Kerry’s reaction swift boat controversy

Photo of author
Written By John LeBoutillier

What the Swift Boat Controversy has done is show the world what many of us have known for years: John Kerry is a completely ruthless, calculating, pathological, overly-ambitious liar who will do anything to win the White House.

However, as bad as things seem for him at the moment – and make no mistake that this controversy is the worst chapter in his campaign since the days of Howard Dean zooming ahead in the race a year ago – the fact that he is being proven to be a liar, an exaggerator, an embellisher and a fabricator does not automatically mean he will not or can not win in November.

Isn’t that a sad commentary on American politics?

But the lessons of the two Bill Clinton elections are clear: the American people have voted and will vote for a liar – even if they know he is a liar.

In 1992, Clinton distinguished himself by lying so often and so outrageously that the voters elected him anyway. His denials over extra-marital affairs with Jennifer Flowers and other “bimbos,” his “I did not inhale” statement, and his various positions on his draft dodging escapades seemed not to matter to voters; they elected him twice anyway.

What does this tell us?

The American voter figures all politicians lie all the time anyway so why should this guy be any different?

And maybe they are right, too. But, sadly, this results in dishonest government, cover-ups, scandals and disgrace.

The Swift Boat Controversy has hurt Kerry among some key groups, especially veterans. It has also taken the spotlight off of a damaged and weakened President Bush and focused it squarely on Kerry. Some ‘un-named’ democrats worry that this controversy could cost Kerry the election. There is no doubt it is a serious problem for the Kerry Campaign.

Knowing Kerry, here is what he is contemplating: he is signaling GW Bush that everything is on the table now. That means that Kerry will take Bush – who he believes is directly involved in the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign – right into the gutter as payback. Past allegations not only about Bush’s Texas Air National Guard problems will suddenly re-surface soon. But – ominously – so, too, may past rumors of Bush’s use of cocaine in his “young and irresponsible years” and rumors of Bush girlfriends having abortions. These have been raised in the past. Look for Kerry to have carefully researched them and prepared some type of attack based on them. In other words, Kerry is ready to go nuclear to win this election.

All along Kerry has tried to have it both ways on his Vietnam service: he saw himself as a war hero-turned anti-war leader. Anything that gets in the way of that picture infuriates him. And the Swift Boat Vets have gummed things up for him. But, in his pathological brain, he sees the Bush Attack Machine behind this and he is determined to destroy the Bushes once and for all.

Look for a MoveOn. org ad – or some other pro-Kerry 527 group – to air devastating negative commercials against Bush. And know that they are operating on direct orders from John Kerry.

Kerry has been telling people since high school – I know this because my brother was one year ahead of Kerry – that he was going to be President. And Kerry knows this is his one shot; if he loses, he is toast as the Democrats move to Hillary in 2008.

So Kerry has to do everything he can to win this election. And he will do whatever it takes.

Team Bush is already been hurt by Iraq, no WMD, and a still-weak economy. Their only hope of winning is to make Kerry the issue in the campaign. They have had a very good last 10 days; the media glare has been on Kerry and caused a re-examination of his war record.

But it will soon change; these stories tend to run out of gas after a couple of weeks.

The big question is: will new revelations emerge to hurt Bush or Kerry?

Leave a Comment