Basically, no.
I like Paul Craig Roberts when he documents the shenanigans of unscrupulous, overly-ambitious prosecutors. I don't much care for his reasoning when he blasts free international trade and argues for protectionist policies. But he's way off-base in the way he attacks the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth:
This group of frauds claims that Kerry’s heroics were nothing but a PR operation and his wounds exaggerated or self-inflicted.Think about that for a moment. The scurrilous attack on Kerry is an attack on all decorated veterans. If the US Navy handed out fraudulent Silver and Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts to Kerry, how do we know if anyone’s medals are good?
This is not even logic. Beyond that, I don't think Dr. Roberts gets out much.
Presumably, if Senator Kerry's medals are shown to be bogus, then we are to suspect all other military awards? And therefore, we should never ever impugn such an award, because that constitutes an attack on all decorated veterans? Really?
Well.
Douglas MacArthur is highly regarded by many Americans. He retired as a General of the Army -- that's five stars -- and was rather well-decorated himself. More to the point, General MacArthur was a graduate and later Superintendent of the honor system at the United States Military Academy (West Point). I give you some of West Points own words on honor:
2. The Cadet Honor Code.a. The Cadet Honor Code is defined as "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do." The Honor Code expresses four succinct prohibitions. On a behavioral level, the Code represents a simple standard for all cadets. On a developmental plane, West Point expects that all cadets will strive to live far above the minimum standard of behavior and develop a commitment to ethical principles guiding moral actions.
b. West Point's core mission is develop leaders of character for our Army. A leader of character knows what is right, and possesses the moral courage to act on that knowledge. The principles of truthfulness, fairness, respect for others, and a personal commitment to maintaining values constitute that fundamental ideal known as the Spirit of the Code. A leader of character will apply the Spirit of the Code when making decisions involving ethical dilemmas.
I suppose that explains the sleazy, suspicious nature of Lyndon Johnson's own Silver Star -- which was awarded by General MacArthur. True, while it seems likely that the events mentioned in the Silver Star citation probably never happened, it must have been that MacArthur was applying "the Spirit of the Code when making decisions involving ethical dilemmas." Or maybe he simply didn't see a dilemma in making a bullshit award of our nation's third-highest military medal to a sitting congressman.
But, according to Dr. Roberts, an attack on President (then Congressman) Johnson's Silver Star would be "an attack on all decorated veterans." Can't have that, can we?
Except...except that it doesn't stop there. Remember Jessica Lynch? Jessica Lynch was awarded a Bronze Star for her heroic actions when her convoy was ambushed in Iraq. Trouble is, none of it happened. The Army wanted a hero, and a pretty, blonde, female hero was just the thing the PR doctor ordered. Ms Lynch herself says that she never performed any heroics. Has her Bronze Star been rescinded? Do you know of anyone who has been reprimanded for this farce?
And there's a lot more, Dr. Roberts. Anyone who's been in the service recognizes the term "end of tour award." The Marine Corps enjoys the reputation of being probably the most parsimonious with them, and the Army that of being the worst, but they all do it.
I don't know if Senator Kerry's medals were earned or not. I don't know any of the Swift Boat veterans and I haven't the time to closely examine their claims. But Paul Craig Roberts is making the assumption that the awards system is sound, and it is not. He is arguing that calling Kerry's medals into question casts doubt on the medals of genuine heroes. How, then, does he justify calling the Swift Boat veterans "this group of frauds?"
Unfortunately, there is a lot of room for doubt, for skepticism, about the military awards system in general and about many awards in particular. But the blame for that belongs on those who condoned the bogus awards we do know about -- and there are a lot of those out there.
Posted by Craig Ceely at August 23, 2004 11:02 PM