The unintentionally hilarious memoirs of the Iran deal negotiations
Matthew Continetti:
I have thought the guy was delusional from the first time he became a public figure during the Vietnam War alleging war crimes by Americans. His stories just did not ring true. He claimed that the alleged acts were known at all levels of command. In my experience, it was more fantasy and what Marines call "sea stories" that had little to do with what was actually happening. I know this because of one of the jobs I had in Vietnam was working at the Third Marine Division communication center.
When I first got there one of my jobs every day for 12 hours a day was to read every message that came through the communications center and forward them to the appropriate commander. I saw everything from the routine to Top Secret. In no case was there any report of the actions Kerry described. None. I saw after action reports and reports of POW taken as well as reports of enemy troops who came over to our side. I saw reports of enemy reactions to US attacks including the B-52 Arc Light bombings.
I later became the executive officer of a Marine rifle company operating on the DMZ. In those combat operations, I never saw anything even approaching a war crime.
I think Kerry's Swiftboat colleagues were right about him and his bogus stories.
...There is much more including the bargaining for this terrible deal that eventually left Ms. Sherman in tears. To see the details again and then hear John Kerry talk about how tough the deal was on the Iranian confirms the opinion of critics that the guy is delusional.
What I want to tell you about Wendy's story is that it's embarrassing, both self-pitying and self-congratulatory, and proves exactly the opposite lesson that it intends. The year is 2015. The scene is the Palais Coburg Hotel in Vienna. "I thought I'd be home in short order," Sherman writes. "By day 25 I had barely left the hotel and eaten only 1 meal outside the Coburg." The poor dear! Confined in this shack, this madhouse, this roach motel! It's a wonder she didn't go Jack Torrance on us.
OK maybe not. Still, let us have a moment of silence for Sherman's palate, limited during those days of trial to duckliver with elder, chive, and hazelnut; nuart lamb with chard, cherry, and ginger; breakfasts of free-range eggs with Alpin cheese, chives, and bacon, or bircher muesli with currants. Subsistence must have been difficult. She pressed on.
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I have thought the guy was delusional from the first time he became a public figure during the Vietnam War alleging war crimes by Americans. His stories just did not ring true. He claimed that the alleged acts were known at all levels of command. In my experience, it was more fantasy and what Marines call "sea stories" that had little to do with what was actually happening. I know this because of one of the jobs I had in Vietnam was working at the Third Marine Division communication center.
When I first got there one of my jobs every day for 12 hours a day was to read every message that came through the communications center and forward them to the appropriate commander. I saw everything from the routine to Top Secret. In no case was there any report of the actions Kerry described. None. I saw after action reports and reports of POW taken as well as reports of enemy troops who came over to our side. I saw reports of enemy reactions to US attacks including the B-52 Arc Light bombings.
I later became the executive officer of a Marine rifle company operating on the DMZ. In those combat operations, I never saw anything even approaching a war crime.
I think Kerry's Swiftboat colleagues were right about him and his bogus stories.
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