In his Wednesday afternoon "Caucus" post on nytimes.com, "Conservative Ad Accuses Sotomayor of Supporting Terrorists," Times legal reporter Charlie Savage used a new anti-Sotomayor ad from the Committee for Justice to smear the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign against Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004.
Taking advantage of the fact that the new ad was written by someone also involved in the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign in 2004, Savage applied the same "unsubstantiated charges" template the Times used to attack the Swift Boat Veterans but went even further, all but calling the group's charges "lies."
Yet none of the allegations raised by the Swift Boat Vets have ever been shown to be false, and at least one was proven true: Kerry's campaign admitted that he did not spend Christmas 1968 in Cambodia, as he had long claimed.
Savage wrote:
A leading conservative legal advocacy group that has a played a prominent role in the debate over the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor has created a new ad accusing her of supporting violent terrorists and comparing her to former Weatherman Bill Ayers.
The Committee for Justice, whose executive director, Curt Levey, has frequently appeared on television and in newspaper articles criticizing Judge Sotomayor, unveiled the ad on its Web site late Tuesday. Mr. Levey said his group has not yet decided whether to pay to air it on television.
In the ad, a woman's voice says:
Remember Barack Obama's buddy Bill Ayers, the unrepentant terrorist who bombed American buildings in the 70's? Turns out President Obama's done it again -- picked someone for the Supreme Court -- Judge Sonia Sotomayor -- who led a group supporting violent Puerto Rican terrorists. Is this radical judge the type of person America needs sitting on our highest court? What was he thinking? What was she thinking? Call your senators. Tell them to stop Sonia Sotomayor. Paid for by the Committee for Justice.
At one point, the ad also shows a picture of Judge Sotomayor alongside the text: "SUPPORTED VIOLENT TERRORISTS."
Mr. Levey said the ad was written by Chris LaCivita, who also helped create the Swift Boat Vets for Truth ads against Senator John F. Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee. The Swift Boat ads were riddled with unsubstantiated charges and led to a new political term for smearing a political opponent with lies: "swift-boating."
—Clay Waters is the director of Times Watch, an MRC project tracking the New York Times. You can follow him on Twitter here
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Isn't that called Borking?
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 15:58 ET by CobraManThe Swift Boat ads were riddled with unsubstantiated charges and led
to a new political term for smearing a political opponent with lies:
"swift-boating."
Apparently the NYT's forgot about the term "Borking."
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
You mean like
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 16:03 ET by 10ksnookerObamacare swift boats America?
Or Democrats by not letting people see what is in the bills is swift boating America?
Works for me.
Re Xmas
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 16:26 ET by slickwillie2001Re Christmas in Cambodia, I thought Kerry had the hat? He had the hat!
Oh I see...whatever the
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 16:29 ET by bigtimerOh I see...whatever the dems and their groups put out on the airwaves are A-OK, when the leftist press/msm doesn't like it they screech foul....nothing new here...
Once again trying to shut our side up with some kind of guilt, the usual tactics all for suppression.
They did the same thing to us when O ran in various states and other means...the ads they put out where just to mean, racist and all that jazz...which was pure bull.
I hope the right side of life quits folding like a lawn chair.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Exactly what "lies" did the Swift Boat guys tell about Kerry?
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 16:41 ET by R D HelmAs far as I know, NONE of their assertions have ever been disproven.
-Dave
"...stimulus plan is 'working exactly as we had anticipated.'" - PrezBO
Dave,
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 17:11 ET by UpNorthexactly right. And I'm still waiting for Kerry's service records to be released. Like that will happen.
Wonder if Kerry's choreographer wishes he'd steered totally clear of his "war" record now?
"Swifting" Sotomayor? Or missing something bigger?
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 17:08 ET by DJEddleWe all know Sotomayor is not the best person available to replace the current statist leaving the court. But just how bad is she?
Sonia Sotomayor: UNQUALIFIED
When will we see ads pointing out the problems mentioned in this article? The very fact that Sotomayor doesn't comprehend constitutional law ought to be more than enough to bar her from the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, the Democrats that will confirm her don't care about constitutional law...and neither do many Republicans, sadly.
Rational Liberty: Where Reason and Government Collide - The best website ever!
Here we go again. Hey
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 17:13 ET by mattmHere we go again. Hey Libtards, get this through your thick heads: To "swiftboat" someone is to expose the hypocrisy of a politician by telling the TRUTH about them.
But I guess you can't figure that out because you have no concept of truth, only what feeeeels right or wrong at the time.
Sotomayor "swiftboated"
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 17:29 ET by celatorSotomayor "swiftboated" herself in the hearing before the Committee. Simple as that.
She was evasive, didn't know that "right to defend yourself" has been recognized in Common Law for centuries, and presented herself as unsure, nervous, hiding something. It doesn't help her that 60 percent of her decisions have been overturned. That means her views and interpretation of the law is wrong most of the time.
My naive notion is that Supreme Court nominees should have a brilliant judicial record, not just an average record. They should have already made a serious contributoin to law. They should have an actual understanding of the US Constitution. They should be completely ethical, and able to clear their heads of all biases when they sit on the bench.
It's clear to me that Sotomayor, based on her responses at the hearing, is yet another confused radical left-wing ideologue, who's been very active in stirring up the race and gender wars.
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
Cel, Right you are...and
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 17:36 ET by bigtimerCel,
Right you are...and to add on to that, what really blew me away was when she was asked by Graham if she thought we had enemies/terrorists/al Qaeda plotting against us...she hesitated...and I mean she hesitated forever!
I could not believe it.
One thing about today, she was more animated for a change, plus she cleaned up her hair, and dressed in pink, lovely, just lovely.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
BT..Yeah, she looked less
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 17:57 ET by celatorBT..Yeah, she looked less dishevelled today. Emmanual must have read her the riot act for performing so poorly in the last few days. '+}.
She has Obama's same, odd characteristic of seeming strangely detached or untethered from the American experience most of us have had. Seems not rooted in the same ground we are.
Her ethnicity doesn't explain this strange view. I also grew up in an ethnic family (Franco American) and didn't really need to speak English until I was five years old when I went to a Catholic school. The nuns made dadgummed sure all us kids learned about the great gift called the United States, and they drilled proper English into our skulls until we got it right. I thank them to this very day.
I thank God there was no "affirmative action" in those days. It made us stronger and better. You had to do real work to get to the front of the class, so to speak.It was a great life lesson.
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
Swiftboated !
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 17:33 ET by iveseenitallEvery time I hear the term "Swiftboated", my blood boils. I think of all those who died and were maimed in Vietnam and then I picture that bastard Kerry, sitting there in his uniform, LYING to Congress decades ago. "Traitor" doesn't begin to describe that piece of dirt.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
isia.. Amen to
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 17:37 ET by bigtimerisia..
Amen to that....and then some.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
"And then some"
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 18:28 ET by iveseenitallYes, BT:
I remember to this day two guys from high school. I "competed" against both. Bob, a tall blond with whom I competed for a girl. He got to take her to the prom, but I got to marry her. And I competed on the track with Tyrone, the first black guy I got to know well. Both wonderful young men of such promise. Great upbringing, great families. They went to serve their county in 'Nam. They never returned. But on the t.v., there was the pompous, mendacious jackass, impuning them and their buddies. "Swiftboated" my ass! PUKE!
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
I'm with you isia, I
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 18:33 ET by bigtimerI'm with you isia, I understand where you are coming from, I feel the same sentiments...we have some stories too, friends everything that died serving, died later, in some cases years later,when I see Kerry getting ready to speak on the Senate floor, I click it...immediately, I have never listened to one word the so-called man has to say...I never will in that setting, it was hard enough on the campaign trail.
Btw...what I will never, ever forget was the way our men were treated when they came home, how the msm treated them and the war, ect and I was a very young gal then...and grew older with all of this.
I will never forget either.
Btw...one of my bro-in-law was a tunnel rat there.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
What he should have said
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 19:23 ET by nkviking75What Savage should have written:
The New York Times articles were riddled with unsubstantiated charges and led to a new political term for smearing a political opponent with lies: "Mainstream Media 'journalism'."
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
Sotomayor was
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 19:53 ET by fitzfongSotomayor was "swift-boated"...weakened by an exposition of the truth.
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." -George Best
this is the true meaning
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 20:40 ET by wizardjrThe Swifties got it right, right from the beginning. That's what galls this libtards in the press so much. They no longer control the stream of information, so they do what they do - sling mud.
I hope we all "Swiftboat" this unqualified, racist, un-American La Raza supporter. She represents everything that is wrong with this country today along with her role model - Barry.
To "Swift Boat" someone is to tell the truth about them. To...
Fri, 07/17/2009 - 13:29 ET by jawebster1"Bork" someone is to lie about them. Libs will distort this, but that is what they do. Thanks to "talk radio", the truth is out there for all to hear. Who reads the "NY Slimes" anymore anyway? I don't. Jim Webster