Beldar Throws Down the Gauntlet

John Kerry has allowed the three year window to file defamation claims against the Swift Boat Veterans to expire. Belldar claims:

The very last thing John Kerry wants is to ever give the SwiftVets the legal tools they’d need to conclusively document their claims, because truth is, of course, a complete defense to defamation claims. Kerry doesn’t deserve vindication, and he knows he could never get it in court. In court, there would be compulsory discovery of witnesses and documents, followed by a fair and disciplined adversary process, followed by a definitive determination of the truth or falsity of the SwiftVets’ charges — a determination that he damn well knows would go against him. Instead, the haze of time and the near-universal bluster of his mainstream media allies (who continue to insist that the SwiftVets’ claims were “debunked” and that Kerry was victimized) has given him a far better result than he could ever get in court.

Pretty strong stuff. Is Beldar willing to back it up?

You have a standing offer from me: Just sue me here in Houston for defamation. After all, I’ve republished most of the SwiftVets’ claims here on my blog, and I’ve made many of them again in my own voice. I use a pseudonym for my blog name, but it’s not anonymous — my name and address are linked on every page of this blog, and have been since the day it started. I’ll waive any statute of limitations defense. I’ll waive service of process. Hell, I’ll meet you at the federal courthouse doors for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division (you have diversity jurisdiction), and I’ll even pay your filing fee!

You think it will be too expensive to have big teams of lawyers? Fine — since you were once a big-time courtroom lawyer, let’s just you and me tangle one-on-one, both of us pro se. (I’ll agree not to oppose your application for admission pro hac vice to the federal court here in Texas, and I’ll even pay the fees to get your law license reinstated in Massachusetts.) Just me at my table, you at yours, and then a set of jurors good and true in the jury box. (I may need a napkin, though, or maybe even a drool-bucket, because the very notion of going one-on-one with you in court is causing me to salivate.) Or, hell, you can have as many lawyers as you want, and I’ll still go pro se. Go fetch David Boies, he might do it for free (unless he’s already figured out what a loser your case would be). Whatever. As long as there’s a judge who can make you shut up each time your turn is over and who’ll then give me a fair turn, I’ll be satisfied.

My one stipulation is: No confidentiality orders, and no motions to quash. Everything that’s uncovered in pretrial discovery has to become part of the public record without delay. We’ll put it all on the internet via a neutral host (say, the WaPo). We’ll do the pretrial depos on video, too, and jointly move the court to permit TV coverage of the trial, so that the public (and the jury, eventually) can see who sweats under oath under the bright lights.

Doesn’t that sound like fun, Senator? Gosh, it does to me.

I was pretty damn tired of the media and blog swirl last time this was big, but forgive me, that would be fun.