It appears that John Kerry's strategy of lying low in order to avoid the Cambodian Christmas fable has not worked. Today. Lee Cearnal of the Houston Chronicle excoriates his media colleagues for their silence, especially given their rabid pursuit of AWOL allegations against George Bush earlier this year. Cearnal manages to hit all of the salient points, and even includes the "magic hat":

The same news media that demanded George W. Bush release his National Guard records — and went over them with a microscope — have shown an appalling lack of interest in John Kerry's military service. And as it turns out, there are far more legitimate questions about the latter than the former. Kerry has made his four months and 11 days in Vietnam the central theme of his presidential campaign. This is entirely understandable given his 20 years as the Senate's leading dove. He needs the cover that Vietnam can give him. ...

As to the truth of this tale, there is only Kerry's word, which the press seems quite willing to take, to the extent of not reporting on the controversy at all. It is not a trivial matter. Kerry has pimped the story repeatedly in an effort to paint himself as a stand-up eyewitness to events that were both illegal and, in his view, immoral.

And that is really the central issue as to why this matters. Kerry used stories like the Cambodian Christmas in order to puff up his anti-war resume early in his political career, used them again in order to add heft to his opposition to assisting the Nicaraguan contras, and now uses these stories to boost his credentials as a war president. Pimping, indeed -- Kerry can't seem to decide what qualifications go with which job, or with which policy position. However, until the Swiftvets demolished the Cambodia tale, it had the unique distinction of being the most consistent story Kerry ever told about his Viet Nam experience.

Earlier, I noted that Joan Vennochi of the Boston Globe made the point about Kerry's character, and lack of it, in his hiding behind his proxies once people started questioning him about his narrative. Lee Cearnal does the same, only to his colleagues in the media. Let's hope they'll be more responsive than Kerry.

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» Sad But True from Somewhere on A1A...
It's not new, but it is sadly true. Despite the predictions of many that Kerry's embellishment of his War record will be his Waterloo, the story just refuses to get any play. Neither the Christmas in Cambodia nor the other... [Read More]

Tracked on August 17, 2004 2:04 PM

» beating a non-story to death from infidel cowboy
Are you tired of how the media has relentlessly attacked a candidate for the highest office in the land over hs actions from nearly 40 years ago? How it has questioned his military service from a different war in a... [Read More]

Tracked on August 17, 2004 2:20 PM

» The Captain stays on the case and Knight Ridder keeps giving us ammunition to hate the Liberal Press. from The Pink Flamingo Bar Grill
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Tracked on August 18, 2004 1:37 AM

» Frustration from INCITE
Lee Clearnal, writing in the Houston Chronicle, expresses the thoughts many conservative bloggers have been sharing for quite some time now as he asks, "Where's my colleagues' interest in Kerry's war records?" [Read More]

Tracked on August 18, 2004 10:59 AM