A couple of weeks back Sen. John Kerry did a softball interview in the New York Times about his efforts to resuscitate his hopes for running for president again in 2008. Kerry has decided that a year and a half after he lost the November 2004 election is the time to stand up to charges that he was a less-than-ideal sailor.

Unfortunately for Kerry, what this does is offer reporter Thomas Lipscomb another opportunity to investigate some of the senator's claims -- and it doesn't look good for Kerry.

According to the Times account: "Bill Schachte was not on that skimmer," Mr. Kerry says firmly. "He was not on that skimmer. It is a lie to suggest that he was out there on that skimmer... .The three guys who in fact were in the boat all say he wasn't there and will tell you he wasn't there. We know he wasn't there, and we have all kinds of ways of proving it."

Let's take a look at the "all kinds of ways." One of the "ways" would be for Kerry to disclose how he was ordered on this mission and by whom, but he has never done so. According to Coastal Division 14 commander Hibbard, every mission was assigned by Schachte. Does Kerry expect us to believe Schachte assigned him, in the face of his and Hibbard's statements, and they are both lying about it?

In that case, who was in command of the Kerry mission and where is the after action report? Does Kerry claim that as a trainee he was placed in command over an experienced Swift boat commander with his own boat like Mike Voss? Kerry hasn't told us about that either. And what about Mike Voss's statement to Lisa Myers of NBC that "I'm pretty certain Schachte was there in the skimmer?"

Read the whole thing. Lipscomb makes a very compelling case that Kerry lied about the circumstances surrounding his first Purple Heart and worked the system to receive it dishonestly.