Something here smells

In Kerry allows Navy release of military, medical records, the Boston Globe's Michael Kranish says that a review of the records by the Globe staff reveals ... nothing. In fact, says Kranish, the records show that Kerry received commendations and recommendations from some officers who later attacked him during the 2004 presidential campaign.

Something's happening here and what it is ain't exactly clear. Why would Kerry, under fire from the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth and challenged to release his records, not do so? He took a severe hit for refusing to release these records. He was accused of cowardice, conduct unbecoming, claiming that self inflicted wounds were received in battle, gaming the medals award process to receive undeserved medals, lying about a trip into Cambodia, a secret hat, a magic flying dog, you name it. His defense consisted of, "All lies." That was basically it. When challenged to release records to show, "All lies," he refused. If in fact there is no there, there, then what the hell could he have been thinking during the campaign?

Asked why he delayed signing the form for so long, Kerry said in a written response: "The call for me to sign a 180 form came from the same partisan operatives who were lying about my record on a daily basis on the Web and in the right-wing media. Even though the media was discrediting them, they continued to lie. I felt strongly that we shouldn't kowtow to them and their attempts to drag their lies out."

Now, that doesn't seem to me to be especially wise. What would he have done if his next door neighbor there in Boston had accused him of stealing his neighbor's car? Kerry gets arrested and is put on trial for grand theft auto. He mounts no defense, gets convicted and goes to prison because, "I felt strongly that I shouldn't kowtow to him and his attempt to drag his lies out. I'm going to wait until it is 7 months too late before I prove my innocence." Insanity.

The attack from the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth probably cost Kerry the election. All of the sobbing and howling about massive vote fraud, right wing attack machine and Karl Rove/Darth Vader were and are - crap. Anyone in their right mind should recognize all of that as - crap. Anyone who still believes that Kerry lost the 2004 presidential election because of some vast, clandestine cloak and dagger conspiracy to control electronic voting machines, create long lines at the polls, cause rainstorms to occur only in Democratic precincts to reduce voter turnout and all of the rest of the garbage we heard and read about, has some serious personal issues that need to be addressed professionally. It really boiled down to, "Who do you trust?" With Kerry's Jane Fonda daliances and the fact that it was accepted that he had appeared before Congress and lied about what he had not seen in Viet Nam, his credibility was at stake. For him and his advisors to do nothing - nothing - to address the charges being leveled at him by the Swiftees causes me to smell a rat.

There is something there. There has to be. It has either been cleverly hidden or erased or expunged or redacted or camouflaged or modified beyond recognition, but it's there.

If there is no there, there, then I'm glad John Kerry is not the president of the United States. No one that stupid, surrounded by apparently equally stupid hacks, should be running the most powerful nation on earth.

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