Hailing 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry's Wednesday night address to the Democratic convention “the toughest speech” by “perhaps the most forceful speaker so far,” one in which Kerry denounced the “Swiftboating” of Barack Obama, NBC anchor Brian Williams channeled the liberal view, which he described merely as that of “people watching tonight,” that Kerry lost in 2004 because he didn't take on the presumed unfair “Swiftboating” attacks against him four years ago. The first question from Williams to Kerry during NBC's 10 PM EDT prime time hour of coverage:
I don’t need to tell you, people watching tonight were, you can answer this before I do, saying, “Sure, now, he took on 'Swiftboating’ in his speech tonight, but not when he ran for President.”
Kerry vociferously rejected the premise, then agreed with it, before he rejected it again as he credited newspapers with writing “the truth” about how he was smeared:
But we did actually. That’s not true. We took it on. The problem we made was a miscalculation about the truth being out there. We thought enough had been done. And the mistake we made was not spending enough money to answer the lies. We should have done that. I accept responsibility for that. But believe me, we answered it. Countless newspapers wrote the truth.
Williams didn't pose any tough questions to Kerry, cuing him up a few minutes later: “Where do you rank the folks that surround Senator Obama, this organization compared to all those you’ve seen in politics?”
(In contrast, in the previous hour on FNC, Sean Hannity pressed 1988 Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis to identify some achievements by Barack Obama: “What are his major, specific accomplishments?”)
From about 12 minutes into the 10 PM EDT hour of NBC on Wednesday, August 27, as provided to me by the MRC's Brad Wilmouth:
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Senator Kerry, thank you for being with us. I don’t need to tell you, people watching tonight were, you can answer this before I do, saying, “Sure, now, he took on ‘Swiftboating’ in his speech tonight, but not when he ran for President.”JOHN KERRY: But we did actually. That’s not true. We took it on. The problem we made was a miscalculation about the truth being out there. We thought enough had been done. And the mistake we made was not spending enough money to answer the lies. We should have done that. I accept responsibility for that. But believe me, we answered it. Countless newspapers wrote the truth. Countless members of my crew went out and spoke the truth. And we answered it.
WILLIAMS: Tonight, you went forcefully after your colleague in the Senate, who happens to be the standard bearer for the Republican Party, John McCain. Is that going to be tough for you when you have to sit down and do Senate business?
[KERRY]
WILLIAMS: What’s your indicator that Obama-Biden will have better luck than Kerry-Edwards in what was obviously a tough election for you?
KERRY: Part of the luck was the appearance of Osama bin Laden the Friday before the election...
WILLIAMS: Where do you rank the folks that surround Senator Obama, this organization compared to all those you’ve seen in politics?
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Swiftboating Obama
August 28, 2008 - 02:26 ET by Cool ArrowOf course Obama needs to be confronted with inconsistencies between his actions and his words. That's politics, but the Dems call it "swiftboating".
Absent any ideas coming forth from Obama's camp, what else is there than discussing his actions in the past.
The public record is too clear, Obama can't "change our history" like his wife says he will.
It occurs to me there isn't much in the way of elitism than changing history.
I ♣ my seal
little do the
August 28, 2008 - 11:54 ET by TruthMongerlittle do the drive-bys seem to understand that well over half the country sees the term "swiftboating" as A VERY POSITIVE safegaurd against the MSM/DNC axis of evil...
thanks for bringing it up Kerry:)!
please keep up the good work
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
pants on fire
August 28, 2008 - 03:41 ET by the mad poleSomeone should listen to this guy, he's an expert on lying.
The TRUTH about why John Kerry lost the election
August 28, 2008 - 05:18 ET by JWFJohn Kerry couldn't get a clue during the clue mating season in a field full of clues in heat if he smeared his body with clue musk and did the clue mating dance.
WHAT IS HEAVIER? A POUND OF BRIAN OR A POUND OF FEATHERS?
August 28, 2008 - 06:59 ET by SgthulkaBrian Williams = Ted Baxter
In Williams, NBC has a
August 28, 2008 - 07:01 ET by benrandIn Williams, NBC has a mindless boob willing to say anything to keep his little super-duper important job.
He is such a dimbulb.
Winter Soldier
August 28, 2008 - 07:12 ET by DontFeedTheTrollsLet's Swiftboat Kerry with his own words. Anyone heard from Teresa lately?
D
Keep the ILLEGALS out, join NumbersUSA to send free faxes to your reps.
set them free, john
August 28, 2008 - 08:02 ET by rubberpelletfrancisI believe he still has not released the official documents of his time in 'Nam. He promised to do that even before he became an election loser.
He did after the election
August 28, 2008 - 08:29 ET by VonuIt showed conclusive proof he is dumber than Bush, that was the big secret he didn't want anyone to know.
And we still sit here
August 28, 2008 - 07:24 ET by Hunter12And we still sit here waiting for the SF-180. Russert is dead, so Kerry's promise to sign one must have died as well. Let face it, Kerry is guilty by omission. His records must indicate he was dishonorably discharged from the Navy and Jimmy Carter cleaned things up for him. Why else would he continue to block access to records that would exonerate him. Simple answer: they don't.
The MSM should be congratulated as we now have our first affirmative action presidential candidate. Here is a man who's been placed in a position other have to strive for due to the color of his skin. He passed no exams, as none were given. Previous candidates have been placed under a microscope, especially Republican ones, but here is a man we know very little about just handed the office, with the path smoothed out for him. I guess Al Sharpton was right and there still is a severe racial divide in America.
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." - Sir Winston Churchill
Well yes
August 28, 2008 - 07:26 ET by 10ksnookerBut Kerry had two choices, answer the charges and be forced to tell the truth, or to try and ignore the Swift boaters. Kerry figured his drive by parrots would be able to handle things and he would never have top address the TRUE charges.
YooHoo, Lord moo-Saih Obama the drive by parrot is on it's death bed as we speak. In fact it may not make it through this, the election too far.
Kerry's quandary
August 28, 2008 - 07:34 ET by Cool ArrowNo way he could stand up to those guys.
He wet the bed for a few days and then lost.
Torches & Pitchforks
CA, Kerry is so useless...
August 28, 2008 - 09:20 ET by ThalpyCA, Kerry is so useless and there is no way that he could (or can) stand up to them. The fact is, Kerry did not answer the charges, but the truth was out there--Kerry is a liar.
Thalpy
August 28, 2008 - 11:18 ET by Cool ArrowAnd Kerry will live out the rest of his life having run from the challenge after being slapped with the glove.
That's why the words rang so hollow:
Torches & Pitchforks
lol... Democrats.......V
August 28, 2008 - 08:15 ET by oldArmylol...
Democrats.......VICTIMS of the TRUTH!!
Brian Williams and the
August 28, 2008 - 11:17 ET by Rush FanBrian Williams and the other liberal media treated John Kerry (who by the way served in Vietnam) with kid gloves and adoration during the 2004 election as well. George W. Bush still won 50.7% of the vote and the election.
Brian Williams and other liberal media will treat Barry Obama similarly this year. Barry will not have to face tough questions about Obama’s close friends: convict Tony Rezko, terrorists William “Bill” Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, and anti-white racist and anti-American Rev. Jeremiah ("God damn America") Wright.
Nevertheless, voters have a way of seeing through the lies, dishonesty, distortion and bias of the Drive-By Media, just as they did in 2004. John McCain still has a good chance of winning this election.
Let me add that John McCain will have even a better chance of winning this election if he selects Mitt Romney as his running mate.
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"There is no longer a media in this country. There is simply an established propaganda arm for the Democrat Party and any and all who relate to it in any way, elected and unelected." ~ Rush Limbaugh
Only chance
August 28, 2008 - 11:23 ET by Sergeant ROCKRomney is McCain's ONLY chance. His name on the ticket could invigorate an otherwise uninspired conservative base.
On the other hand, Lieberman would guarantee an Obama victory.
LesserOf2evils '08
and then finally, to get my
August 28, 2008 - 11:48 ET by TruthMongerand then finally, to get my vote - all they have to do is remove RINO mc from the ticket:)
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
RINO
August 28, 2008 - 13:47 ET by Sergeant ROCKlol.. funny.
LesserOf2evils '08
X
August 28, 2008 - 13:21 ET by serfer62MacNasty is too stupid to pick Gov Romney. Besides this is his last chance to poke Conservatives in the eye, a sport he loves more then anything else...
Kerry - someone else spoke the truth - the whole truth.
August 28, 2008 - 11:36 ET by Gary HallAnd Williams did not pose that other never to be heard question, "Sen. Kerry. How in the heck did we all get away without having a serious discussion with you over the charges your commander,
William Schachte, leveled against you?"
Kerry: "And the mistake we made was not spending enough money to answer the lies. We should have done that. I accept responsibility for that. But believe me, we answered it. Countless newspapers wrote the truth."
Oh, bull.
Well, countless newspapers and network TV news shows and cable TV news shows and PBS shows did indeed, write and speak tens of thousands of words - and continue to do so to this very day -- in their effort to attack the Swiftboaters [in fact, for not the massive effort of the MSM attacking them, I suspect that their message would have been heard only by a few voters].
However, other than an interview by Lisa Myers at NBC (a singular event), and a handful of postings of his own personal story in his own words, why did the Kerry camp and the media not go after Kerry's commander (not a party to the Swiftboat group)? Why? Might it be because they were fearful that the experience of Rear Admiral William L. Schachte, Jr. USN (Ret.) might ring true? In not attacking Schachte's view of Kerry's record, the MSM, in this instance, protected John Kerry, by keeping the truth out of reach of the voters of the United States of America:
Purple Heart News - William Schachte speaks
(;~. gary
The problem we made was a
August 28, 2008 - 13:42 ET by Dan The Man 2The problem we made was a miscalculation about the truth being out there. We thought enough had been done - This is the only part that is true they did not do enough to contradict teh truth. I guess Obama learned from Kerry that a good and pre-emptive offense is the best defense.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.