Kerry citation a ‘total mystery’ to ex-Navy chief
August 28, 2004
BY THOMAS LIPSCOMB
Former Navy Secretary John Lehman has no idea where a Silver Star
citation displayed on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s
campaign Web site came from, he said Friday. The citation appears over
Lehman’s signature.
"It is a total mystery to me. I never saw it. I never signed it. I
never approved it. And the additional language it contains was not
written by me," he said.
The additional language varied from the two previous citations, signed
first by Adm. Elmo Zumwalt and then Adm. John Hyland, which themselves
differ. The new material added in the Lehman citation reads in part:
"By his brave actions, bold initiative, and unwavering devotion to
duty, Lieutenant (jg) Kerry reflected great credit upon himself…."
Asked how the citation could have been executed over his signature
without his knowledge, Lehman said: "I have no idea. I can only
imagine they were signed by an autopen." The autopen is a device often
used in the routine execution of executive documents in government.
Kerry senior adviser Michael Meehan could not be reached for comment
on Kerry’s records.
"traveler" <Vallec…@aol.com> wrote in message
news:aa96aeec.0408281656.3e36cddf@posting.google.com…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> Kerry citation a ‘total mystery’ to ex-Navy chief
> August 28, 2004
> BY THOMAS LIPSCOMB
> Former Navy Secretary John Lehman has no idea where a Silver Star
> citation displayed on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s
> campaign Web site came from, he said Friday. The citation appears over
> Lehman’s signature.
> "It is a total mystery to me. I never saw it. I never signed it. I
> never approved it. And the additional language it contains was not
> written by me," he said.
> The additional language varied from the two previous citations, signed
> first by Adm. Elmo Zumwalt and then Adm. John Hyland, which themselves
> differ. The new material added in the Lehman citation reads in part:
> "By his brave actions, bold initiative, and unwavering devotion to
> duty, Lieutenant (jg) Kerry reflected great credit upon himself…."
> Asked how the citation could have been executed over his signature
> without his knowledge, Lehman said: "I have no idea. I can only
> imagine they were signed by an autopen." The autopen is a device often
> used in the routine execution of executive documents in government.
> Kerry senior adviser Michael Meehan could not be reached for comment
> on Kerry’s records.
This keeps up, and nest thing you know, people may even doubt Hanoi John’s
sincerity.
Shocking, way shocking.
A few years of this kind of news, and the networks might pick it up, maybe.
Jim E
"traveler" <Vallec…@aol.com> wrote in message
news:aa96aeec.0408281656.3e36cddf@posting.google.com…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> Kerry citation a ‘total mystery’ to ex-Navy chief
> August 28, 2004
> BY THOMAS LIPSCOMB
> Former Navy Secretary John Lehman has no idea where a Silver Star
> citation displayed on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s
> campaign Web site came from, he said Friday. The citation appears over
> Lehman’s signature.
> "It is a total mystery to me. I never saw it. I never signed it. I
> never approved it. And the additional language it contains was not
> written by me," he said.
> The additional language varied from the two previous citations, signed
> first by Adm. Elmo Zumwalt and then Adm. John Hyland, which themselves
> differ. The new material added in the Lehman citation reads in part:
> "By his brave actions, bold initiative, and unwavering devotion to
> duty, Lieutenant (jg) Kerry reflected great credit upon himself…."
> Asked how the citation could have been executed over his signature
> without his knowledge, Lehman said: "I have no idea. I can only
> imagine they were signed by an autopen." The autopen is a device often
> used in the routine execution of executive documents in government.
> Kerry senior adviser Michael Meehan could not be reached for comment
> on Kerry’s records.
What horseshit. As if such a citation didn’t appear on his desk with a dozen
others which he signed on instructions by his clerk.
It is of course common knowledge that officers get every citation that they
can while in the field it is advantageous to their advancement in the
service.
But what is really lame is that the republican’s have to resort to this sort
of underhanded bullshit.. Then again I guess they have no choice since their
guy avoided any oportunity to recieve similar decorations.
It comes down to this. Its in his SRB if its in the SRB that’s all that
matters from a military perspective.
The fact that one dipshit officer can’t specifically remember a citation
means nothing.
"Shawn" <skex_relb…@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:SvBYc.206139$8_6.58087@attbi_s04…
> But what is really lame is that the republican’s have to resort to this
sort
> of underhanded bullshit..
Hey, moronsky, the guy making the claim was the officer who supposedly
signed Kerry’s citation. It’s got nothing to do with the Republicans. The
Bush campaign has already stated that it accepts Kerry’s war record at face
value. Your beef is with the officer in question and the Swift Boat Vets,
NOT the Republicans.
> The fact that one dipshit officer can’t specifically remember a citation
> means nothing.
You wish.
"Shawn" <skex_relb…@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:SvBYc.206139$8_6.58087@attbi_s04…
> "traveler" <Vallec…@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:aa96aeec.0408281656.3e36cddf@posting.google.com…
> > Kerry citation a ‘total mystery’ to ex-Navy chief
> > August 28, 2004
> > BY THOMAS LIPSCOMB
> > Former Navy Secretary John Lehman has no idea where a Silver Star
> > citation displayed on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s
> > campaign Web site came from, he said Friday. The citation appears over
> > Lehman’s signature.
I think it is disgusting how liberals keep wasting our time with talk of
"thousands of dead and gravely wounded Americans" in Iraq, when the real
issue is Vietnam.
"Jim Wilson" <cir…@citlink.net> wrote in message
news:aJCYc.4298$UE4.3571@news02.roc.ny…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> "Shawn" <skex_relb…@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:SvBYc.206139$8_6.58087@attbi_s04…
> > But what is really lame is that the republican’s have to resort to this
> sort
> > of underhanded bullshit..
> Hey, moronsky, the guy making the claim was the officer who supposedly
> signed Kerry’s citation. It’s got nothing to do with the Republicans.
The
> Bush campaign has already stated that it accepts Kerry’s war record at
face
> value. Your beef is with the officer in question and the Swift Boat Vets,
> NOT the Republicans.
Oh give me a break, Swift Boat Vets and the Bush campaign can deny it as
much as they want but it is obvious to anyone with a working brain that SBV
exists simply to do Karl Rove’s dirty work. This is a pattern with these
people, Bush can"t attack Kerry’s war record because he was a yellow bellied
coward so Rove sets his attack dogs loose.
They did the same thing to Mc Cain.
Bush says his hands are clean but that just Bunk already 2 of his campaign
staff have had to resign because they were working with SBV.
This is is what is known as breaking the law. Which says that the two groups
can not coordinate.
Now only the most naive would believe that there is no coordination with as
many people who are members of both organizations.
Unlike some other similar groups such as Move On which has a distinct
politacal agenda that is disimilar to the democratic platform SBV has a
single issue focused at smearing Kerry through contradictory assertions by
people with a political axe to grind.
It is telling that every individual involved in SBV is a republican activist
and in at least two well publicized examples members of the Bush Campaign so
it is rediculous to maintain that they are not part and parcel of the same.
> > The fact that one dipshit officer can’t specifically remember a citation
> > means nothing.
> You wish.
No its very simple the individual in question undoubtedly signed dozens if
not hundreds of similar documents considering his position. In fact it would
be suprising to the point of incredulity if he were to remember every one.
So his having no recollection of this particular document is of no meaning
what so ever.
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
"Shawn" <skex_relb…@yahoo.com> wrote in message <news:dIIYc.340948$%_6.53744@attbi_s01>…
> "Jim Wilson" <cir…@citlink.net> wrote in message
> news:aJCYc.4298$UE4.3571@news02.roc.ny…
> > "Shawn" <skex_relb…@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> > news:SvBYc.206139$8_6.58087@attbi_s04…
> > > But what is really lame is that the republican’s have to resort to this
> sort
> > > of underhanded bullshit..
> > Hey, moronsky, the guy making the claim was the officer who supposedly
> > signed Kerry’s citation. It’s got nothing to do with the Republicans.
> The
> > Bush campaign has already stated that it accepts Kerry’s war record at
> face
> > value. Your beef is with the officer in question and the Swift Boat Vets,
> > NOT the Republicans.
> Oh give me a break, Swift Boat Vets and the Bush campaign can deny it as
> much as they want but it is obvious to anyone with a working brain
That lets you out.
that SBV
> exists simply to do Karl Rove’s dirty work.
A simplistic analysis of political reality, but what else is new from
guys like you.
This is a pattern with these
> people, Bush can"t attack Kerry’s war record because he was a yellow bellied
> coward
Tough words from a big brave anonymous Usenet poster.
> so Rove sets his attack dogs loose.
Wrong. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are a group of angry veterans
from the Vietnam War with their own agenda, their own motives for
torpedoing John Kerry, and their own methods for doing it. Any modest
perousal of their book, UNFIT FOR COMMAND, tells us that. They argue
that the United States was completely in the right during that
conflict and that any criticism of our foreign policy then or our
methods for fighting that war was tantamount to treason. They are
particularly unsympathetic to John Kerry, whom they have long
considered a communist and a traitor and have since his testimony
before the Fulbright Committee in 1971. You simply don’t know what
the fuck you’re talking about, but you aren’t going to let that get in
your way.
> They did the same thing to Mc Cain.
Bunk. McCain is my senator, numbnuts. He brings criticism on himself
by straddling the political fence between the two parties in an era of
practically unprecedented polarization. He is a VERY liberal
Republican and this gets him into trouble with the party, which is far
more conservative than he is on a number of issues. It’s got nothing
to do with Bush. That’s why McCain gave a very stirring speech in
favor of Bush at the Republican Convention.
> Bush says his hands are clean but that just Bunk already 2 of his campaign
> staff have had to resign because they were working with SBV.
> This is is what is known as breaking the law. Which says that the two groups
> can not coordinate.
The attorney merely advised SBVT, which does not constitute a conflict
of interest and is NOT against the law. You’re wrong again.
> Now only the most naive would believe that there is no coordination with as
> many people who are members of both organizations.
Wrong once again. You are extremely naive and don’t understand
political reality or practical realities in today’s world. You don’t
have a fucking clue about the legal profession, that much is obvious.
> Unlike some other similar groups such as Move On which has a distinct
> politacal agenda that is disimilar to the democratic platform
Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! Geez, what a hypocrite. Unbelievable.
SBV has a
> single issue focused at smearing Kerry through contradictory assertions by
> people with a political axe to grind.
Where did you hear that, on the Kerry website? At MoveOn.org? Take a
look at the Swift Boat book, son. You’re wrong. It becomes very
clear what this group is about. One can see truth in some of what
they contend while remaining in disagreement about other things. To
agree with their entire analysis requires that one had to be fervently
pro-Vietnam War back in the sixties and seventies. There are few
people around anymore who qualify as such. Still, they make a good
case against Kerry and their perspective cannot be entirely
discounted, as you would hope.
> It is telling that every individual involved in SBV is a republican activist
> and in at least two well publicized examples members of the Bush Campaign so
> it is rediculous to maintain that they are not part and parcel of the same.
Ok, that’s it. You’re just a numbskull with a very tenuous grip on
reality.