Swiftboats, Teaching Moments and Court History ...

From different perspectives, both my colleague at Cliopatria, Jonathan Dresner, and Wretchard at Belmont Club suggest that we are at a"teaching moment." Wretchard suggests that the public struggle over the accusations of the"Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" is, in part, a struggle over how the Vietnam War will be remembered.

Historian Douglas Brinkley, the author of Kerry's campaign biography, Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Viet Nam War is near the center of that struggle. In an interview with the Telegraph's David Rennie earlier this month, Brinkley revealed that Kerry's memory of having been in Cambodia at Christmas in 1968 was mistaken. He was on missions inside Cambodia several times in January and February 1969, said Brinkley. Until last night, when he appeared on Chris Mathews'"Hardball", Brinkley has been largely unavailable to the press. The transcript is not very revealing.

Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds seconds Jay Rosen's and Mark Steyn's criticism of Brinkley as a" court historian," hiding from reporters and not being more forthcoming about the details of Kerry's service in Viet Nam. History News Network's Rick Shenkman calls on Brinkley to release Kerry from an agreement which gives the historian exclusive access to Kerry's personal accounts of his experience in Viet Nam. But there are rumors that Brinkley is preparing a more detailed account of it for the New Yorker. Truth takes a back seat, when history gets both commodified and politicized.