In 2004, when John Kerry ran for president, a group of conservative activists called the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attacked the veracity of his military record in an attempt to derail his electoral bid. Some believe the "Swift Boaters" denied him the presidency.
Now, as Kerry readies for a possible nomination to be President Barack Obama's next secretary of state, it doesn't look like the group will be mounting a protest against him this time around.
"If Obummer had put Kerry up for Sec Def, I think there would have been a visceral reponse from many veterans, but most feel he won't be any worse than his predecessor as Sec State," Kenneth Cordier, a member of the Swift Veterans,
wrote to BuzzFeed in an email.
Scott Swett, the author of the book "To Set The Record Straight: How Swift Boat Veterans, POWs and the New Media Defeated John Kerry," told Buzzfeed, "I haven’t heard of any organized effort to oppose Kerry as Secretary of State."
That's contrary to an earlier statement made by John O’Neil, the group's co-founder. O’Neil has been one of Kerry’s greatest opponents since the Vietnam War and one of the main architects of the 2004 anti-Kerry campaign. Fox News' Sean Hannity interviewed him on Nov. 15.
“To make him secretary of defense or the secretary of state would be a disaster for our national security,” O’Neil told Hannity. “It really would be a total forfeiture of the loyalty that we owe the troops in the field.”
Hannity then asked O’Neil if the group would try to block Kerry’s appointment if Obama nominates him for the cabinet position. “We will do the very best we can, Sean,” said O'Neill.
In early December, O'Neill also told the New York Sun that Kerry "is well qualified to be the Secretary of Defense...of Cuba or Venezuela."
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