Pacific Views

The Swift Boat Vet Lie

One of the people that Michelle Malkin said was "raising doubt" in her incredible appearance on Hardball was Patrick Runyon.

So, who is Patrick Runyon and what does he believe about John Kerry? Here is a story from last February where Patrick Runyon went to a Kerry rally in Iowa and said he would be registering to vote so he could support John Kerry.

Runyon said he followed Kerry's career from the moment Kerry became an antiwar activist as a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

"The man had done his duty," Runyon said. "Then he came back and protested. That's the right way to do it, instead of running off or hiding away in college."

Runyon has been disaffected with politics since Vietnam. "I lost interest after that," he said.

But now, he's willing to reconsider.

"If it does help, I'm definitely going to register and vote for him," Runyon said.

So does he now back the Swift Boat Vet liars? According to this article, no. Here it is clear that John O'Neill has added one more person as an "eye-witness" to back his lie, but both Zaladonis and Runyon who were on the ship with Kerry say that although the night was confusing, there wasn't anyone else on the boat with them besides Kerry.

So, Ms. Malkin's statement that Zaladonis and Runyon raised doubt on Kerry's story is proven to be a bald-faced lie. As Atrios said, "The loathing these people have for everything America stands for is astounding."