As a follow up to my blog on the GOP’s sudden dislike of people like Trump who question John McCain’s war hero status, or the hero status of anyone who serves the country, I spent some time looking to see how consistent this outrage has been. This is what I found.
Who said, “As someone who truly understands the risk of standing up for something, I simply cannot express in words how much I value their willingness to stand up against John Kerry” in support of the Swift Boat Veterans who claimed John Kerry was not a war hero when he ran against George W Bush in 2004?
Why, it was Dubya’s brother Jeb, the same Jeb who is running for president and who tweeted this past weekend, “”Enough with the slanderous attacks. @SenJohnMcCain and all our veterans – particularly POWs have earned our respect and admiration”, in response to Trump’s comment on John McCain.
Back in 2004 some very prominent donors to George Bush made donations to the Swift Boat people.
The short list of these pro-Bush and pro-Swift Boat people and the money they donated to the GOP would include:
Houston builder Bob J. Perry, who donated $4.45 million; Harold Simmons’ Contrans who gave $3 million, and T. Boone Pickens, Jr. who donated $2 million.
Bush fundraiser Carl Lindner gave $300,000; Robert Lindner donated $260,000; GOP contributor Aubrey McClendon parted with $250,000; George Matthews Jr. who donated $250,000, and Crow Holdings with $100,000).
They supported the GOP, Bush, and the Swift Board guys
A Reagan administration press officer and a volunteer consultant to Ken Starr in the Clinton impeachment, Merrie Sparth, was the initial communications consultant for the Swift Boat Veterans. But, then again, she was also spokesperson for “Republicans for Clean Air,” a 527 group opposing John McCain’s 2000 presidential campaign.
John E. O’Neill — the primary author of Unfit for Command and a key player in the formation of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth — donated over $14,000 to Republican candidates
Retired Admiral William Schachte, a principal source of many now debunked allegations about Kerry’s first Purple Heart, donated to both of Bush’s presidential campaigns, and his lobbying firm associate, David Norcross, was chairman of the 2004 Republican convention.
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Chris LaCivita, Political Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2002, works as a private contractor providing media advice for the Swifties.
The SBVT postal address was registered to Susan Arceneaux, treasurer of the Majority Leader’s Fund, a PAC closely tied to the former Congressional leader, Republican Dick Armey.
Republican activist Sam Fox was nominated by Dubya for the ambassadorship to Belgium. The nomination was questioned, so Bush waited until Congress was in recess to make the appointment.
In spite of John McCain’s saying that he “hoped that the president will also condemn it”, when it came to the first Swift Boat anti-Kerry ad, the Bush campaign didn’t.
But then when he ran for president McCain raked in over $600,000 in cash from former members of “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.”
Back in 2004 Bush campaign headquarters in Florida distributed fliers promoting SBVT events, and Kenneth Cordier, former vice-chair of Veterans for Bush/Cheney and volunteer member of the Bush campaign veterans steering committee, was in the second SBVT advertisement.
What “news” Source brought up the discredited allegations when Kerry was nominated for secretary of State, claiming the nomination was “some sort of a thumb in the eye by some who are actively serving us”?
It was Fox (surprised?) when one of its finest (Megyn Kelly) said, “I remember the whole Swift Boat controversy. This was covered in great deal by a lot of reporters, including at the time our own Major Garrett who was with Fox News, and there were some really troubling reports and there were a lot of veterans who didn’t have anything to do with the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth who were upset with Senator Kerry as those tapes and other facts emerged.
If the president does choose to go with him, understanding that the president gets his choice and we should defer to him, will that be taken as some sort of a thumb in the eye by some who are actively serving us, do you think?”
I am not agreeing with Trump that John McCain is not really a hero, but it has struck me that the GOP and its donors had no problem speaking against John Kerry’s position as a decorated war hero when it was convenient for them to do so.
But after years of ignoring the Vets, the GOP now needs to cover its sins.