the Greater Nomadic Council

Kerry's Cambodian Christmas

It seems the SBVT may have scored a hit due to Kerry's claim that he was in Cambodia in December of 1968. So far, the problems with his story are two-fold. First up, is this:

By way of further example, Kerry wrote an article for the Boston Herald on October 14, 1979:

"I remember spending Christmas Eve of 1968 five miles across the Cambodian border being shot at by our South Vietnamese allies who were drunk and celebrating Christmas. The absurdity of almost killed by our own allies in a country in which President Nixon claimed there were no American troops was very real."

Nixon was not president in 1968. However, this post, with an image of what he said after returning from Vietnam, makes it clear that at the time Kerry did not claim it was Nixon denying there were US troops in Cambodia. 11 years later he did, but since Nixon had already been elected by that point, it seems quite plausible to assume that Kerry simply got that fact mixed up, especially since his earlier testimony did not make that mistake. So, that aspect of the Cambodia issue seems more like hype and smear than fact.

However, that's just minor compared to the real problem that may exist. Was Kerry in Cambodia or not? Captain's Quarter excerpts a letter that says:

Kerry himself inadvertently admits that he was in Sa Dec for Christmas Eve and Christmas and not in Cambodia, as he had stated for so many years on the Senate Floor, in the newspapers, and elsewhere. Exhibit 27, Tour, pp. 213-219. Sa Dec is hardly "close" to the Cambodian border. In reality, far from being ordered secretly to Cambodia, Kerry spent a pleasant night at Sa Dec with "visions of sugar plums" dancing in his head. Exhibit 27, p. 219. At Sa Dec where the Swift boat patrol area ended, there were many miles of other boats (PBR's) leading to the Cambodian border. There were also gunboats on the border to prevent any crossing. If Kerry tried to get through, he would have been arrested.

I believe this quote is from the SBVT book though, so it should probably be independently verified if possible before swallowing it whole, particularly how tight the border was. As this site points out, Sa Dec is pretty close to Cambodia, so it was certainly possible to get there in a short amount of time, even if Kerry was not stationed there. If the border was porous or if boats might have been allowed across while in pursuit of attackers, then the claims the he could not possibly have made it into Cambodia fail.

Despite all this, there are still two possibilities about the truthfulness of Kerry's claim with several potential reasons:

1. He lied about being in Cambodia.
a) He did so purposefully in service of his anti-Vietnam war activism.
b) He mistook his location and thought his boat was farther along the river and into Cambodia.

2. He told the truth.
a) He was on a secret mission that his superiors either were not aware of or feel the need to deny knowledge of.
b) He disobeyed orders while pursuing attackers.

Captain's Quarters latest post on the topic suggests 2b may be true:

To top it off, Kerry said, he had gone several miles inside Cambodia, which theoretically was off limits, prompting Kerry to send a sarcastic message to his superiors that he was writing from the Navy's "most inland" unit.

Back at his base, a weary, disconsolate Kerry sat at his typewriter, as he often did, and poured out his grief. "You hope that they'll courtmartial you or something because that would make sense," Kerry typed that night.

The post goes on to point out some apparent inconsistencies about Kerry listening to the President radio address, but that point is rather weak. It's quite possible Kerry could have followed attackers into Cambodia then turned the radio on later. This would also make his wry disbelief upon hearing the President proclaim there were no American troops in Cambodia understandable.

In other words, from strident anti-Kerry sources, a plausible, coherent story arises that could vindicate Kerry's claims of being in Cambodia. I'm not claiming that's the truth, but it's a distinct possibility that's being ignored amidst all the rhetoric. That said, if it turns out that Kerry did lie about this (can't someone just ask his shipmates?) it would likely solidify the image of a him as given to self-aggrandizement and exaggeration to further his political goals. Despite Joyner's belief that it won't be a campaign-killer, I think it could be very damaging. As it stands now, those that believe the worst of this story are those that wouldn't vote for Kerry anyways, but the risk is that the speculation will be picked up by the mainstream news media before it can be confirmed or denied. If that happens, Kerry risks having a very unfavorable story become the conventional wisdom which could easily dissuade a significant portion of swing voters.

Of course, if he did lie about being in Cambodia, then we'd have a clear choice between a liar and... umm... a liar.