The word swiftboating is an American neologism used pejoratively to describe an unfair or untrue political attack. The term emanates from the Swift Vets and POWs for Truth (formerly "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth," or SBVT) and its widely publicized,[1] then discredited, campaign against 2004 US Presidential candidate John Kerry.[2]
Since the political smear campaign[3] conducted by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth against John Kerry, the term "swiftboating" or "Swift Boating" is now commonly used to refer to what the New York Times describes as "the nastiest of campaign smears". Many veterans who served on Swift Boats during the Vietnam War objected to the political attacks and have expressed resentment over the negative connotation now associated with the term. They feel it is an unmerited poor reflection upon their service just because of the political actions of a minority of Swift boat veterans.[4]
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The term 'swift boat' itself refers to a class of US Navy vessel used during the Vietnam War. In 2004, a political 527 organization called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (later called Swift Vets and POWs for Truth or SVPT), composed of Vietnam veterans who served on swift boats, formed with the intent of opposing the presidential candidacy of John Kerry. Kerry himself had served for four months as a swift boat commander in Vietnam. The group produced a series of television ads and a bestselling book[5] that challenged Kerry's military record and criticized his subsequent antiwar activities as a member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. The unsubstantiated charges against Kerry by the SVPT gave rise to the term 'swiftboating' to describe political tactics that are essentially synonymous with a 'smear campaign'.[6][7][8][9] FactCheck.org analysed the claims and observed, "the veterans who accuse Kerry are contradicted by Kerry's former crewmen, and by Navy records", and noted, "At this point, 35 years later and half a world away, we see no way to resolve which of these versions of reality is closer to the truth."[10]
The use of this term as a pejorative has caused objections from conservatives who object to the implied criticism of the Swift Vets and POWs for Truth.[11] At least one conservative commentator has denounced its repeated negative usage as "a hate term."[12] A group formed for the purpose of opposing John Murtha's reelection to Congress, Vets for the Truth, posts at its website a definition of "swiftboating" as "exposing the lies, deceit and fraud of self-glorifying public officials or candidates for office who exaggerate their military service by lying about their feats of heroism and combat wounds." [13]
In a 2006 Veteran's Day interview, John O'Neill, spokesman for Swift Vets and POWs for Truth commented on the term's usage: "I think that's a word [swiftboating] people will use for however they want to. I have always thought that having left wingers go to bed at night, and put their little children to bed, and [saying] Be good little children or the Swiftboats will get you!... that has never particularly worried me..."[14]
Many Swift Boat veterans have expressed regret and dismay that the term "Swift boat" has come to represent a political attack or association with the group that conducted the "political chicanery" during the 2004 presidential election.[4]