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Swift Boaters Resurface for GOP

Kerry angered over donations to fellow veteran McCain

By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 3, 2008 1:29 PM CST
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(Newser) – The renamed Swift Vets and POWs for Truth—infamous for derailing John Kerry’s 2004 presidential bid—have returned, contributing and bundling nearly $200,000 to Republican candidates. This doesn’t “bode well” for clean politics, writes the Nation’s Christopher Hayes, who sought out Kerry’s comment on Swifties’ donations to John McCain (who once called the group “dishonest and dishonorable”): “There is such a thing as dirty money.”

Mitt Romney has been the biggest recipient of the Vets' largesse, followed by McCain and then Rudy Giuliani. Hayes infers from the group’s non-support of Mike Huckabee that their military stance is a charade: The operation’s “chiefly concerned with the continued upward redistribution of wealth.” Far from a mere “side show,” the smearers “are modern conservatism's core funders.”

John F. Kerry and William B. Rood, right, are shown at the Swift boat base at An Thoi, Vietnam, shortly after the action for which Kerry was awarded the Silver Star and Rood was awarded the Bronze Sta
John F. Kerry and William B. Rood, right, are shown at the Swift boat base at An Thoi, Vietnam, shortly after the action for which Kerry was awarded the Silver Star and Rood was awarded the Bronze Sta   (KRT Photos)
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- George Elliot, center left, speaks as Tom Herritage, far left, Adrian Lonsdale, center right, and Roy Hoffman, far right, listen during interviews August 26, 2004 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- George Elliot, center left, speaks as Tom Herritage, far left, Adrian Lonsdale, center right, and Roy Hoffman, far right, listen during interviews August 26, 2004 in Washington, DC.   (KRT Photos)
Legendary Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens speaks at a gathering of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas Friday, Oct. 19, 2007 in Houston. Pickens sees the price of oil hitting $100 a barrel perhaps as soon as the fourth quarter but certainly sometime next year, a...
Legendary Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens speaks at a gathering of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas Friday, Oct. 19, 2007 in Houston. Pickens sees the price of oil hitting $100 a barrel...   (Associated Press)
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., left, is joined by Vietnam swiftboat crewmates, Rev. David Alston, center, and Drew Whitlow, right, during an arrival ceremony in Boston in this July 28, 2004 file photo. Kerry, whose 2004 presidential campaign was torpedoed by critics of his Vietnam War record, said...
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., left, is joined by Vietnam swiftboat crewmates, Rev. David Alston, center, and Drew Whitlow, right, during an arrival ceremony in Boston in...   (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- George Elliot, speaks as Adrian Lonsdale, and Roy Hoffman listen during interviews, August 26, 2004 in Washington, DC. All are leaders of a group of swift boat veterans critical of
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- George Elliot, speaks as Adrian Lonsdale, and Roy Hoffman listen during interviews, August 26, 2004 in Washington, DC. All are leaders of a group of swift boat veterans critical of   (KRT Photos)
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Blogger: 'The Nation suggests that a candidate's support from the Swift Vets is directly proportional to his willingness to do or say anything'
Wonkette

Righty blogger says it's the Swifties who are being smeared
Newsbusters

 
Mitt Romney • John McCain • John Kerry • bundlers • Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

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