Rosa, Rosa Rosa! What are you thinking?

Rosa, Rosa, Rosa …

I wanted to touch base with you over a few major inconsistencies in your op-ed piece in today’s LA Times, “The lunatic right returns”. Initially, you claim that the statements made by the Swift Boat vets were “defamatory insinuations”. If these men served with Kerry and witnessed how he carried out his duties as an officer in the US Navy, how can you term their statements as insinuations if they were there and you weren’t? You must admit that Kerry receiving three purple hearts in approximately four months in combat is somewhat questionable. Could the fact that you were an advisor on the Kerry-Edwards Campaign in 2004 be the catalyst for your piece?

Regarding Col. Bud Day, he was not a Swift Boat Vet but a POW along with John McCain in Hanoi, in fact he never even served in the Navy, instead he proudly served our nation in the US Air Force. Another significant piece of information that you conveniently omitted was that Col. Day is also a Medal of Honor winner. You might want to read the citation, it tells of his amazing bravery and leadership while a POW in Vietnam. So how you can refer to Day as one of the Swift Boaters from Kerry’s last presidential bid is a bit confusing. Additionally, Mary Jane McManus is the wife of a former POW who also served in the Air Force, again not the Navy as Kerry did. If anyone knows first hand how the left influenced the lives of POWs, it would be Day and McManus. Carlton Sherwood was a Marine during Vietnam who later became a journalist and was the producer of an amazing documentary, Stolen Honor, that chronicles the story of about a dozen Vietnam POWs who tell of their harrowing experiences and how their captivity was directly and negatively effected by the anti-war movement. Are you going to deny the veracity of these men and what they experienced at the hands of their captors?

Are you denying that the left doesn’t have a campaign against the American Soldier just as it did during Vietnam? I have seen Stolen Honor, spoken personally with former POWs and these men are brave, honorable, and the most patriotic men you will ever have the pleasure of knowing. Are you also denying that Murtha is using the troops as a pawn in the left’s War on Bush? He himself has said, “Our troops have become the enemy. We need to change direction in Iraq.” Our Troops? Those who defend our nation and her beliefs are “the enemy”?

You claim that the situation in Iraq has gone from bad to worse and back again. Oddly enough, you are again taking the word of those simply reporting the war from those on the ground and in uniform who strongly believe in their mission and regularly report success and advancement in the lives of civilian as well as military Iraqis for those who are willing to listen.

You quoted that the casualties from Iraq have tripled since 2004. That quote is the definition of disingenuous as the war started in early 2003. In your way of calculation you are comparing the first year of the war with years 2 and 3. In 2003 there were 486 casualties, 2004 had 848, 2005 had 846 and 2006 had 821. You claim that Americans are dumb, well maybe in this case, this American saw through your rouse, not quite so dumb after all.

You state that, ‘What's depressing about the reemergence of the Swifties, though, is that it's symbolic of the increasing takeover of the "conservative" movement by unprincipled, right-wing extremists.” So, am I correct in assuming that you are referring to Col Bud Day, as an “unprincipled, right-wing extremist”? Well, in the very next paragraph of your piece you quote John McCain as saying that Swift Boaters are “dishonest and dishonorable” yet McCain himself has referred to Col. Bud Day here as, “one of the greatest men I have ever had the honor to know.” If I'm not mistaken, that quote came directly from McCain's autobiography. So again you have me confused, if McCain, who was held with Day calls him “the greatest man”, then how can he also be dishonest and dishonorable?

Your closing comments on Oliver North and Michelle Malkin truly show your lunatic tendency. North was a decorated Marine who fearlessly served his country and Malkin’s recognition, while obviously difficult for you to swallow, is well deserved as she and those that collaborate with her truly investigate and dig deep into the layers of a story to find the truth. She will call a spade a spade no matter what their political affiliation.

In closing Ms. Brooks, you might benefit in a bit of accuracy in your reporting as the entire premise of your op-ed piece is a misnomer.

*PS -Kudos to the editorial and research team at the LA Times by the way for obviously not validating who you wrote about as Day, McManus and Sherwood had nothing at all to do with the Swift Boat Vets of 2004.

Update: I have contacted the LA Times and asked for a correction/retraction as well as an admission on the part of Ms. Brooks that she served as an advisor to the Kerry-Edwards 2004 Campaign. I will keep you posted if I hear anything more from the LA Times.