused about that.

If you didn't write a letter the first time around please do it now.

The Parable of the Walls

[..]

But there is peril in such walls, too. They must be defended, both by men who walk atop them, and by men who go forth beyond them. And, today, we fight in defense of these walls, while the clamor of war -- but no accurate sight of the war -- reaches those who remain protected within.

It is natural for such a person to look around and see only safety and pleasure, and to call out to his brother: "Come back inside! You should not be out where there is violence and misery, when you could be in here with me!" It is natural for such a person to be horrified by the sound of the violence, and to think of their fellows suffering while they wait protected inside.

That is why those who stand atop the walls are needed. They must convey a true sense of the danger to the protected within, but also a sense of the hope for victory. It is their job to explain the need for war, to encourage the frightened, and to embolden the valiant.

Once the journalist was the man upon the wall. Ask Ernie Pyle or Bill Maudlin.

Where are such patriots today? ...

[...]

Go read it all

Update: I followed Grim's Bill Mauldin link and found a picture on the page that got me to thinkin' about "war hero" Jean Fraud Kerry:

Bush may be a ham, but Kerry is a mouthful

[...]

First, while Bush is often derided as inarticulate, Kerry has other issues with language. He might be called over-articulate, or fond of adding 12 words when one might do.

[...]

Second, if Bush is a ham on the stump, Kerry is the lead in a Shakespearean drama. He is a big man with a big voice and a command of the material and the stage, but he sometimes can appear more focused on his words than on his audience.

[...]

When a man in Albuquerque, New Mexico, asked Kerry what he would do in Iraq, Kerry answered with a five-minute discussion of the environment and what Bush had done wrong, then said, briefly, that he would convene a summit and train Iraqi security forces more quickly.

Third, while Bush has for years tossed a few sentences of Spanish with a West Texas accent into his speeches - the Spanish wire service Agencia EFE has noted that the president speaks the language poorly "but with great confidence" - last week Kerry spoke an entire and very careful paragraph of Spanish, much practiced beforehand, in the neutral accent of Spanish-language television anchors.

[...]

Read the whole thing

To "Pat in NC" -- I hope this helps

Pat in NC left this comment under Mail from home, the hard way:

I have searched for any blogs from military in Afghanistan without success. I would write to a single person in our military or to a group if I had any address. They are in my thoughts and prayers as are those serving in Iraq. If you have any suggestion as to how to get mail to one or more, please send me an email.

Pat, I did some poking around and found some links I hope you'll find useful:

• Operation Dear Abby.net
• Treats for Troops
• Soldier's Angels
• A Million Thanks

Note to my other readers: Feel free to click the links and help out even if your name isn't Pat. :-)

And I suppose Jean Fraud Kerry would do better?

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Several Republicans and Democrats took President Bush to task on Sunday's talk shows over his repeated assertions that all is well in Iraq.

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona said Bush was not being "as straight as maybe we'd like to see" with the American people about Iraq.

McCain, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on "Fox News Sunday" that it was "a serious mistake" not to have had enough troops in place "after the initial successes" and that the mistake had led to "very, very significant" difficulties.

[...]

OK, let's be clear about some things, people. George W. Bush isn't likely to ever be mistaken for a second Jesus Christ or Albert Einstein. I may even have more to say on that subject after the election. Does that mean we should fire him and hire John Kerry to replace him? Not just "No!" but "Hell, No!" Kerry has been lying about what went on during his time in Viet Nam for 35 years and still doesn't have the decency to take back the things he said. Kerry voted for invading Iraq and then voted against providing the funding our troops needed to prosecute the war properly (but only after he voted for it first.) Kerry can't decide what he really believes about Iraq and stick to one position for two days in a row. The only position he's ever consistently taken is "I'm not George Bush." We know that, Jean Fraud, but the question remains "Well who are you, then?" When you figure that out, please let us know. The description I'm anxious to hear is "one-time presidential candidate and now former Senator."

The Few, The Proud -- Norfolk Marine tells story of rooftop fight in Iraq

NORFOLK — Outnumbered, low on ammo, perched on a rooftop for hours in a battle against Iraqi insurgents, [Marine Cpl.] Lonnie Young figured his number was up.

It was April 4, 2004, and the war had entered its deadliest month for Americans. Days earlier, four contractors passing through Fallujah had been ambushed, killed, and strung from a bridge.

[...]

Next, Young dashed across the camp to Blackwater’s ammunition supply room, strapped about 150 pounds of bullets to his body, and sprinted back to the roof.

[...]

“I just felt like we were losing ground, and I thought, 'If I’m going to die, I’m not going down without a fight.’ I knew we were seriously outnumbered. They were coming at us with pretty much everything they had. We were seriously struggling to keep our ground.”

[...]

When a group of U.S. Army military police officers joined the fight, Young used his experience as a weapons instructor to talk them through it. Conserve your ammo. Slow and steady before you squeeze. Adjust your sites for range and distance. Take breaks so your gun barrel doesn’t melt.

[...]

Even if he gets out, and puts his degree in design engineering from Eastern Kentucky University to use, Young will never forget how he got to be a sniper, medic, ammunition supplier, weapons coach, and communications specialist – all on the same day.

Said Young: “I’d always wanted to be a Marine.”

Go read the whole thing. Where do we get such men? Where would we be without them?

(Cross-posted at The Mudville Gazette)

BlogRolling is down, again!

Blast it! My blogrolls are missing and I'm gettting "The page cannot be displayed" at blogrolling. com.

Rather Blames Rove In Rocket-Skate Mishap

RATHER BLAMES ROVE IN ROCKET-SKATE MISHAP

NEW YORK - Veteran anchorman Dan Rather implicated White House Political Director Karl Rove as "the mastermind behind the so-called Acme Group" after his rocket-powered roller skates exploded during a Wednesday CBS Evening News investigative report.

[...]

Read the whole thing.

THE PRESIDENT FIRES BACK, FINALLY

Bush Raises Questions About CBS Documents

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (Reuters) - President Bush questioned the authenticity of documents aired by CBS News that said he received special treatment during his Vietnam-era service in the National Guard, according to a Bush interview published on Saturday.

"There are a lot of questions about the documents and they need to be answered," Bush told the Union Leader newspaper of Manchester, New Hampshire, ...

[...]

"I think what needs to happen is people need to take a look at the documents, how they were created, and let the truth come out," Bush added.

[...]

In the Union Leader interview, Bush defended his service and his decision to leave the Texas Guard to transfer to Alabama in order to work on a political campaign.

"I was granted permission by my superiors," he said. "I did everything they asked me to do and met my requirements and was honorably discharged. I'm proud of my service in the Guard."

[...]

Go read the whole thing.