Why would you bother if you know your reputation will be shredded by the same people you served with?
A thorough debunking of all the Swift Boat liars’ claims, with the following commentary:
It has struck me lately what a terrible indictment of the military these charges are and how once again the Republicans have absolutely no limits in terms of how fully they are willing to trash the American institutions they allegedly love in order to win. What these people are saying is that the US Navy awarded some of its highest medals for bravery to a coward. The many officers who signed those glowing fitness reports and awarded those citations are either liars or they are incompetent. The word of his shipmates, even the man whose life he saved, are worth nothing. You can’t believe military documentary evidence.
[ . . . ]
For puny, partisan reasons they are accusing the military of widespread corruption — merely to excuse the behavior of their less than stellar candidate.
And then we have this:
Today [retired Senator] Bob Dole [R-ViagraKansas] suggested that one or more of John Kerry’s Purple Hearts may have been fraudulent in some way because they were for “superficial wounds.”
As Josh Marshall points out, Dole knows better than that. Whatever respect he might have deserved as a Senator, as a veteran is gone.