Unfit for Command
Encyclopedia
Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry is a 2004 book about then U.S. Presidential candidate John Kerry
by John O'Neill
and Jerome Corsi
published by Regnery Publishing
, a conservative publishing house. It was a New York Times Bestseller upon its release in August 2004. The book was released at the time that ads by Swift Vets and POWs for Truth
, a group founded by O'Neill to oppose Kerry's campaign, were being aired on U.S. television.
Kerry's fellow sailors released a point-by-point rebuttal of the claims and stated that "The book's authors don't give Kerry's supporters the space or the credence that they warrant." According to Seattle Times, the government documents support Kerry's war awards and claims. Some veterans interviewed for the book complained that their statements were edited to strip out material favorable to Kerry.
At the same time the book was being criticized, Swift Vets and POWs for Truth group was being criticized because "None of those in the attack ad by the Swift Boat group actually served on Kerry's boat. And their statements are contrary to the accounts of Kerry and those who served under him."
After controversial statements made by Corsi became public, O'Neill denied Corsi's coauthorship of the book, saying that Corsi was "simply an editor and not really any sort of co-author." However, portions of the book contain material also found in articles posted under Corsi's name at WinterSoldier.com, a website critical of John Kerry, and O'Neill is cited in a later book as describing Corsi as helping to write "Unfit for Command," and urging him to back out of media appearances after the controversial comments became public.
.
. Corsi's motivations behind its publication and book itself has been compared to Unfit for Command and criticized as unsubstantiated, misleading, or inaccurate. In response, the Obama campaign issued a 40 page rebuttal called "Unfit for Publication", a play on the title of Corsi's 2004 book, on his website FightTheSmears.com, alleging serious factual errors.
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
by John O'Neill
John O'Neill (Vietnam veteran)
John Ellis O'Neill is a Vietnam War veteran, lawyer, and the spokesman for Swift Vets and POWs for Truth .-Background:...
and Jerome Corsi
Jerome Corsi
Jerome Robert Corsi is an American author, political commentator and conspiracy theorist best known for his two New York Times bestselling books: The Obama Nation and Unfit for Command...
published by Regnery Publishing
Regnery Publishing
Regnery Publishing in Washington, D.C., is a publisher which specializes in conservative books characterized on their website as "contrary to those of 'mainstream' publishers in New York." Since 1993, Regnery Publishing has been a division of Eagle Publishing, which also owns the weekly magazine...
, a conservative publishing house. It was a New York Times Bestseller upon its release in August 2004. The book was released at the time that ads by Swift Vets and POWs for Truth
Swift Vets and POWs for Truth
Swift Vets and POWs for Truth, formerly known as the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth , was a political group of United States Swift boat veterans and former prisoners of war of the Vietnam War, formed during the 2004 presidential election campaign for the purpose of opposing John Kerry's candidacy...
, a group founded by O'Neill to oppose Kerry's campaign, were being aired on U.S. television.
Content and criticism
The book criticizes Kerry's judgment in battle, his truthfulness, his entitlement to certain medals, and his later anti-war activities. The book was based in part on interviews with veterans who served in or with Kerry's division, and also on biographies of Kerry. Several members of Kerry's crew stated that O'Neill failed to interview them. Neither O'Neill nor Corsi had any firsthand knowledge of Kerry's service. O'Neill served on the Swift boats after Kerry left Vietnam and Corsi never served in Vietnam. According to the Swiftboat skipper who served with Kerry, the book was "wrong."Kerry's fellow sailors released a point-by-point rebuttal of the claims and stated that "The book's authors don't give Kerry's supporters the space or the credence that they warrant." According to Seattle Times, the government documents support Kerry's war awards and claims. Some veterans interviewed for the book complained that their statements were edited to strip out material favorable to Kerry.
At the same time the book was being criticized, Swift Vets and POWs for Truth group was being criticized because "None of those in the attack ad by the Swift Boat group actually served on Kerry's boat. And their statements are contrary to the accounts of Kerry and those who served under him."
After controversial statements made by Corsi became public, O'Neill denied Corsi's coauthorship of the book, saying that Corsi was "simply an editor and not really any sort of co-author." However, portions of the book contain material also found in articles posted under Corsi's name at WinterSoldier.com, a website critical of John Kerry, and O'Neill is cited in a later book as describing Corsi as helping to write "Unfit for Command," and urging him to back out of media appearances after the controversial comments became public.
Controversy with publisher
In 2007 Corsi, along with several other authors, sued Regnery's parent company, Eagle Publishing, claiming the company “orchestrate[d] and participate[d] in a fraudulent, deceptively concealed and self-dealing scheme to divert book sales away from retail outlets and to wholly owned subsidiary organizations within the Eagle conglomerate.” The suit was dismissed on June 30, 2008.
2008 election
Corsi published The Obama Nation in August 2008, criticizing then U.S. presidential candidate Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. Corsi's motivations behind its publication and book itself has been compared to Unfit for Command and criticized as unsubstantiated, misleading, or inaccurate. In response, the Obama campaign issued a 40 page rebuttal called "Unfit for Publication", a play on the title of Corsi's 2004 book, on his website FightTheSmears.com, alleging serious factual errors.