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# Posted 11:52 PM by Ariel David Adesnik

CAMBODIA UPDATE: The Boston Globe finally decided to run a story on the Kerry-in-Cambodia debate but left out the most important detail: that Kerry biographer Douglas Brinkley has stated definitively that Kerry was not in Cambodia in December 1968. Brinkley made his statement in the Telegraph five days ago, so the Globe has no real excuse for missing it.

The Globe also does a lackluster job of explaining the Kerry campaign's official explanation of the Cambodia story. According to spokesman Michael Meehan,
"On December 24, 1968, Lieutenant John Kerry and his crew were on patrol in the watery borders between Vietnam and Cambodia deep in enemy territory. In the early afternoon, Kerry's boat, PCF-44, was at Sa Dec and then headed north to the Cambodian border. There, Kerry and his crew along with two other boats were ambushed, taking fire from both sides of the river, and after the firefight were fired upon again. Later that evening during their night patrol they came under friendly fire."Given that John Kerry was more than fifty miles from Cambodia on Christmas 1968, references to a "watery border" are quite misleading. The same goes for Meehan's suggestion that Kerry "then head north to the Cambodian border". That may have been the direction Kerry was headed in, but it wasn't his destination.

On the bright side, the Globe did interview two of Kerry's crewmen -- both non-Swift Vets -- who have no recollection of being in Cambodia.b

What I can't figure out is why the Kerry campaign is putting out this kind of transparent spin rather than just saying that Kerry made a mistake about when he was in Cambodia. Given that Kerry is running on his war record, they should be doing their best to dispel any confusion about it whatsoever.

Clearly, the Kerry campaign is afraid to say point-blank that Kerry was in Cambodia on Christmas 1968. But perhaps they're hoping that if they refuse to give answers, the press will stop asking questions. And they might just be right.

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