Introduction Summary

O'Neill and Corsi introduce their political argument with the following quote from Rear Admiral Roy F. Hoffman, USN (Retired), who was the commander of the Swift Boats in Vietnam during 1968 and 1969:

"I do not believe John Kerry is fit to be commander in chief of the armed forces of the United States. This is not a political issue. It is a matter of his judgment, truthfulness, reliability, loyalty, and trust—all absolute tenets of command."

They follow this indictment with a quote from John Edwards, Kerry's vice-presidential running mate: "To really understand John Kerry, you have to listen to those who served with him in Vietnam."

Following these introductory quotations, O'Neill relates his first-hand observations of the Swift Boat Veterans Reunion, which took place in the summer of 2003 in Norfolk, Virginia. O'Neill explains that the honored attendees of the reunion had all served...