Oh, That Liberal Media:
The L.A. Times has finally broken its silence on the "Christmas in Cambodia" aspect of the Swift Boat Vets' story, in an article titled Veterans Battle Over the Truth. The article also contains what purports to be a comprehensive analysis of the factual basis for the allegations of the Swift Boat Vets.
The article is pro-Kerry spin, pure and simple. The strategy of the article is apparent: before actually setting forth a single detail of the Swift Boat Vets' allegations, the article carefully lays the groundwork to prepare the reader to be skeptical. The article accomplishes this in multiple ways -- many of them misleading, and all of them prime examples of the fine art of slanted rhetoric.
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The article doesn't say that "[w]hat military documentation exists and has been made public" is only what John Kerry has chosen to make public. In fact, John Kerry persistently refuses to release his complete military records. Yet, far from acknowledging this fact, the story falsely suggests that Kerry has released all of his records:
The Kerry campaign has launched a vociferous defense, denying the charges raised in the ad. It also denounced the group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, as a Republican-backed effort. His staff has directed critics to the Massachusetts senator's military records, which have been posted on his website.This creates an entirely false impression. Unless a dramatic change has occurred in the last few hours, Kerry's complete military records are not on his site. This is wildly deceptive.The article continues:
None of the critics quoted in the ad actually served on the boats with Kerry.This phrasing is also highly misleading, as the bolded language refers only to the two boats that Kerry actually commanded -- not to the several boats nearby. The article thus falsely suggests that none of the veterans quoted in the ad were in a position to witness Kerry's actions on the swift boats.
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