Media Matters challenges RW: Can conservative bloggers tell the truth?

[blm]

And YES, the Swift vets WERE rebutted thoroughly and emphatically DISCREDITED....

but...

The media made sure that most people didn't know it.


http://mediamatters.org/columns/200704180002

Can conservative bloggers tell the truth?

by Eric Boehlert

Here's a simple challenge for John Hinderaker, a writer for the popular conservative blog Power Line who recently revisited the 2004 Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign controversy. Upset by recent media references that suggested the Swift Boat attacks on Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) had been "discredited," Hinderaker claimed, "Most of what the Vets said in their ads has never been disputed, let alone discredited."

The challenge for Hinderaker is straightforward: Read the assembled facts below and explain how I'm wrong about the countless ways in which the Swift Boat ads were disputed and the accusers were discredited, or apologize for your fact-free claim and post a correction at Power Line.

I realize that highlighting the factual deficiencies of Power Line bloggers is hardly a novel pursuit. After all, Power Line played a starring role in advancing the Terri Schiavo talking points memo hoax during the spring of 2005. Power Line played a starring role in the rush to declare guilty an Associated Press photographer who was accused of working with insurgents in Iraq. Power Line played a starring role in advancing the phony accusation that the AP had invented an Iraqi police captain and used him as a source. And just this month, Power Line played a starring role in advancing the phony story that CNN reporter Michael Ware had heckled Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) during a recent Baghdad press conference.

Meaning, Power Line rarely lets the facts get in the way of its pro-GOP spin. But there was something so audacious and egregious about Hinderaker's claim that little about the Swift Boat attacks had been "disputed, let alone discredited" that I think an old-fashioned challenge is on order. Let's see if Hinderaker has the nerve to act on it.

I admit I have an unfair advantage over Hinderaker when it comes to the Swift Boat topic. Namely, I'm familiar with the details. He apparently is not. In fact, I wrote an entire chapter about the Swift Boat attacks for my book, Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush, and I'll draw on that research here.

Let's recap the Swift Boat episode by examining the key facts and the flip-flopping players involved, as well as their credibility. Since the Swift Boat vets had no official documentation to support their claims about Kerry's misconduct, which they hatched 35 years after the fact, all they had was their word and their reputation. Let's see if any of their claims were "disputed" or if they were "discredited."
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[Joe for Clark]

1. "Swift boat veterans for bettering themselves" -

That is what it was about. You don't think people know what was going on - I think they do.

My problem with Kerry - really my only problem - is that when they attacked he didn't hit back.

He needed to in this special case. But you know the rule - vets don't turn on vets. They don't. And they don't brag about what they did nor use it for political gain - ever. It is supposed to be that way.

I don't believe it was even imaginable that a "vet" group would use it to hurt another - it was bizarre in the extreme.

I understand why Kerry was silent for so long - but he needed to hit them. People saw it as a weakness - that silence may be an admission. That was the problem.

But rest assured - what goes around comes around. And it is really going to come around for these "vets" - and I use the term loosely.

Joe

[blm]

3. He did - the corpmedia wouldn't let you see it.

And so it became the wisdom that not enough was done to rebut, but that is exactly what this article explains - it WAS done - and done EMPHATICALLY - how did the media choose to portray it, even after the emphatic and undeniably true counters and rebuttals?

The Research Forum has the actual data on the rebuttals and their timeline.

[Joe for Clark]

4. No - he hesitated.

It is not all the media in this. That he did hesitite- so would anyone under the circumstances.

He was called a coward - worse than that.

I don't know how anyone would respond to such things strongly enough. I have never seen such a thing happen before. How did they make a silver star winner look like a coward??

Anyway - the point now is different. They did what they did - and I know - what goes around does come around,

I don't disagree with your premise blm - but it seems to me - if someone kicks you in the nuts, the first thing you do is go after their throat - at least in politics.

You know - the more I read this - the MORE I WANT AL GORE BACK!!!!!

Joe

[blm]

5. The counter was swifter than you believe - please check out the Research Forum

and you will see that data.

[Joe for Clark]

7. Blm - you talk of data - no - those bastards were on

news show after news show spewing venom.

Any reaction Kerry could have made needed to be political and swift - and he didn't.

I guess we are all entitled to our opinion - and certainly the media isn't fair.

But this needed to be a political reaction. It wasn't there.

But what goes around comes around - sure enough.

Joe

[blm]

10. Cleland and Clark couldn't do it all on their own. The bigname Dems WOULDN'T DO IT.

When Clinton was attacked as a draftdodger he continued campaigning as other Dems showed up - Kerry hit the airwaves to defend him against those charges.

When Kerry was attacked, what bigname Dems showed up on those daily news programs?

[Joe for Clark]

11. You are right. Frankly I do not know how you call out

some assh*les calling you a coward. I am really sympathetic to Kerry about this - VERY.

Like I said - I don't think this ever happened before. Vets sh*tting on vets?? It is so strange.

I don't know how it could have been handled. But that it wasn't - we pay you know.

Here is the thing that really pisses me off. My father was a fairly well thought of fighter pilot in the war - There was that story about Bush's father - in the war. That he bailed before his crew could in a fight - that he was the pilot. I am a moderate - dad wasn't. Anyone that said anything bad about FDR or the party could expect to get his teeth kicked in by him or his squadron, literally - know what I mean??

He watched the stories - it was in his eyes - that he knew exactly what was going on. He said - a lot of guys lost it sometimes. NEVER held it against him - never could. Cause he knew better. Oh, he sure voted against the guy - but would NEVER bring up the war to do it - NEVER.

That these guys did - felt the need to - like I said - Karma.

Joe

[blm]

14. Which reminds me of CNN putting in HEAVY ROTATION in 2003 and 2004 - Flyboy

which completely glamorized Poppy Bush. No doubt it was deliberately scheduled to convey the image of Bush family machismo to confuse casual viewers into believing that they are a family who understands military issues. I LOATHE CNN. House of Saud-House of Bush control that network.

[Joe for Clark]

15. I know just what little shits CNN has become.

I do not listen to them anymore.

Flyboy - wow. What a stretch.

I will hold back. They hurt my kid - you have no idea how hard I let go.


Thanks blm,

Joe

[MH1]

2. Boehlert's great.

Too bad there isn't enough space in a single column to list all the ways those slimeballs lied.

[Tempest]

6. Read the comments section

The pro-swift boaters are getting their asses handed to them.

[Joe for Clark]

8. It will get a lot worse for them.

There is a line you don't cross - unwritten. Vets don't screw with other vets.

It is really true. And they did.

It is all karma in the end.

Joe

[MethuenProgressive]

9. Ignored fact: Nixon's anti-Kerry history with SBV's founder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_O%27Neill_%28Vietnam_veteran%29

[blm]

12. Also ignored is that on Nixon tapes, O'Neil SAYS that he was in Cambodia

and as a swiftvet he claimed no one was ever in Cambodia. No one in the media bothered to play that Nixon tape for O'Neil.

[zulchzulu]

13. You can't force feed truth to a Repiglicon automaton

If they knew the truth, their heads would explode.

[blm]

16. If they ADMITTED the truth OUR heads would explode. heheh

.