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MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 2004
PROFILES IN COWARDICE (PART 1): Forgive a bit of repetition. But let’s examine the way the press has pursued a basic issue of fact in the critical Swift Boat Vets story.
For several weeks, the corps has pretended to be deeply puzzled by a troubling factual question. Was there really enemy fire when Kerry pulled Jim Rassmann out of the drink? (This is the Kerry Bronze Star event.) Swift Boat Veterans have said there was not—that Kerry is lying to burnish his heroism. And the Washington press corps has scratched its head about this deeply troubling matter. The corps has pretended to be involved in a tireless search for the actual facts. On cable, millionaire hosts have struggled hard to get to the truth of the matter.
And then, at last! Eureka! Starting last Sunday, three witnesses to that day’s events came forward supporting Kerry’s assertion (see THE DAILY HOWLER, 8/27/04). (Kerry’s assertion is, of course, supported by all naval records.) Wayne Langhofer and Jim Russell were crewmen on PCF-43—the boat directly behind Kerry’s that day. And Robert Lambert was on PCF-51, where he served as radar man to Larry Thurlow, one of Kerry’s most aggressive accusers. And last week, all three vets came forward to say that there was hostile fire when Kerry saved Rassmann. Lambert had actually saved Thurlow’s life—and he said there was enemy fire.
Wow! You’d think these statements would get big play from a press corps in headlong pursuit of the truth. But if you thought that, you don’t understand America’s current political culture, and you don’t understand the Potemkin “press corps” that pretends to steward your public debate. How much play did these veterans get—three unaffiliated Swift Boat crewmen who all came forward supporting Kerry? As of today, few voters know what these three men have said. Increasingly, your national “press” is a screaming joke—and so, therefore, is your democracy.
Let’s start with MSNBC, whose millionaire pundits pretended to puzzle about this matter all last week. How often were the network’s viewers told what Langhofer, Russell and Lambert had said? Prepare to learn how your “press” really works. How much play did these three crewmen get? According to the Nexis record:
Langhofer’s name was never mentioned on MSNBC last week.
Russell’s name wasn’t mentioned, either.
Lambert’s statement, published Thursday morning, was mentioned once—on the that evening’s Countdown.
Astonishing, isn’t it? To state the obvious, MSNBC’s evening programs flogged the Swift Boat accusations all week. And this Bronze Star incident was discussed as much as any single event. Indeed, the network’s famous millionaire hosts wracked their brains and puzzled hard, trying to sort out the actual facts. But if you watched MSNBC all last week, you’ve still never heard of Langhofer or Russell, and you’ve heard Lambert’s statement mentioned just once! Of course, you have heard, again and again, the accusations made against Kerry. But when three crewmen stepped forward to challenge these claims, their statements went straight down the memory hole. MSNBC dropped the vets in the drink. They never were heard from again.
Of course, MSNBC is hardly alone in this amazing conduct. Predictably enough, CNN and Fox joined their sister net in consigning these statements to oblivion. The facts? According to Nexis, Langhofer’s name was never mentioned on CNN or Fox last week. And Russell’s name was mentioned just once—on Tuesday’s Inside Politics (CNN). The disappearing of Russell is especially striking, because the Kerry campaign arranged a Monday press event in which Russell produced a videotaped statement. Here’s the tape CNN played the one time it mentioned Russell:
RUSSELL (8/24/04): My recollection is that we were under fire during—off and on during the whole time that this incident took place. For anybody to say that we weren’t is—was on a different river, I think.
Amazing, isn’t it? This tape was available from Monday forward. But so what! Russell’s statement wasn’t played or reported on MSNBC or Fox—and CNN reported his statement just once. Finally, how about the most dramatic case? How about Lambert, the radar man who directly contradicted his own skipper, Thurlow? According to Nexis, Lambert’s statement wasn’t mentioned on any of these three cable nets. His statement went straight down the memory hole. His statement was dumped in the river.
Of course, one thing wasn’t thrown away—the nasty accusations being made by the bilious “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.” Accusations by John O’Neill’s Vets continued to get major play on these networks. Endlessly, viewers were told that men like Thurlow and Steve Gardner were calling Kerry a liar. But when Lambert came forward to contradict his own skipper, his statement was thrown in the drink.
Let’s not beat around the bush. There’s a word for this coverage, and you know the word: Fraud. Simply put, a hoax is being played on American voters as cable networks feign engagement in a search for the truth of these matters. Profiles in Cowardice rule the “press” as they cower before John O’Neill’s surly men. But then, such scams have been happening since 1988—and your “press corps” is still too scared to confront them. Profiles in Cowardice rule the press, as we’ll help you see all this week.
TOMORROW: Part 2! Matthews knew to run and hide when Reagan called the Swift Boat Vets liars.
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