Treasure in your attic!

Did you have a weird uncle who drove his VW minibus to Washington to protest the Vietnam War? Did he later leave a bunch of stuff in Grandma's attic when he went off to join the commune? Well, get out the hipboots and start digging through the junk, because you might find this:



Yep, John Kerry penned a book with his comrades. They're the ones "satirizing" the Marines planting the flag on Mt. Suribachi on the cover. Anyhow, it's worth big bucks:

Less convenient, perhaps, is the fact that another Kerry book is getting hot right now: "The New Soldier," published in 1971, for which Kerry shares authorial credit with the organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Hot not in sales--only a tiny number of copies seem to be around--but in price.

A signed first edition in mint condition is being offered on Alibris for $850. Other copies in varying condition have been on the auction block at eBay, none fetching less than $100. The book's rarity has led to speculation that Kerry systematically rounded up existing copies. When Newsmax did a story on the book last summer, they had to get their copy from a bookstore in Britain. But it may simply be the case that the book is rare because it was a dud that no one hung onto.

Maybe that was the year they had the toilet paper shortage?

There's more in the article about the bogus veterans and their tales of "war crimes" that Kerry rode right into a dramatic appearance testifying before Congress. The guy's been lying a long time.

John Kerry seems to have had a way of eluding the bad odor that clings to his old associates. On "Meet the Press" in 1971, he appeared with VVAW member Al Hubbard, a veteran who was exposed around this time for lying about his rank and combat experience (he had seen no combat). While this confirmed suspicions about the dubious identities of many of the winter soldiers, it didn't keep Kerry from becoming famous. The young politician was able to have his cake and eat it, too, becoming the establishment, patriotic face of a radical, anti-patriotic movement. Quite a trick, really.

Now, if only I can get him to sign this book.

And I guess you can. There's one on eBay with the following in the description:

This copy was signed January 23, 2004 in Claremont, New Hampshire, witnessed & broadcast by C-SPAN.

You can't take the stink out of the polecat.