re: #162 chadu

OFFS.

Kerry was in-country. Bush was in TX.

OFFS.

Yeah, that’s kind of how I saw it, too. But confirmation bias is a very real thing, and these guys had a lot invested in Bush being a Big, Bad Warrior and Kerry being an effete Boston Liberal Weenie.

To answer Dark’s question, you’re goddam right Kerry would have been attacked. Max Cleland was the test case - a decorated veteran who left a significant part of himself in Vietnam, successfully attacked by a guy who avoided service, for being soft on military issues.

Once Rove knew they could do that to somebody like Cleland, they knew they could attack Kerry in similar fashion.

Now, the Swiftboat Liars would probably have had fewer guys signing up if Kerry hadn’t come out against the war, but they would still have gone after the service as the biggest thing Kerry had over Bush, who was still fairly popular.