Robertson's run for president was marked by a number of interesting, if not
bizarre, happenings...Perhaps the most telling incident of all was the
dismissal of the $35 million libel suit brought by Pat Robertson in 1986
against former Congressman Pete McCloskey for claiming that Robertson had
avoided combat duty in Korea. McCloskey--himself a highly-decorated Marine
who served with Robertson and was seriously wounded in Korea--claimed that
Robertson's father, a US Senator from VA, had intervened on his behalf.
Robertson was allegedly taken off a Korea-bound troop ship and spent several
months in Japan while his shipmates went on to mostly be killed or injured in
combat.
During the length of the suit, many witnesses came forth to substantiate
McCloskey's claims. One said in a 78-page deposition that when Robertson
finally served some time in Masan, Korea, he messed around with prostitutes
and was constantly chasing after a young Korean girl that cleaned the
barracks; that charge came after Robertson had already responded to other
news reports by admitting that his first son had been conceived out of
wedlock (AP 12/4/87). Robertson claimed that the allegations were "an attack
by liberals to discredit me." (LA Times, 10/28/87). But he did admit in a
pre-trial deposition of his own that he had hired a reporter to interview
McCloskey because he "wanted to see what Mr. McCloskey had been saying
around the country about me, and I was getting these reports. I wanted to
have a first-hand, logical account of it on video tape." (AP, 4/2/87)
In any case, a federal judge dismissed the suit on March 7, 1988, the day
before Super Tuesday, at Robertson's request. Robertson accepted the decision
claiming that the trial scheduled to begin the next day and projected to last
3-weeks would be a distraction to his presidential campaign. He also claimed
that he would not have to pay court costs and could sue McCloskey after the
campaign. But the case was dismissed "with prejudice," making McCloskey the
legal victor. And Robertson in fact was ordered to pay $28,000 of McCloskey's
court costs and was prohibited from suing McCloskey again over the Korea
story (AP, 3/7/88). On March 29th, McCloskey told the National Press Club
that Robertson dropped the suit because he could not win. The former
Congressman claimed that he had 21 former Marines set to testify on his side
and also letters from Robertson's father that supported his case (AP,
3/30/87).
Such is the moral fiber of the man who's attempting to smear
the names of Rudman and McCain, both of whom saw military action
in places other than whorehouses.
And why? To support another Daddy's Boy who spent his
military service bravely protecting Texas from Oklahoma.
One of the reasons that Rudman decided to retire from the Senate
in 1993 was that he was tired of the ideological death struggle
legislation had become under Newt Gingrich and his cadre of
slobbering pit bulls. If you weren't completely for them you were
a traitor who must be eliminated by any means necessary.
That same attitude permeates the Shrub campaign and those
who support them. If you don't shriek like a banshee for a
Constitutional amendment banning abortion, a tax cut, and organized
prayer in schools then you're the equivalent of Stalin.
Thus we see the utterly ridiculous attempt by Dubya's minions
to paint the very conservative McCain as a dangerous,
bleeding heart liberal, and the supposedly liberal (and sentient) media emits barely a peep about it.
posted by Steven Baum
2/22/2000 02:47:49 PM |
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