Bush Withdraws Ambassador Nominee

Rather than be embarrassed with a no vote, Bush withdraws his Swiftboat funder nominee:

President Bush on Wednesday withdrew the ambassadorial nomination of businessman Sam Fox after Democrats denounced Fox for giving money to a controversial conservative group that undermined Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign [...]

"Sam Fox had every opportunity to disavow the politics of personal destruction and to embrace the truth," Kerry said Wednesday. "He chose not to. The White House made the right decision to withdraw the nomination. I hope this signals a new day in political discourse."

It was a galling move for Bush to nominate someone who doesn't mind funding a smear campaign against a veteran who honorably served his country. It was a factor Bush didn't even consider, based on statements by White House spokesperson Dana Perino.

Fox's excuse that he's just a cash machine who doesn't care whether his funds are financing lies and smears plus his subsequent lack of remorse for doing so may have been rewarded with an ambassadorship by the old rubberstamp Republican-controlled Congress, but not by this one.

As Vietnam Vet Shaun Dale of Upper Left says:

Their lies about John Kerry cast a cloud over every American ever decorated for combat gallantry or wounded by hostile fire. They fomented distrust and disagreement about the value and credibility of heroic service at a time our nation was, and is, at war.

James Boyce at HuffPo:

Good Riddance, Sam

On one hand, we have the truth.

I personally believe that the truth is best showcased by the letter that eleven of John Kerry's crewmates wrote on his behalf [pdf] asking them to stop Sam Fox and his lies. This are the people who were actually in Vietnam with John and all are speaking the truth.

On the other hand, we have the supreme swift boat liar scumbag John O'Neill who NEVER SERVED ONE DAY IN VIETNAM with John Kerry. In fact, no one would have ever heard of John O'Neill if Charles Colson, Nixon's White House aide hadn't tapped O'Neill as a counter-foil to Kerry in the early 1970's. For three decades, John O'Neill's been cashing checks (like the $50,000 one he received from the Swift Liars in August 2004) and making hay out of smearing John Kerry.

Sure, O'Neill has his defenders -- so do many liars. They're scum too.

It's a small victory in the battle to fight back against Republican smears. But a victory nonetheless.

Good riddance, indeed.



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