To the Point

Is John Kerry-s War Record an Asset or Liability?

The anti-John Kerry TV spot by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that aired in just three so-called -battleground- states became big news on talk radio and cable TV. Now, the Kerry campaign is accusing the President of a -smear,- as the Bush campaign accuses him of -libel.- Yesterday-s Washington Post devoted more than 4,000 words to the dispute over Kerry-s war record, and while he's been staunchly defended by Republican Senator John McCain, yesterday he took a hit from former Republican Senator, presidential candidate and World War II hero Bob Dole. Warren Olney hears about the veracity and motive behind the charges and counter-charges with pollsters and journalists who have been following the campaign and the President. Making News: Abu Ghraib Prison Abuse Pretrial Begins in Germany In Germany today, pretrial hearings continue for Charles Graner and three others. Graner was the suspected leader at the center of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Iraq. Philip Blenkinsop, who's in Mannheim following the story for Reuters, has more on the proceedings, the impending court martial and attorneys' contention that some of the evidence against the defendant was seized illegally. Reporter's Notebook: The World Commemorates End of Slavery The United Nations has marked August 23, the international day for celebrating the 1791 Haitian slave revolt, as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. While it's no secret that slavery is still practiced in many places around the world, it's less well known that the US is one of them. Charles Song, staff attorney for the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, reports on new forms of slavery that effect millions of men, women and children throughout the world.