UPDATE :: There is some question about what this story all means, as noted in some of the comments on this post at Talk Left. It may be that the Navy has simply accepted the complaint, but not announced an actual investigation yet. The group behind the complaint, Judicial Watch, described in the article as "bipartisan" is anything but, having received huge sums of money from Richard Mellon Scaife.
We'll see what happens with this. It's possible that the American media's lack of reportage on this story is actually, believe it or not, responsible.
************* Original Post *****************
You have got to be kidding me.
No, seriously, is this a joke?
Why can I only find references to this in the UK and Australian media?
News of the inquiry came as President George W Bush opened an 11-point lead over his rival - the widest margin since serious campaigning began - according to the first poll released since last week's Republican convention.
A question mark has been raised over one of John Kerry's awards
The highly unusual inquiry is to be carried out by the inspector-general's office of the United States navy, for which Sen Kerry served as a Swift Boat captain for four months in 1968, making two tours of duty.
He was wounded in action and subsequently awarded three Purple Hearts, a Silver Star and a Bronze Star. But for the past month, the exact details of Mr Kerry's military service in Vietnam have become shrouded in a controversy that the navy has now decided warrants a full-blown search for the truth.
In the middle of a presidential campaign, after a group of proven liars with close ties to the Bush campaign and the Bush family launched a campaign of slander against the challenger, the Pentagon is now investigating his war record. His war record from 35 years ago.
As for George W. Bush's war record, well, big parts of that keep coming up missing, don't they...
This is really unbelievable. Does anyone doubt that the Pentagon was directed to undertake this investigation by political appointees?
It is a sad, sad state of affairs when a presidential campaign being conducted in the middle of an actual, current war is focusing on one that ended 30 years ago.
John Kerry fought in Vietnam. He was wounded in Vietnam. Are these assholes really claiming that he stabbed himself in the leg or exaggerated wounds so that he could collect medals for a possible future political career? Even if his wounds were superficial, are we really honestly examining whether or not our soldiers really deserve every medal we've awarded them. This is coming from the party that claims to respect and honor military service?
The answer is that of course they don't think any of these things are true, but they know that by raising the questions, and certainly by launching a Pentagon investigation, doubts are raised in the public's pathetically uninformed mind, and that's enough. That's all it takes in a close race.
The finger here should be pointed squarely at the media, after it is pointed at each of us for failing to demand an honest debate. This election will be decided by people who fall for this crap. They know it, they exploit it, we have to stop them.
(Thanks to Geek Fun for the tip, but no link! What, I gotta do my own research?)
