From the NewsMax.com Staff

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Kerry Vet Friend Calls Sinclair Film 'Trick'

Jim Rassmann, saved by John Kerry after being blown off Kerry's boat during a 1969 Vietnam firefight, said Friday that a Sinclair Broadcast documentary critical of Kerry's anti-war activities amounts to campaign trickery.

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  Rassmann, whose stop here coincided with Kerry's appearance in nearby Reno – his first in northern Nevada – said the "Stolen Honor: Wounds that Never Heal" documentary amounts to Kerry foes "using any trick they can possibly use" to help President Bush win a second term.

Critics who question Kerry's service are "making this story up as they go along," said Rassmann, who was pulled out of the Bay Hap River by Kerry. Kerry got the Bronze Star for saving Rassmann, a Special Forces lieutenant during the Vietnam War.

"These guys can't keep their stories together. They've got a poor lie and let it fall apart," Rassmann added.

"This campaign has reinforced my view that American politics is a bunch of garbage," said Rassmann, a retired Los Angeles sheriff's deputy.

"No one will ever be able to convince me that [Bush chief political adviser] Karl Rove is not orchestrating this from the wings," he said.

Sinclair, whose executives are Republican contributors, aired a news special Friday that is based in part on "Stolen Honor." The company announced that the program would appear on 40 stations. It has a total of 62 stations reaching a quarter of U.S. households.

Sinclair said its program, "A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media," examines the role of the media in filtering information contained in documentaries, media bias, and attempts by candidates and other organizations to influence media coverage.

The Kerry campaign announced Thursday that it would not participate in the Sinclair program even though the company decided against airing all of the "Stolen Honor" documentary

That film consists mostly of interviews with U.S. prisoners of war who survived imprisonment and torture in Hanoi and emerged enraged at Kerry for helping lead the anti-war movement after he completed his Vietnam service.

© 2004 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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