One of the primary themes of the people disputing John Kerry’s war record appears to be that he was involved in actively manufactuing a reputation as a hero, so that he could come back and begin a career in politics. This was exemplified by Thursday night’s Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC.
Larry Thurlow, one of the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” said:
It became apparent early on that John Kerry had a master plan that went far beyond the service in the swift boats, and because of the fact that he was trying to engineer a record, so to speak, for himself, he was not a trustworthy member of a very tightly-knit unit that counted on each other at every second.
It’s a point he repeated several times, although he could not provide any evidence that such a plan existed. Michelle Malkin, a later guest on the show, intimated that Kerry may have inflicted some of the wounds that led to his Purple Hearts, an allegation that’s been made elsewhere, as well.
If that was Kerry’s plan though, why the heck did he come back and get involved with the Vietnam Veterans Against the War? Testifying about war atrocities? Associating himself with the anti-war movement? That seems like a pretty risky strategy.
Sort of like trying to wound yourself with a grenade, or volunteering for service in Vietnam to get some ribbons.