Just Wait Til Roger Vadim Runs for President…

A chunk of the Web has become obsessed with this photograph, which shows John Kerry and Jane Fonda "together." That is, they're in the same crowd shot.

Not very scintillating, I know. Which is why a number of people prefer the photograph here, which puts the pair on the same platform. Trouble is, it's a fake—someone spliced in the image of Fonda and wrote a transparently phony caption. (Newspapers will make capitalization errors from time to time, but never so many in the same sentence. It's also in a suspiciously contemporary font.)

It's no secret why Kerry's enemies would want to "link" John with Jane, given the seething hatred American veterans feel for Barbarella. And it ought to be easy to tie them together, right? After all, they both spoke out against the war.

But most people don't despise Fonda because she was anti-war. They despise her because she went to North Vietnam, denied that her hosts were torturing their POWs, and posed with the weapons used to kill American soldiers. Kerry, of course, did nothing of the kind; indeed, he was one of those soldiers himself. Furthermore, as Mark Kleiman notes, the intersection between Kerry's activism and Fonda's took place two years before Jane's infamous excursion. So you can't even say he was turning a blind eye to the actress's activities.

Bush backers had better hope their man's campaign isn't mixed up with these smears. It would be a bad sign if they were this desperate this early.

Comments

[Pssst, want a picture of Patto]

Photoshop journalism has finally arrived.

[Hydroman]

I`m gonna vote for the French dead guy. mabey
that will bring back gridlock.

[Gadfly]

There is some real ill will on the part of the Dems for the way Clinton was treated and they are just itching to get down and dirty. Add a flawed leader who’s taken risky positions for three years representing a party renowned for dirty tricks and we have the makings of the most fun election in living memory.

[Jean Bart]

But Vadim does get the support of those who like Bardot. 🙂

[Yeah, Baby!]

Barbarella, Psychedela!

[Gilbert Martin]

“and we have the makings of the most fun election in living memory.”

Yeah – it’ll be fun watching Kerry get hammered for all of his flip flopping ways of trying to be on both sides of every issue.

After November it’ll be fun watching him flop on back to Massachuttes – and stay there.

[Shannon Love]

While the particular image making its way around the internet is photoshoped it is undeniable that Jane Fonda and John Kerry were very close during the late 60’s and early 70. That is definitely true in terms of policy and statements and it is likely true that Fonda provided direct financial support for the infamous “Winer Soldier Project” for which Kerry was a passionate spokesman.

Even if there were no direct links between Kerry and Fonda it is clear that Kerry used his moral authority as a vet to paint other Vietnam vets a the routine perpetrators of atrocities and war crimes. His statements from the era are indistinguishable from those of Fonda. Therefor, it is fair to link the two together in the public mind.

[TM Lutas]

The Winter Soldier project accused the US of widespread war crimes, charges that Kerry personally made to Congress. Those crimes have never been punished and they are ones that do not have any sort of statute of limitations.

It’s an important question that is legitimate, does John Kerry still want war crimes tribunals for our Vietnam veterans? And how will his answer, whatever it is, intersect with the entire issue of the ICC. Remember, the ICC is for countries that do not try their war criminals. You can bet that President Kerry will have Lt. Kerry’s words thrown in his face by ICC proponents.

[Jim Walsh]

Where’s Duran Duran now that we really need him?

[Jean Bart]

Shannon,

And U.S. soldiers did commit atrocities and war crimes in Viet Nam. Indeed what is so infamous about the “Project” is that its accusations were true; indeed, internal investigations by the U.S. military (and you can get these if you want to) corroborate this. If you really want to open this up, well, be careful what you wish for.

[Jean Bart]

Shannon,

BTW, if you do not believe me, then do some research on an outfit called “Tiger Force.” Or the infamous use of “free fire zones” by the U.S. Navy.

[Dan]

Bush backers had better hope their man’s campaign isn’t mixed up with these smears. It would be a bad sign if they were this desperate this early.

Doesn’t it seem a lot more likely that, if some campaign were behind this, it would be Dean’s, Clark’s, or Edwards’? They’re all desperate, and moreover they have something to gain. Bush, on the other hand, has little to gain.

Anyway, if Bush wants to attack Kerry’s anti-war conduct, there is plenty of material to do it with (Winter Soldier, the “medals” incident, his Congressional testimony, etc) that doesn’t need to be forged.

[Jean Bart]

Shannon,

And before you claim that I have some sort of prejudice or am a bigot (that is like you in other words), I find similar actions taken by French military forces Algeria to be equally despicable and to be frank barbaric and far beyond what the laws of war allow for.

[Jesse Walker]

Shannon: The purpose of “linking” Kerry to Fonda is to link him with Fonda’s trip to North Vietnam, which in fact took place after her involvement with Vietnam Veterans Against the War. It’s a guilt-by-association smear, and it’s as silly as claiming that Roger Vadim’s marriage to Fonda proves that he supported the Viet Cong.

There are legitimate criticisms to be made of Kerry’s conduct during this period, notably the fact that he was too chickenshit to throw away his own medals. But trying to tie him to Fonda’s later actions is as silly as blaming Kerry for the things VVAW did years later after it opened itself to nonsoldiers and was taken over by the Revolutionary Union, a pro-Stalin sect.

Dan: I doubt it was Bush, because I don’t think his campaign is this desperate. But it’s even less likely to be Dean or Edwards, because this isn’t the sort of stuff that riles up their supporters.

[Rich]

Jesse,
One small point: It needn’t rile up Dean or Edwards supporters to do them some good, it only needs to rile down Kerry’s.

That said, I think it’s obvious that neither Dean or Edwards have spread this dispiscable rumor and innuendo. The culprit is clearly Jane Fonda herself!

Next Rumor: Bush was AWOL from guard duty because he was driving Fonda to the Viet Cong for her abortion!!

[joe]

“There are legitimate criticisms to be made of Kerry’s conduct during this period, notably the fact that he was too chickenshit to throw away his own medals.”

Kerry threw his own ribbons over the fence, but kept the medals. What does this mean? I don’t know, maybe something about not wearing a uniform. Most likely, it represents the fact that he was torn up inside by the whole thing. Am I betraying my buddies? Am I ashamed of my service? Am I ashamed to saving that Green Beret’s life?

But he allowed himself to be filmed throwing his ribbons over the White House fence. How do you get “chickenshit” out of that?

[Douglas Fletcher]

Remember by contrast that Muhammed Ali didn’t throw somebody else’s medal into the Ohio river. Maybe Kerry not throwing his own medals away means that he’s a bit of an opportunist?

[Gadfly]

Vietnam Vets, after doing their two years and then hitting the campuses on the GI bill, were the most respected and feared of all the anti-war groups. You couldn’t find one that was for the war after they’d been there and seen it and if you dared question either their patriotism or their courage they would kick your ass.

Kerry was pretty representative of the Vets of the time and efforts to paint him as a pinko will only play with the uninformed and the new generation chickenhawks.

[Jesse Walker]

Joe: It suggests that he was trying to have it both ways, making a show of throwing away “his” medals yet hanging onto them for when they might be useful later. Other members of VVAW — the ones who really were throwing away what they said they were throwing away — had the courage of their convictions.

[Josh]

While it seems pretty safe to say nobody involved with any campaign was behind the Photoshop, I would dispute Jesse’s assertion that Edwards/Dean/etc wouldn’t have anything to gain. A whole lot of Kerry’s appeal to Dems right now is his ‘electability,’ and any scandal could cause Dem primary voters to look elsewhere.

[Jesse Walker]

I didn’t say they wouldn’t have anything to gain, Josh. Just so little to gain that I have a hard time imagining that they’d spread this around.

Also, this “scandal” exists mostly on right-wing websites and radio shows; I don’t think it’s had much effect on voters in Democratic primaries.

[pchuck]

In the doctored photo, Kerry looks like the character “Jaws” from “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker”. I believe his name is Richard Kiel.

[Gawdamman]

“Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule – and both commonly succeed, and are right.” – H.L. Mencken

[Gawdamman]

I am having the hardest time picturing Kerry as anything but a bigmouth chicken shit……sorry.

[Lucas Wiman]

All I want to know is how someone can be a former Vietnam vet, as stated in the caption. Did Kerry somehow remove military service with once happened?

[Jesse Walker]

Postscript: When I was in the Boy Scouts, a vet’s kid told me that he didn’t really have a problem with people who like Ho Chi Minh, as long as they don’t say anything nice about Jane Fonda. Three guesses who his dad liked to curse about.

[Jean Bart]

Several years ago I was told by an American friend who works for G.E. (and was a Viet Nam veteran) that America was “over” Viet Nam and he could not understand why the war in Algeria was still an issue in France if America could could “get over” Viet Nam. 🙂

[alma hadayn]

Newt Gingrich, who sat out the Vietnam war in grad school, called Kerry a “Jane Fonda antiwar liberal”.

[Mark Fox]

Look for those “Jane Fonda” sentiments to invigorate the Bush base of support.

Being a new guy to the presidential scene, MachineGun Kerry has not faced national scrutiny and criticism. He hasn’t even been criticized by the other Dems. The smears will happen, not from desperation, but as part of the process.

[Overlord]

A Roger Vadim run for the presidency is highly unlikely:
1> He’s French and not a native born American
2> He’s DEAD

[MALAK]

It was that bastard Moby

[joe]

Jesse, I think that is the least generous of many possible readings. Pretty much par for the course in blogdom. You’ve followed the primary for the past year. Is it really so unbelievable that John Kerry could be of two minds on an issue? Is it really so unbelievable that a war hero who repeatedly saved his buddies in the service of a cause he opposed could be conflicted?

“Maybe Kerry not throwing his own medals away means that he’s a bit of an opportunist?” Maybe. But let me ask you: why haven’t I ever heard of “the Kerry Bill,” “the Kerry Act,” “the Kerry Plan?” Don’t politicians who are opportunistic self-promoters tend to plaster their names all over things? I live in Massachusetts, and I can’t think of a single bridge, highway, or building named after the man. Perhaps there is one, but I’ve never seen a sign or a news story about it.

[Fred]

Propaganda alert! The article states Fonda is anti-American instead of anti-war.