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thatcrazycajunLast month, at a dinner celebrating the 40th anniversary of the launch of R. Emmett Tyrell's American Spectator magazine (a fairly prominent cog in the right-wing noise machine), legendary Texas oil speculator T. Boone Pickens opened up his piehole—and his capacious wallet—and offered a cool $1 million to anyone who could disprove a single one of the invidious charges made against former Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) during his ill-fated 2004 campaign by the group calling itself Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. So effective were their charges that "swift-boating" has now entered the political lexicon as a verb.
Today, Kerry himself announced that he would take Pickens' bet and donate the proceeds to a paralyzed veterans' charity. He appears to be pretty confident he can provide proof enough to satisfy even Pickens, who I had not known until now was such an enthusiastic right-winger. (Then again, given that he's Texan, I shouldn't be terribly surprised; I used to live in that reddest of red states.) Newsvine.com reports the story here. Kerry offered to bring Pickens to Massachusetts or go to him in Texas to present his proof and collect, whichever is his preference.
Myself, I do think Kerry and the Dems leaned just a tad too hard on the man's military record (having him take the podium at the convention saying "Lieutenant Kerry reporting for duty!" was a bit much), especially since he famously tossed his Purple Heart over the White House fence in protest of the Vietnam War, following his service—giving the GOP and their allies ample ammunition (you should pardon the expression) to use against him...which they did, eagerly and often. But were it not for these Swift Boat guys and a few votes in Ohio, Kerry might have been President the last three years...and our troops would likely no longer be in Iraq and Afghanistan now.
If only Molly Ivins, Texas liberal pundit par excellence, were still around; I'd dearly love to see what she'd have to say about this...and I bet she'd have plenty.
Today, Kerry himself announced that he would take Pickens' bet and donate the proceeds to a paralyzed veterans' charity. He appears to be pretty confident he can provide proof enough to satisfy even Pickens, who I had not known until now was such an enthusiastic right-winger. (Then again, given that he's Texan, I shouldn't be terribly surprised; I used to live in that reddest of red states.) Newsvine.com reports the story here. Kerry offered to bring Pickens to Massachusetts or go to him in Texas to present his proof and collect, whichever is his preference.
Myself, I do think Kerry and the Dems leaned just a tad too hard on the man's military record (having him take the podium at the convention saying "Lieutenant Kerry reporting for duty!" was a bit much), especially since he famously tossed his Purple Heart over the White House fence in protest of the Vietnam War, following his service—giving the GOP and their allies ample ammunition (you should pardon the expression) to use against him...which they did, eagerly and often. But were it not for these Swift Boat guys and a few votes in Ohio, Kerry might have been President the last three years...and our troops would likely no longer be in Iraq and Afghanistan now.
If only Molly Ivins, Texas liberal pundit par excellence, were still around; I'd dearly love to see what she'd have to say about this...and I bet she'd have plenty.
