August 15, 2004

HUGH HEWITT has a long discussion today of the John Kerry in Cambodia story. (No permalinks again!). UPDATE: Scroll down to read Hugh's investigation of the special ops "Studies and Observations Group" I posted about the other day. His conclusion? There is not much reason to think Lt. John Kerry had anything to do with these folks. Quotable:
I did not want to end up missing obvious corroborating sources for Kerry's assertions and Brinkley's account, and I figured Atrios was just incompetent --there had to be some independent cover for Kerry's story, right? He wouldn't just make up cross border exploits full of SEALs, Green Berets and hatless CIA-men without some pretty good smoke to cover his exaggerations --like easily available evidence of many such missions being undertaken by other swift boats in early 1969, would he? That would be way too weird to have been missed even by a supine press crowd.

Still, the Stolen Valor syndrome is pretty widespread, and a lot of people have exaggerated their war time exploits, there is certainly a motive for Kerry to have done so, and now we know he already did so with regards to his Christmas Eve narrative. So, what does a few hours of research tell me about swift boats and the "ferrying" of SEALs, Green Berets, and CIA-men (hatless) into Cambodia? Only that there is nothing there to be found.

And I loves this. Hugh calls Kevin Drum of the Washington Monthly "the Peter Principle blogger". Posted by Greg Ransom