James Hirsen of NewsMax reports that he hears from inside the Swift Boat Vets groups that Kerry's campaign and its allies in the media have been so intimidating that some critics are now fearful of coming forward.
The plan was to release the first TV ad with Kerry's own band of brothers from the Swift Boats accusing him of lying about what happened in Vietnam and his own record.
The second wave was to have POWs on camera accusing Kerry of betrayal for his anti-war activities after he left Vietnam.
Those two waves hit like political atom bombs.
The third wave of attack was to have the families of the POWs go on air to reveal how Kerry's activities hurt them and their imprisoned loved ones.
Apparently, there are also claims that anti-war protesters like Jane Fonda and John Kerry actually contacted the families of POWS, encouraging them to come forward and criticize the U.S. government. Some families were told that by criticizing the U.S. government their loved ones in Hanoi would get better treatment.
But getting POW family members to speak out has become difficult. After seeing how the Swift Boat Vets and the POWs have been treated, many are fearful of going public.
One who went through the ringer for speaking out was former POW Ken Cordier, a former Air Force Colonel. When a friend recently commiserated with the media drubbing, Cordier said, "The communists tortured me for seven years, this is nothing."
