HA! Josh Marshall totally busted Bob Dole for dissing JK's Purple Heart!

[trumad]

Today Bob Dole suggested that one or more of John Kerry's Purple Hearts may have been fraudulent in some way because they were for "superficial wounds."

Dole knows better.

In a 1988 campaign-trail autobiography, here's how Dole described the incident that earned him his first Purple Heart: "As we approached the enemy, there was a brief exchange of gunfire. I took a grenade in hand, pulled the pin, and tossed it in the direction of the farmhouse. It wasn't a very good pitch (remember, I was used to catching passes, not throwing them). In the darkness, the grenade must have struck a tree and bounced off. It exploded nearby, sending a sliver of metal into my leg--the sort of injury the Army patched up with Mercurochrome and a Purple Heart."
-- Josh Marshall
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_08_22.php#003309
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040822/D84KGLT00.html

[freetobegay]

1. Bob Dole is a poor excuse of a human being

He's even a poor excuse for a republican.

[PurityOfEssence]

15. The perfect spokesperson for viagra: a useless old prick

Methinks many reputations will be sacrificed on the pyre of political horseshit this year...

[arewenotdemo]

33. Good one

LOL

[Cocoa]

2. of course Dole knows better

I guess he just got a taste for dirty politics again for some reason.

I don't think he realize how much goodwill he's throwing away, which he'd built up from his work with Clinton. What a shame.

[swag]

3. I'm emailing that quote to select local columnists

[Inland]

19. I emailed it to Dole telling him to reread his bio before going off

[blondeatlast]

4. Sure, I have quibbles with the Armed Services way of doing business,

but ANYONE who was hurt defending this country, even if it was a hangnail, deserves a Purple Heart.

Bob Dole deserves his, John Kerry deserves his, my father deserved his.

Fucking (I NEVER use that word, never) imbeciles.

[LuminousX]

41. Questioning the process for one person

brings into question every medal the process awarded.

the Swiftliars and Dole have opened a horrible can of worms that will only result in many vets having their merits of service questioned.

[KittyWampus]

5. Now THAT'S Entertainment!

Saw Dole on tv spewing his bitter nonsense... and this is definately the punch line.

I really hope DU'ers click on this thread and nominate it for homepage...

Cause you Can't make this shit up.

[MO_Dem]

6. Hahhhaaa!

He's a liar! He needs a dose of viagara for the soul!

[Stew225]

7. I emailed the demented old fart today.

I don't know if that will do any good but....

[flordehinojos]

8. How low does Bob Dole have to get to say, as he did:

"And here's, you know, a good guy, a good friend. I respect his record. But three Purple Hearts and never bled that I know of. I mean, they're all superficial wounds. Three Purple Hearts and you're out."

;(

[Fovea]

9. As I said elsewhere

How do you ever trust someone who stood on the White House steps
and declared Richard Nixon innocent of Watergate?

[indyjones1938]

10. re: dole

Am I the only who who smells a fish?

Considering Dole's longtime hatred of the Bush family, and longtime service as a spokesman on behalf of veterans, I find it highly suspect that he would speak out against John Kerry like this on his own accord. Remember 1988, when Dole lashed out at GHWB, saying "stop lying about about my record." It seems to me, as many have suggested is the case with John McCain, that Rove has something on Dole and is using him as a pawn in what is essentially a game of blackmail.

If this is really the case with McCain and Dole, as I suspect it is, it would not be the first time that Rove has used this trick. It's one of his old tactics, tried and true, first devised during the 1970s when Rove was the young protege of Donald Segretti, the masterful propagandist of the Nixon Administration. It is rooted in the theory that the ends justify the means - destroy anyone and everyone, even those in your own party, who refuse to support your agenda. Rove even tried this trick against Patrick Buchanan during the early primaries four years ago, sending surrogates out like hounds on the hunt in an effort to portray Buchanan as an anti-semite. And surely you are all intimately familiar with Bush vs. McCain in 2000 and Chambliss vs. Cleland in 2002, Rovian masterpieces of blackmail and character assassination.

[beyurslf]

13. Maybe it is something with his wife.... something in the Senate

[Happy Eddie]

16. Shouldn't be too hard

to find evidence of anti-Semitism in Buchanan's oeuvre.

But you make a good point, Indy. My first thought was, what can they do to Bob Dole? My second thought was, they can find ways to make life difficult for his wife.

Life's too damn short to wish it away,
But I wish November was coming today

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lefty48197]

12. Bob Dole is really doing a disservice to his country over this issue

I would say that it might outweigh the service he has done for his country, but with this new revelation, it appears his "service" wasn't that good after all.

[DeepModem Mom]

14. LINK TO DOLE'S WEBSITE CONTACT PAGE --

http://www.bobdole.org/contact.html

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Sugarbleus]

27. Got my letter off just now.........FEEEEEEEELS GOOD

How about blasting those Admirals and generals involved in the smear ads???? I'm going to send a little "note" to them too.

[Pirate Smile]

31. My e-mail

I had begun to think of you as a statesman which makes me so very sad and disappointed in your performance on Late Edition today.

I was wrong. That is too bad because there are not enough statesman left around.

[Paradise]

38. emailed him. thanks for the link. n/t

[Southern Patriot]

17. Sweeeeeet!

When's ole Bob gonna give his PH back?

[spanone]

18. Aren't Politicians Somethin'.

[rumguy]

20. Hey Bob Dole

Fuck off!

[Lex]

21. Now it's clear that Bob Dole is more pathetic than I orginally thought.

What a mean old bastard.

[George_Bonanza]

22. What a loser

Don't they even have a conscience? It must eat themselves inside because they must realize that they're defending a draft dodger versus a bona fide "coulda-gotten-out-cuz-i-was-rich-but-i-put-myself-on-the-line" decorated war veteran.

[Guaranteed]

23. Oh...a SELF-INFLICTED WOUND, eh?

And just a SLIVER of metal???? Dole got a purple heart for THAT????

[in_cog_ni_to]

24. I sent this to Olbermann, Matthews and

Norville. I HOPE they run with it tomorrow.

[Auntie Bush]

26. Bob Dole = Ass Hole

[zulchzulu]

28. Bob Dole needs to lay off the Viagra

That is particularly disgusting coming from Bob Dole. I thought he still had some integrity left.

What a fucking asshole.

[TankLV]

29. You know the story about men, their brain, prick and sharing the blood

supply?

Unfortunately, "bob" (always asshole Kansas) - has proved that to be true.

He should ease off on that viagra - by sending the blood to his tiny shrivled old prick, he's starving his few non-senile brain cells from the nutrients they need to function correctly!

[TankLV]

30. You know the story about men, their brain, prick and sharing the blood

supply?

Unfortunately, "bob" (always asshole Kansas) - has proved that to be true.

He should ease off on that viagra - by sending the blood to his tiny shrivled old prick, he's starving his few non-senile brain cells from the nutrients they need to function correctly!

But why are you guys and gals so surprised by all this?

McCain and Dole and ALL repukes are NEVER honerable - they are ALL despicable - have proved it over and over and over again!

Sure, they can forget and say something good of someone.

But a snake is a snake.

I am not exaggerating a single bit by saying ALL OE 'EM.

[Julian English]

32. Prior article on Bob Dole's Credentials

An exploration in depth of Dole's military record

http://www.tedellis.net/dole-article.htm

[classof56]

34. Welcome to DU!

And thanks for this link. I just read and bookmarked it for future reference.

Bush MUST GO!!!

[Julian English]

35. You're welcome

The reason to attack these underhanded Bush campaign tactics is not because they are being used by Republicans to elect a Republican.

Rather, the most important reason we need to oppose these evil tactics is because they are bad for all of us as Americans.

Defeating this partisanship skulduggery should be a non-partisan crusade by all patriots to help save America as a nation. Were a Democrat to stoop so low as to employ such deplorable tactics for such dubious ends I like to think we would likewise move to help save the nation we all so love from such danger. This is what makes true patriots who party members or who favor a party different from partisans, such as the Ditto-heads. We care about the truth and the future of our nation--and not just about winning.

[oasis]

36. Well said, Julian English and welcome to DU.

[flordehinojos]

37. My E-Mail to LESLIE 'W O L F' BLITZER

e-mail subject line: It explored nearby, sending a sliver of metal into my leg -- the sort of injury the Army patched up with Mercurochrome and a Purple Heart.

The words in the above subject line are ROBERT DOLE’s own words, TALKING ABOUT HIS FIRST COMBAT WOUND ... AND GUESS WHAT! BY HIS OWN ADMISSION IT WAS A SELF INFLICTED WOUND! HERE IS WHAT HE HAS TO SAY:



"As we approached the enemy, there was a brief exchange of gunfire. I took a grenade in hand, pulled the pin, and tossed it in the direction of the farmhouse. It wasn't a very good pitch (remember, I was used to catching passes, not throwing them). In the darkness, the grenade must have struck a tree and bounced off. It exploded nearby, sending a sliver of metal into my leg -- the sort of injury the Army patched up with Mercurochrome and a Purple Heart."

So, on what high horse is Bob Dole riding when he says IN YOUR PROGRAM of KERRY’S PURPLE HEART:

“... three Purple Hearts and never bled that I know of. I mean, they're all superficial wounds. Three Purple Hearts and you're out."

What moral ground does Dole have to stand on? And, why, if you are a JOURNALIST, as you call yourself, did you let him get away with that. You must have known that Ole Bob Dole received a purple heart for being patched up with Mercurochrome and why didn’t you ask him if his own Purple Heart was more, or less valuable than Kerry’s, or if he was holding a grudge because Kerry got sent home AFTER THREE PURPLE HEARTS and DOLE got severely wounded after his first PURPLE HEART?

And why did you also not ask him if there was a particular degree OF SEVERITY of wound which had to be sustained before a soldier was awarded the PURPLE HEART MEDAL?YOU PROBABLY KNEW THAT THE ANSWER IS ‘NO.”

ONCE AGAIN, LESLIE ‘WOLF’ BLITZER your service to democracy is not only LOUSY. IT STINKS...and your level of patriotism is at the bottom of the barrel.



:P

[auburngrad82]

39. You mean Dole fragged himself for a medal???

Unbelievable. At least Kerry's wounds came from someone else's weapon.

[Julian English]

40. Dole did not frag himself.

Please, Senator Dole did not frag himself. I may not like Dole's statement, but I feel no need to misrepresent the circumstances under which he was wounded.

The term fragging refers to wounding someone on your own side on purpose. Bob Dole did not wound himself on purpose. Dole's wound from the grenade was suffered while using the weapon against the enemy, and such wounds are not uncommon. Apparently, Senator Kerry suffered a similar wound. Consequently, the wound is a legitimate basis for a Purple Heart as it is a wound suffered while engaging the enemy, not intentionally self-inflicted. (Grenades are dangerous.)

What is outrageous is Senator Dole denigrating Senator Kerry's wound. This is a classic example of the pot calling the kettle black.

To say that Dole fragged himself is the same distortion that the SBVT misanthropes said about Kerry's grenade wounds. Indeed, it is the same distortion that Dole is making. Both wounds would have legitimate bases for Purple Hearts, though Kerry's wound did not result in one. (The later contusions suffered on that mission resulted in the medal according to the report.)

Remember--we are better than Dole, the lying Freepers, and SBVT partisans. Our man is better, too.