The Washington Post, in an editorial today, finally acknowledges the Swifties' charges, concentrating on the ad, not the book. The editors make credibility judgments without even interviewing the Swifties or their spokesmen, or engaging in independent investigation.

And, worst of all they ignore altogether the Swifties' assertion that Kerry's claim, made repeatedly that Nixon had illegally ordered him to engage in combat activities in Cambodia in Christmas in 1968 and this illegal conduct was "seared —— seared" in his mind, was an opportunistic lie. Indeed, after days of silence, his campaign has admitted the oft—stated claim (first raised on the floor of the U.S. Senate when he objected to action against the Sandanistas) was untrue.
 
Of course, a not very sharp reporter could be expected to know that in 1968 Johnson, not Nixon, was the President. But passing over that, there is much more.
 
After days of silence, his campaign spokespersons said he  made a mistake.  He was "near" Cambodia, not in Cambodia. That made no sense in the context in which the claim had been made. Their latest story is that he was on the Mekong between Cambodia and Viet Nam. There is, of course, no area between Cambodia and Viet Nam on the Mekong.

And the latest version is that Kerry wasn't in Cambodia on Christmas Eve 1968,  but at another unspecified time. When? Under what circumstances? That doesn't, after all, seem to be "seared —— seared" in his mind. Nor of interest to the Washington Post editors.
 
I think the Post's readers and voters are entitled to know these details. But the paper, so quick to cover the phony Bush AWOL charges ad nauseum, remains curiously incurious.
 
What can resolve these charges? Why doesn't Kerry do what he told Tim Russert he'd do in April of this year: release his medical and military records. And why isn't the Post urging him to do that, if it wants the record cleared up.
 
Instead, the editors repeat the DNC mantra about who funds the Swifties.
 
Really? Who funds the Band of Brothers? MoveOn.org? The dozens of Democrat 527's? Again, the editors of the Washington Post remain selectively curiously incurious.
 
The Post editors urged the passage of CFR, which has made possible the infusion of millions upon millions of dollars in soft money —— even from foreigners —— into this election, mostly to pro—Kerry groups. Yet they remain interested only in the piddly sum funding the 60 Swifty Veterans. Isn't that special?

Posted by Clarice Feldman   8 12 04