John Kerry takes T. Boone Pickens Challenge
I look forward to seeing how this turns out.
“While I am prepared to show they lied on allegation after allegation, you have generously offered to pay one million dollars for just one thing that can be proven false,” Kerry wrote to Pickens. “I am prepared to prove the lie beyond any reasonable doubt.”
“When you have done so, if you can then prove anything in the ads was materially untrue, I will gladly award $1 million. As you know, I have been a long and proud supporter of the American military and veterans’ causes,” Pickens wrote.
I personally think Mr. Kerry will be eating crow here, but I may be wrong. I find it heard to think that Mr. Picket would put himself in the position to loose a public bet like this. He seems like a betting man to me, one that doesn’t loose much, or often.
[...] post by HDW This was written by . Posted on Monday, November 19, 2007, at 3:38 pm. Filed under [...]
Pingback by John Kerry takes T. Boone Pickens Challenge | Political news - democrats republicans socialists greens liberals conservatives — November 20, 2007 @ 3:49 am
“When you have done so” = turned over all movies, journals, and memorabilia from Kerry’s personal life from 35 years ago. To me that sounds like back peddling – he had offered to pay $1 million to anyone who could prove any of the swift-boating to be materially untrue. Now that someone has taken him up on his challenge, he’s raised the bar significantly.
I agree with you, though. I think Mr Pickens is a betting man, too. With his new set of demands, he’s probably betting he’ll find something worth his million dollars in Kerry’s personal items. Kerry may have shot video footage of soldiers smoking marijuanna (very common in Viet Nam) and not turning them over to the MP as the law requires? Fodder for the next swift boat campaign?
Comment by John — November 21, 2007 @ 5:55 pm
He’s either betting he’ll find something worth the money, or betting that Kerry won’t risk a full release of his records. A win / win situation for Mr. Pickens I’d think.
Comment by HDW — November 21, 2007 @ 8:22 pm
This is one of the problems with the Democrats … still obsessed with fighting a battle they backed down from three years ago. No matter what they believe about the incident, most people have moved on. Kerry makes himself look like a sore loser.
Comment by Forrest — November 24, 2007 @ 4:12 am
I’d call it a loose loose situation from Mr Pickens. Sure he may find “dirt” that he feels is worth his million dollars, but is that really a good trade for his soul?
He’s already lost the bet or challenge or whatever you’d like to call it, what he issued to the public. That’s obvious to the world through Picken’s back peddling. A man who truly believes he spoke no lies doesn’t need to qualify his challenge.
While John Kerry isn’t the most animated speaker or charismatic person in America, one thing no one can rightly call him is stupid. You’re right in your line of thinking that Mr P probably has a bit of sense and feels he won’t loose a public bet, the same can be said for John Kerry.
And remember the terms of the public bet were to prove any one of Pickens claims materially false. At least those were the terms until someone called Pickens’ bluff. The man is already eating crow.
The very word “swift-boating” has come to mean “lieing” to the American public, and Mr Pickens is engaged in a desperate attempt to change that perception. Unfortunately for him, his task is like Sisyphus, forever pushing a boulder uphill. Under the original terms of the bet, Kerry’s job looks pretty easy by contrast: he has only to demonstrate the truth, and he has a lot of it to choose from.
Comment by John — November 26, 2007 @ 3:22 pm
Mr. Kerry only has to demonstrate one “truth” to win the bet as well. I’m curious however, why Mr. Kerry didn’t open up early during his campaign and stop the original swift boat attacks. His original handling of this caused most of his problems related to this. I don’t foresee him improving on this subject any time soon, but I could be wrong. I look forward to seeing how this plays out.
Comment by HDW — November 26, 2007 @ 3:40 pm
I’m with HDW on this one. Actually I’d be shocked if there wasn’t at least one thing that can’t be proven factually untrue, especially with a hefty price tag attached. But it’s a non issue at this point. Kerry is a few years too late on this one. There IS a reason he didn’t have anything to say when it would have mattered; whether that reason is over the truth of the charges or just that John Kerry is so anemic is a moot point.
Comment by Forrest — November 29, 2007 @ 1:58 am