The Swiftboating Of John Kerry by Trump and Gaslighting of Iran

The insidious type of political smear campaign known as swiftboating has once again reared its ugly head. Although it’s the same target, former Secretary of Defense John Kerry, who some see as a hero of the Vietnam Conflict for exposing war crimes, this time it was raised by President Donald Trump and with Iran. Critics weren’t surprised, however, since they say swiftboating fits his modernized tactics and tweets for a post-truth media climate. They also noted that he’s still trying to hide his deferments during the same war so he wouldn’t have to serve.

Falsehood Flies
It was during the 2004 election when a group of veterans congealed into a conspiratorial political organization called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Backed and funded by Republican big-money donors and warhawks, and other veterans who resented his testimonies before a Senate hearing about how U.S. troops had committed war crimes against innocent civilians, their target was then presidential candidate John Kerry. This, despite his swift heroism during the Vietnam War. He was, after all, awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and Three Purple Hearts.

The veteran group degraded Kerry’s naval heroism, declaring him “unfit for command,” based upon “his exaggerated claims about his own service in Vietnam. War.” Their message, based only on rumors with no evidence, broke through to the electorate. This was due to partisan right-wing talk radio and later, a series of television ads which disputed Kerry’s combat medals. The movement also contained members who had wanted to impugn their fellow veteran since 1971, when Kerry delivered an antiwar speech to the Senate and spoke of crimes against peace.

Kerry was moreover running against President George W. Bush who had preempted a war with Saddam Hussein based on falsified military information. The war was going poorly and looked like another Vietnam quagmire. Like Trump, Bush was dodging his military status during Vietnam. His part-time service in the Texas-Air National Guard, his loss of flight status, and an admission by a former Lt. Gov who was ashamed to have helped Bush and the sons of other wealthy families to get into the guard to avoid serving in Vietnam, had turned many voters away.

Even though the term swiftboating has today become synonymous with unscrupulous attacks on political rivals like Kerry, what’s different is that Trump is using it with Iran. Using it to accuse Kerry of breaking the Logan Act, by meeting with Iranian officials over its Iran nuclear deal with the West, and to ignite a war with Iran. As for Trump, he withdrew the U.S. from the diplomatic agreement which had successfully persuaded Tehran to freeze its nuclear weapons program in exchange for sanctions relief. A freeze that had consequently been verified by UN inspectors.

Bush and Trump: Swiftboaters “R” Us!
In the meantime, the restoration of U.S. sanctions has exacerbated the suffering of ordinary Iranians, alienated America’s European allies, and triggered the beginning of the end of the U.S. dollar’s reign as the global reserve currency. It’s also devastated Americans’ living standards while causing gas prices to soar. Other worries consist of deteriorating relations with China and Russia, which continue to trade with Iran, and the situation in the Middle East. Indeed, factions aligned with Iran in Gaza, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon are keeping a close eye on America’s next move.

The president also ostensibly decided that he needed someone to blame for the fact that his foreign policy of sanctions and contain, sanctions and contain Iran may be failing-if it ever was successful in the first place. Fielding question from reporters, “I’d like to see-with Iran, I’d like to see them call me,” said Trump He then continued claim: “You know, John Kerry speaks to them a lot. John Kerry tells them not to call. That’s a violation of the Logan Act. And Frankly, he should be prosecuted on that.”

Trump further said that “his people” wouldn’t ever prosecute someone under the Logan Act and that it was only the Democrats who “do that kind of stuff.” “If it were the opposite way,” he continued, “they’d prosecute him under the Logan Act.” Critics were quick to respond, noting that the president had already asked the Justice Department to prosecute one of his political adversaries. The Logan Act forbids private citizens from contacting the representatives of foreign governments in relation to any disputes or controversies with the U.S.

It’s not known exactly why Kerry traveled to Iran. Trump, however, has produced no evidence that his talks with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif constituted attempts to “defeat the measure of the U.S.” In stark contrast, there is evidence that Jared Kushner and Michael Flynn attempted to undermine official U.S. policy toward Israel while they were still private citizens. Again, critics claim that Trump is not only swiftboating Kerry but playing the victim by gaslighting Iran. If so, he’s just used both terms in a whole new context.

Swiftboating-Gaslighting
The concern is no more evident than swiftboating-gaslighting Kerry and Iran with “unnamed” U.S. officials who are telling NBC News that an “unnamed” Iranian official had okayed a potential attack on a U.S. military target. Critics warn it may be another example of “twisting the facts,” of exaggerating Iran’s nuclear potential. Either way, intelligence officials broke from Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by to say there was no credible evidence for such an attack. They also accused a third-party, Israel, of trying to muddy the water with false information.

Trump’s swiftboating of Kerry in relation to gaslighting Iran is bound to go wrong. Some see the administration’s narrative as anything but truthful. They also see it as the same kind of ploy that Bush, Jr. used to falsify intelligence to justify his preemptive war against Iraq. What this means is that Trump is likely to blunder himself (and the U.S.) into a war with Iran, whether Iranians do anything or not. Like the swiftboat movement against Kerry or gaslighting, which has come to be viewed as dishonest, though highly effective, smear campaigns, will the same go for Iran?

Dallas Darling is the author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some Nations Above God: 52 Weekly Reflections On Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And Consumerism in the Context of John’s Apocalyptic Vision, and The Other Side Of Christianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for www.WN.com. You can read more of Dallas’ writings at www.beverlydarling.com and www.WN.com/dallasdarling.