Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

August 06, 2004

Veteran Retracts Kerry Criticism

Yesterday, "a key figure in the anti-Kerry campaign, Kerry's former commanding officer, backed off one of the key contentions" the group's leaders have made in their new book, Unfit for Command, the Boston Globe reports.

"Lieutenant Commander George Elliott said in an interview that he had made a 'terrible mistake' in signing an affidavit that suggests Kerry did not deserve the Silver Star -- one of the main allegations in the book. The affidavit was given to the Boston Globe by the anti-Kerry group to justify assertions in their ad and book."

Says Elliot: ''It was a terrible mistake probably for me to sign the affidavit with those words. I'm the one in trouble here."

The AP notes "a wealthy Texas Republican donor is helping bankroll" the ad.

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Taegan D. Goddard is the creator of Political Wire, a political column updated around the clock with the most interesting news, buzz and commentary.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

This is a personal site and does not necessarily reflect the views of any company, political campaign or advocacy group.

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