Just when you thought it was safe: Swift boats are back

We’re in the thick of a pretty intense presidential campaign, but that doesn’t mean all the scores from the 2004 election have been settled.

Veterans who served with John Kerry during the Vietnam War released a letter and documents last week that they hoped would put the lie to claims that his Navy service was anything less than exemplary.

The missive was delivered Thursday to Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens, who said in November that he would pay $1 million to anyone who could disprove even a single claim made against Kerry by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

That group launched a series of television ads against the Massachusetts senator and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee that undercut a crucial piece of his biography -- that he was a courageous war hero. Many Democrats felt the accusations helped kill Kerry’s chances of defeating President Bush, so much so that they created a new verb for unfair political attacks: “Swift-boating.”

In their letter to Pickens, 10 of Kerry’s comrades in arms said they were providing conclusive proof that the opposition group “lied about our skipper’s and our service in Vietnam and in so doing, damaged our reputations and attacked the quality of our service to country.”

The 15-page letter and 42 pages of Navy reports and other documentation focus principally on a 1969 engagement in which three boats under Kerry’s supervision counterattacked after an ambush on a tributary of the Bay Hap River.

Kerry won a Silver Star for his actions, but critics contended he had exaggerated the incident and his own heroism. In the response, Kerry’s crew offers details, after-action reports and the medal citation to prove that Kerry led with valor.

The men asked to meet with Pickens, who helped pay for the attack ads against Kerry. They predicted the oilman would find the truth “unavoidable,” adding that they planned to donate the $1 million to a veterans charity.

McCain hits hot spots for money

John McCain, fresh from a Canadian swing, is planning a couple of days of campaigning and fundraising in California this week. He’s hitting the predictable hot spots -- Fresno, Riverside and Newport Beach.

And who can blame him? He’s already picked up more than $10 million from supporters in the state, part of the $93 million that Californians have donated to presidential candidates in this cycle (Barack Obama picked up nearly $30 million).

That total is by far the largest amount from any state. New York comes in second at $79 million, followed by Texas at $39 million. The smallest amount? North Dakota at $210,000.

And this on the heels of a very good period for McCain in raising money.

Latino voters favor Obama

The latest national polling in the presidential race is nothing if not consistent: Most recent polls show Obama with a 4-percentage-point lead over McCain among registered voters.

That’s not great news for the presumptive Democratic nominee, given all the factors seemingly weighing against the Republican Party (most obviously President Bush’s in-the-tank approval ratings).

But Obama should be heartened by a new poll that focused solely on Latino voters in 21 states.

The survey, conducted by Pacific Market Research and political scientists at the University of Washington, found Obama’s level of support approaching what Democratic presidential candidates -- until the 2004 election -- had come to count on.

Obama swamped McCain in the survey, 60% to 23%, with 16% undecided. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Ex-Gov. Jeb Bush knows the drill

McCain and his main ally in Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist, have received what could prove some crucial cover from the man who dominated the state’s political scene until term limits prevented him from seeking a third term as its chief executive in 2006 -- Jeb Bush.

Bush, like most Florida politicians from both parties, long opposed oil drilling off the state’s tourism-friendly coastlines.

But during a Thursday conference call with reporters including The Times’ Peter Wallsten, he rose to the defense of McCain, who endorsed such exploration as one answer to skyrocketing gasoline prices, and Crist, who in turn backed off his previous opposition to the proposal.

“You can protect the natural resources and the coastline of the state and also be part of national effort to deal with a national security crisis that our country faces right now,” Bush said. “I think the knee-jerk reaction, just to say ‘no’ without an alternative, you know, it may work when times are good, but when times are tough and people are hurting, they’re not going to tolerate that.”

Michelle Obama’s dress in limelight

This just in: Michelle Obama wore a $148 dress the other day on national TV. And this is a big deal.

And lots of other women are reportedly running into the store she mentioned and grabbing the dress for themselves.

And a lot of people are talking about this. So here we are writing about it in great excitement too.

According to one reported expert, Michelle Obama has suddenly soared into the Oprah orbit in terms of influencing other women to do things that she does or recommends.

And both those women are on Barack Obama’s side in this fashion, er, election contest.

This expert predicts that Michelle Obama is going to revolutionize first lady attire because she mixes high fashion with cheaper stuff. And we don’t mean pantsuits.

No doubt this emerging tog tizzy will determine who becomes leader of the free world. So everyone should pay attention. Maybe we can just skip the voting stuff.

Times staff writers James Rainey and Scott Martelle contributed to this report.

Excerpted from The Times’ political blog, Top of the Ticket, at www.latimes.com/

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