Charlie Gibson on GMA was "grilling" Kerry about his medals ...anybody

[Blue_Roses]

see it? What a load of crap. If this is all the news they have to talk about them somebody needs their job description evaluated. What a waste of time talking about this NON-ISSUE! Here I am, wondering if I will be able to afford another GAS HIKE and Gibson is worried about which fence Kerry threw his ribbons, medals, over. I say, GIVE ME A BREAK!!

AS I sat there and listened to Charlie pelt Kerry, all I could think of was WHY isn't he (Gibson) addressing SO MANY other MORE important things going on now...geeze...

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[LittleApple81]

2. Well, Kerry and all of us have to do something about this. And pronto.

It is time to come out swinging. They are like rats gnawing on a piece of cheese.

[Blue_Roses]

10. well

I did email Gibson, 'cause this is just plain stupid to make this an issue...

[priller]

3. Just doing the GOP's job

They can't win on the substantial issues, so instead they focus on silly stuff like this, or divisive and emotional issues like abortion.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. All Kerry has to say is

"What did Bush do with his medals?"

This isn't rocket sience.

[Blue_Roses]

11. Good

one! Excellent comeback.

[Robin Hood]

48. That's brilliant because it's so damn obvious.

You need to make that a main post so that it becomes a talking point.

[RoundRockD]

5. I saw it and I agree with your observation.

It was disgraceful. Charlie Gibson was pushing and pushing trying to get Kerry to slip up or admit to something. It is such a non issue with all that is going on in this country. They should be ashamed of themselves, but they won't be.

[Ilsa]

6. I saw it. We turned it off.

We don't watch when the tv hosts start interrupting and not letting them answer the questions, because it turns into a forum for the journalist, not the person being interviewed.

We are so hosed when it comes to the media. Gibson never would have treated * like this over the AWOL issue. Even when he was a candidate, he got treated like the king even though he was a useless sonabitch for the state of texas and his bankrupt companies. Gibson managed to turn the attention from comparing Kerry's risk in Vietnam and *'s AWOL chickenhawk to Kerry somehow being dishonest about what he did with his own property.

[Justitia]

43. I was surprised by Gibson

Maybe I'm naive, but I didn't think he was a Repub/warmongering fan.

I've always liked Charlie, and this interview actually threw me for a loop. Disappointing.

[SoCalDem]

7. Faux outrage is all the rage

It's all about controlling the message.. Every second that is spent on a "bullshit issue", is a second that is NOT spent on real issues.. They divert what little air-time that is given, and then attack the candidate for "having no policy"..

This is the ultimate result of the "Fairness Doctrine's" demise.. There is precious little time given to candidates, to start with, and the media that is avaliable to them is usually "fluff-oriented right wing" media, so they have virtually NO chance to make cogent statements.. Everything they say must be rattled off in a few seconds "before the break", and of course then the "host" just steers them back to the "outrage du jour"..

They have nowhere else to go, so they are stuck with what passes for media..

[Teaser]

8. Looks like Kerry laid the smack down.

From the transcript at Drudge.

That should end this.

[heidiho]

14. I'm So Happy That He's Not Going to Take This Crap

from the Bushites.

I was proud of the way he smacked Charlie down this morning. I hope he is this effective in the "debates" with Chimpy.

[Bill McBlueState]

9. BUSH CHICKENED OUT OF VIETNAM; KERRY WENT.

That is the major, overwhelming difference between the two. Everything else is minor compared to that one point.

So now that that's settled, let's ask the next question... How much longer will someone's actions in the Vietnam era be considered relevant to the present day? I'm getting tired of all the bickering over this.

[Blue_Roses]

12. I'm sick of it

How much longer will someone's actions in the Vietnam era be considered relevant to the present day? I'm getting tired of all the bickering over this.

It's obvious Vietnam CONTINUES to be used for political purposes. Sad. Really sad.

[JI7]

13. did you see Kerry say how Bush still hasn't answered where he has been

about the national guard. that bush still hasn't answered or shown that he served. can't remember the exact words but he pretty m uch said there is no proof bush served and that there is proof of what kerry did all out in public for everyone to see.

[CharlieBakerAble]

34. I did and then the news report showed Kerry saying he wouldn't use it

to attack Bush. It made Kerry once again look like he changed his mind. It was a set up news report to highlight Kerry hammering Bush about AWOL and then showing Kerry saying he would not go down that road from a month ago. Pitiful.

[Lex]

39. In November, people will remember

that Bush was a chickenshit and that Kerry had the courage to ask to fight in Vietnam.

Kerry's not through with this issue yet.

I think the media, and the idiots in the Bush campaign, are walking right into a boobytrap laid out for them by Kerry.

Now watch it unfold.

[voice of reason]

42. It was a setup

. . . Kerry has to stop walking into these ambushes. Needs to set some ofhis own.

[goclark]

15. Charlie Gibson Disappoints Me

He must be sleeping with Rove.
I am so sick of him. Do you remember when GW's little Press Dinner stunt was on? Gibson thought him looking for the WMD photo was soooo funny!
I thought it was gross.

[Teaser]

16. Seems this is over before it began though.

I don't see a lot of evidence of other networks picking this up.

Kerry's forceful and factual response seems to have slain this dragon.

Good for him. The only way to kill these Rove vampires is stakes through the g#ddamn heart.

[Just Me Here]

17. Even repub..

..lican radio guys think this is a non-issue.

How many more years is it going to be until what happened during Vietnam doesn't impact our elections?

[gratuitous]

18. Medals issue dying . . . dying . . . dying . . . dead

Yup, 6½ months before the election, the corrupt Bush administration has shot its bolt on the issue of Kerry's Vietnam medals, and guess what? Nobody's going to remember a thing about this by June. Oh, there'll be some nuts on the lunatic fringe of the Republican party trying to stir things up, but they'll be talking almost exclusively to each other. Meanwhile, the Kerry campaign can get on to more substantive issues, such as the economy, the abysmal Bush record on terror, the squandering of our national treasury and prestige, etc., etc., etc.

"Medals." Hah! That all you got, Pubbies? You sure seem obsessed with those medals Kerry has from his time in combat. Makes me think you wish Chicken George had one or two, just to compare. But unlike everything else in his life, Purple Hearts and Silver and Bronze Stars aren't just handed to you or bought with Daddy's money; you have to EARN them.

[Brotherjohn]

19. I sent GMA this e-mail:

Charlie Gibson's interview with John Kerry on the issue of what Kerry did with his medals and/or ribbons revealed a harsh bias against Kerry unbecoming of actual journalism. Bush was treated with kid gloves on the issue of his service, both when it arose recently and when he was a candidate in 2000 (then, it didn't even break as a national story, although the Boston Globe clearly revealed that there were many questions about his service).

Now we have Charlie Gibson acting like a pitbull trying to catch Kerry in meaningless semantic distinctions about what he did 30 years ago after returning from heroic service in Viet Nam (in a public act, reported on the record, with his consent), while Bush argues semantics over why we went into a war of choice which has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers and thousands of Iraqi civilians.

"Imminent" vs. "grave and gathering", "WMDs" vs. "WMD-related program activities", etc., etc... none of that's important. We only went to war, alienated our allies and most of the Muslim world, and swelled the ranks of terrorist organizations 10-fold. But that doesn't matter. What's important is whether Kerry called his awards for valor "medals" or "ribbons"!

Get some perspective, please, Mr. Gibson. At least strive for a minimal sense of objectivity and balance. You are embarrassing yourself.

[swinney]

20. Kerry must stand tall and look down on such scummers

Tell em--I earned em and you check the records I do not want to go into it.

Stop em. They will trap you.

The most you say the more to attack.

Tell em to drop dead.

[PA Democrat]

21. I saw it and sent an email to GMA

asking when they were going to grill bush about HIS military record as vigorously as they did Kerry. I suggested a number of unanswered questions about bush's guard records that to me are MUCH more disturbing than the question of exactly what Kerry said about whose ribbons/ medals were thrown over the fence.

Kerry volunteered to serve because he thought it was the responsible thing to do. After seeing the truth of what was happening in Vietnam, he took responsibility to do all he could to end the war. I see no such acts of "responsibility" or conscience in any of bush's activities during HIS youth.

[dennis4868]

22. Valerie Plame....

has been outed by Bush and his WH and her life could end at any moment because of it (and by the way, a Plame Contact has already been killed because she was outed) and all Gibson talks about are Kerry's medals? WTF?????

[UTUSN]

23. My Local Talkshow Wingnut Read the Whole Transcript on the Radio

And I sent him this:

Be sure to inform all your chickenhawk wingnuts that ribbons/medals can be BOUGHT.

The first ones are ISSUED "free" by the government, if you count trading years of your life or your life itself as "free". After that, since the ribbons are ALL you wear when you go out on liberty and they get dirty in bars and brothels, you BUY them at hundreds of shops clustered around the gates of all bases.

Also, here is ONE (of thousands) of mail order places: www.hmchonors.com

So, Senator KERRY could throw away ANYBODY's medals, let alone his own, and BUY as many more as he wanted.

It will be a boon to chickenhawks CHEENEE, LIMBOsevic, HANNITY, O'REILLY, and all of your pals to know that ANYBODY can buy the danged things. CHEENEE can buy himself a WW ONE medal, fer gudness sakes ("fer gudness sakes" from "The World of Susie Wong").

Here's what I wrote earlier about a previous smear on KERRY. By the way, ain't it amazing how wingnuts, who are SO "patriotic", SMEAR people like McCAIN, CLELAND, and KERRY?---------------------------------------
Linked below is an article focusing on how slight, minor, inconsequential John KERRY's wounds supposedly were, for which he earned Purple Hearts.

There are different kinds or classes of decorations - some are bestowed generally without much individual activity beyond showing up, others requiring extraordinary effort, and everything in between.

For example, the National Defense Service Medal: You get this just by volunteering (not drafted) during a time of (war? conflict? emergency?). After you sign on the dotted line, then get sworn in, BANG, you've already got ONE medal.

Then there is the Vietnam campaign medal: When you set foot in Vietnam, getting off the plane at a safe Air Force base, BANG, you get this one. Every couple of months or so, the name of a new campaign takes over ("Tet" or whatever), and BANG, you get another VN medal, which is denoted by an added little star device on the one medal or ribbon.

On the other hand, there are the heavy duty medals - such as the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Medal of Honor, requiring some kind of extraordinary individual effort.

As for the Purple Heart, if a DROP of blood is shed while under fire, BANG you get this, not to mention losing whole limbs or life. (Famous HERBLOCK WW II cartoon, "Forget the Purple Heart, give me a couple of aspirins.")

As for this smear about how SLIGHT JK's wound(s) was, this also appeared in the VFW magazine for March'04: the wingnut editor giving a very snarky summary of JK's service, spending a paragraph on how "slight" the wound was while merely listing the heavy duty decorations. I complained to the VFW magazine and higher that if this dude didn't want to write about JK why did he, and that the vast majority of military members serve without huge danger and in roles that are supportive - was this dude saying that the only service that matters is that of being severely wounded or dead?

Also, my hero Charlie RANGEL has zeroed in on something: Very many of the military enlistees are minorities who joined BECAUSE of the LACK of jobs, family wealth and connections, and educational opportunities - meaning, surprise, NOT on the grounds of "patriotism" at the beginning (maybe later).


*******QUOTE*******
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/04/14/kerry_faces_questions_over_purple_heart/
.... ...Kerry's commanding officer at the time questioned Kerry's first Purple Heart, which he earned for a wound received just two weeks after arriving in Vietnam.

"He had a little scratch on his forearm, and he was holding a piece of shrapnel," recalled Kerry's commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Grant Hibbard. "People in the office were saying, `I don't think we got any fire,' and there is a guy holding a little piece of shrapnel in his palm." Hibbard said he couldn't be certain whether Kerry actually came under fire on Dec. 2, 1968, the date in questionand that is why he said he asked Kerry questions about the matter.

But Kerry persisted and, to his own "chagrin," Hibbard said, he dropped the matter. "I do remember some questions, some correspondence about it," Hibbard said. "I finally said, `OK, if that's what happened . . . do whatever you want.' After that, I don't know what happened. Obviously, he got it, I don't know how." ....

*****UNQUOTE*******

[Oilwellian]

24. You can be sure...

In 20 or so years, when an Iraq war veteran runs for president, you'll see the right wing smear him and his service. They have no couth.

[Blue_Roses]

25. NON-ISSUE, NON-ISSUE, NON-ISSUE, NON-ISSUE, NON-ISSUE,

NON-ISSUE...CAN WE SAY IT ANY LOUDER! NON-ISSUE...talk about something that isn't 35 YEARS OLD and a NON-ISSUE!

I say we email the hell out of them all who continue to make this an issue when it's just politics in play. Talk about this freaking gas going up, but don't waste my time with NON-ISSUES!!

[UTUSN]

26. Kick, Kick, Kick, Kick, Kick n/t

[CharlieBakerAble]

35. How about we discuss Prescott Bush?

And how he sided with the Nazis.

[Bread and Circus]

27. If I were Kerry or his spokesman, I would say "At least I had

medals to throw. Look, I went to Vietnam. I didn't avoid
active duty by being hiding Stateside in a non-combat zone.
Also, I showed up for duty, my opponent didn't."

Why the fuck can't the Democratic leadership say something like
that over and over until these dumb assholes get it?

What the fuck is wrong with the people heading this outfit?

Are they stupid.

If there was ever a time to shoot fish in a barrel, this is it.

[Blue_Roses]

28. I wonder the same thing

Alot of the time. I often think we do miss an opportunity to "shoot fish in a barrel," and I think it's because we just don't think as dirty as they do--that is until after they have really gone way over the top.

[scarface2004]

29. gibson can...

suck my dick!!!

[UTUSN]

30. Charlie Can Be SO Wrong

With CLINTON, he was an uncomprehending prick. He cornered him, and CLINTON started, "O.K., let me be honest NOW..." Charlie responded, "What were you being BEFORE???"

"honest" is a Southernism, meaning, "Let me be brutally frank, hurtful, blunt, rude" NOT "truthful".

Easterners can be limited by their own provincialism, too. (Now, where is Charlie from?)

[Blue_Roses]

31. where is Charlie from?

I had no reason to hate him until today. I watch Matt and Katie usually and sometimes that's brutal. But in the back of my mind I know that Katie is a Dem and just doing her job. But Gibson and Sawyer appear to rwing hacks. I know Sawyer's husband is a big supporter of the republican party.

[UTUSN]

33. No, No

Diane's hubby is Mike NICHOLS, a Lib--------of the ancient comedy team NICHOLS and (Elaine) MAY. I'm assuming comedians are natural Dems.

Diane was an intern for NIXON and stayed with him after his humiliating, forced resignation. She was a Teen-Miss-USA before that. It was shocking Mike NICHOLS married her, but then, maybe she was undercover. She's now done a lot of Lib-by type things.

Charlie is a pro, tries to be fair, but is an in-the-loop-Repuke at heart.

[Blue_Roses]

38. You're right

and after searching and looking...I see what you're are talking about.

Another rumor from the media...

[UTUSN]

36. This Link Don't Zackly Say He's FROM Jersey

*******QUOTE*******

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/50states/gma50states020703NewJersey.html

.... The light bulb, the phonograph and saltwater taffy were invented in New Jersey. Princeton University produced two American presidents: James Madison and Woodrow Wilson. And of course, Good Morning America's own Charlie Gibson graduated from Princeton, too. ....



********UNQUOTE*******

[UTUSN]

37. Plus, About the 2000 Theft, He Said,

"Well, they (SCotUS) had to do SOMEthing..."

[DemMother]

41. He's from Evanston, Illinois

He also graduated in 65 and there is nothing about any military service in anything I read about him. My husband graduated in 65 too and served in the Army and my cousin in 66 and was sent to Vietnam and then into Cambodia. Where was Charlie?

[chelsea0011]

32. DISGUSTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The media is one big group of LOSERS!

If anything, they should be in full assault on the Bush crowd who are in full attack mode on a veteran...who actually fought bravely in a war. Not swilling beer and drugs while AWOL from guard duty as the Crooked One did during the war. And I don't bemoan the media for doing any story with some merit. But this investigative journalistic venture was a very minor story in the papers that TV thought would play great on television. Let the Times do the grunt work and we'll jump on board for some ratings and eye candy. The problem is that TV can't figure out how ton run a 5 minute piece on how The Crooked One broke the law by funneling 700 mil to a war in Iraq. Maybe if The Crooked One had just taken bags of money and thrown them over the Capital Wall...oh, never mind.

[Lex]

40. Go to Google NEWS and type

"Kerry demands Bush prove" then hit "Sort by Date" to get the latest stories and watch all the papers that picked up the AP story on Kerry's volley back on this story.

"Kerry demands Bush prove Guard Service" in I don't know how many papers tomorrow.

[wellst0nev0ter]

44. Has Anyone Seen Kerry's Offhand Comment After The Show?

Soemthing like, "Good Morning America is doing the RNC's job for them"

I'd say it's about damn time he called out the whore media on that

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1478806

[Killarney]

45. Yeah, they showed that statement on ABC Nightly News

I think to try to embarrass Kerry but it really embarrassed themselves.

[Blue_Roses]

47. saw it and I'm so glad

he said it. He called them out on what they were doing rather than ignore or pussy-foot around it.

Kerry is one hell of a fighter.

[Amaya]

46. What a weasel

kick :kick:

[RedEarth]

49. I emailed ABC and told them I had lost all respect for Gibson

over the way he handled the interview and let them know I don't plan on watching that show in the future. Perhaps if ABC got enough emails, they might get rid of RNC operative.

[Bozita]

50. Tom Oliphant's BG column DESTROYS Gibson's case ... BIGTIME!

Gibson needs to see a flood of this column from today's Boston Globe.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/04/27/i_watched_kerry_throw_his_war_decorations/

-snip-

While the idea of turning back decorations had been talked about prior to that week, there was no clear plan when the veterans arrived. The night before, the men had had a long, loud argument about whether to throw their stuff or simply place it on a long table in front of the Capitol. I watched Kerry argue for the less dramatic approach and lose.

It was clear from our conversations back then and ever since that Kerry made no distinction among his various decorations, though others have. Some in the military don't either. I remember once asking my father (who was awarded a Bronze Star in the Pacific during World War II), what he called the ribbon and lapel ornament he received in addition to the star; he said they were all the Bronze Star.

I have always found the political junk served up by Kerry's detractors to be undignified as well as largely inaccurate.

-snip-

[Blue_Roses]

51. THIS IS GOOD and

somebody needs to shove it in Gibson's face. Smug, arrogant GOP prick...