I could not help wondering what would have happened if, instead of one Vietcong with a B-40, what if there had been 3, or 5, or 10?The disparity between that sentence and O'Neill's endless repetition of his charge that only one VC was present makes me think his enmity to Kerry may come from poor reading comprehension, since what Kerry actually said (according to O'Neill's own reading) was not just "one Vietcong" but "one Vietcong with a B-40."
Clearly Kerry meant he wondered about the outcome not if there'd been more VC, but if more had been similarly armed with B-40 rocket launchers.
It occurs to me that the Swiftvets' second TV ad also uses some of Kerry's words and omits others that provide a context that changes their meaning.
It would be a sad irony—and a sad commentary on our politics—if the election got decided by misinterpretation.
Then again, maybe that's what politics is all about.
Come one, you odn't expect politicians to tell the truth about each other.
ReplyDelete'sfunny u say d@.
ReplyDeletei hadn't thot o o'neill as a politician b4.
tanx 4 new perspective.
Actually, I don't know what Kerry did, but facing one enemy... well, that's hardly worth a medal.
ReplyDeleteThings like Rorke's Drift, now that's medal worthy.
Rorke's Drift?
ReplyDeletedave
Well, right, we don't know, but the posting pointed out that Kerry didn't write there was just one, but O'Neill thought that was what he meant.
ReplyDeleteJoe
Rorke's Drift was a battle in South Africa (then Zululand). 80 british soldiers against many, many thousands of fearsome Zulu Warriors (and odn't give me that "they had guns" rubbish, the Zulus were osme of the best fighters of their time). It's like the Alamo, except we won (and Zulus are a lot more fearsome than Mexicans). 8 Victoria Crosses were awarded for the action.
ReplyDeletetime warp: stumbled on this post after almost 6 years, so i googled rorke's drift. if u stumble on it too, u cn dcide 4 urself if cjm is right. check this out:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rorke's_Drift