I guess John Kerry really is the "International Man of Mystery" - he sure can't seem to do anything in a straightforward manner. Tax returns, his medals, financial disclosures, even what cars he drives are all sources of endless back pedaling and confusion. If he isn't hiding anything, he's sure doing a great imitation. The latest is his faux release of his military records. Notice that I said "faux," not "full." Historian B.G. Burkett weighs in:
Closely following all these developments is B.G. Burkett, the co-author of “Stolen Valor,” a highly acclaimed book on the Vietnam War.What set this off is the little problem that some of the records released by the Kerry campaign cover a period for patrol boat 94 when ole Lurch wasn't even on the boat.
Burkett, who has advised the FBI and sometimes the media on cases involving fraudulent military records, said that what inflamed him about the Kerry case was that the American public was being spoon-fed the record.
“Kerry is not being forthright,” complained Burkett, who wants to see the unabridged, uncensored version of the record.
He is demanding that the candidate bite the bullet and sign off on a Standard Form (SF) 180, giving the media the power to examine and cull the full record, not just bits and pieces selected by the Kerry camp.
Then there's the curiosity that Kerry's Silver Star citation is signed by John Lehman who served as Navy Secretary about 10 years later than when Kerry was in Vietnam. Terpsboy and the folks on FR have the backhoe out and are doing a ton of digging on this one, but frankly it's making my head hurt. Does John Kerry ever tell a straight story? I know, it's naive of me to even ask.
