After two days of watching the Olymipcs, Kerry coverage has me about ready to slit my throat. Sorry if I'd rather watch people compete for the country instead of telling lies in order to trash it.

Maybe he can use these two weeks to get his stories straight and we can all care again during the Republican convention.

I don't doubt that Alston and Kerry have bonded. What I doubt is their accounts of what they did "together in Vietnam." That is because they have both been caught in extensive lies about it.

I spent 6 years in the Navy. One week is not enought ime to create a bond. People come and go all the time. I have some serious friendships that have lasted almost 20 years now even though I only get to see my friends very 5 years or so, but I spent a couple of years with these guys.

A couple things;
1. I wondered about the timeline myself and am willing to give Kerry the benefit here.

2. Kerry, however lied about Jan. 29 and it appears ALston lied about Feb. 28.

3. I guess I do not care about these incidents, but I do not like the fact that Kerry lied in congress (more than once?) about Christmas in Cambodia.

These aren't just old vets telling whoppers. We have two vets making up crap to elect a president.

Yes, it appears that Alston and Kerry probably served on the same boat at the same time, for a short period of time. However, many of the "shared experiences" they claim, are lies. Kerry is even taking credit for the actions of his predecessor, Lt. Peck. Kerry is claiming to have been in command of the Swift Boat during the time when Peck and Alston were injured so badly they both were hospitalized. Kerry was Peck's relief, not his shipmate.

I was in the Navy (that and 5 bucks will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks) -- When guys with combat medals embellished the truth a little bit, we didn't mind. Their actions had earned our respect and gave them license to a little embellishing. On the other hand, Kerry's embellishments have become prevarications. Even out-and-out lies. I have lost respect for the man.

The funny thing is that everything could be cleared up, to a large extent at least, if Kerry would release his records. I'm wondering why I haven't heard more of a call for this from the Dems.

"As for myself, I'm thorougly confused at this point, but I think Instapundit has a good point on this one: if Kerry and Alston did serve together, even if only for a few days, a short period of getting shot at probably would have been enough to forge a personal bond."

Sure its a point, but not a particularily salient one -- I don't think too many people are accusing them of *not* forging a close personal bond.

The general thrust of the inquiry at the moment is: *did Kerry lie* about his experiences? There is evidence that points in that direction...Alston has been offered up as a testimonial to Kerry's truthfulness, and now it appears that Alston's story is not hanging together appropriately, either.

Perhaps time will tell. I'll make one prediction though - if someone were to locate firm evidence that Alston was not on Kerry's boat after he was wounded along with Peck, then this story would bust open at the seems.

seams*

Glenn had his tounge firmly in cheek when he said that. The deeper point is that the rationale for listening to the veteran's on Kerry's boat (who are at least saying they liked him) instead of the ones who served on other boats (who are campaigning against him) is that the ones on his boat knew him better, the fact that one of his bigger backers was only on the boat for "a few days" indicates he didn't have any more time with him than the guys on the other boats, making the Kerry's boat-other boats distinction arbitrary, artificial and pointless, like everything else in the Kerry campaign.

A far more salient point is that there's a very strong comaraderie among veterans, much like the "thin blue line" among cops, where they're unlikely to turn against each other (at least publicly) when attacked by others, that a non-trivial number of veterans who know Kerry are coming out loudly against him indicates to me he must have been an even bigger SOB than I already thought he was and I didn't think that possible.

no soldier likes a brother who games the system to make himself look good and his brothers look bad--it's as simple as that

The salient point is that Alston was medivac'd off of boat 94 the day BEFORE Kerry took command and bald faced lied at the convention about being there when Kerry beached the boat on Feb 28. The SiwftVet that outed this story was in the gun turret that day and has the medal (and the released documents) to prove it.

Alston transferred back two weeks before Kerry shipped out, but they were NOT together in the actions that they both have made public statements about. Kerry was not yet on boat 94 when Alston was wounded "in the turret above [his] head" and Alston was still recuperating in hospital the day Kerry beached the boat but somehow he "knew it was a different ball game".

Two lies for the price of one.

The Kerry guys who claimed that none of the SwiftVets "served with" Kerry are splitting the hairs pretty thin to say that Alston was wounded "on Kerry's boat" when Kerry did not yet command it.

Is there any evidence that Alston served more than two weeks (possibly) with Kerry other than comments made by Alston himself?

If Alston hadn't lied in that interview about having been with Kerry during his Silver Star exploits (IIRC, he didn't make that claim at the DNC), the issue would be much smaller.

But the fact that Alston feels the need to lie in order to enhance his "relationship" w/ Kerry tells me that the true relationship is based on their politics, not their shared experiences.

IOW, as the story was originally told, even decent people needed to respect the bond between them.

As the truth is coming to light, it appears that only left-wing fruitcakes should care.

Took a trot over to Bizarro World at a left-wing message board where it was so totally clear to them that James Carville shouting down John O'Neill because Jerome Corsi is a Freeper proved that the Swifties were full of crap. Never mind the multiple lies or distortions exposed by the Swifties (and Spinsanity)... Such a lack of grip on reality gives you a good idea of the Kerry electorate.

All the money Kerry is paying Alston and the other swift-guppies will guarantee rapid bonding every time. Try it.