Well, this is an interesting development, courtesy of investigative journalist Thomas Lipscomb and the guys over at PowerLine. Whoasa.

The tremblings began a little while ago. First, a question over Kerry's admission: If his service was up in '72, why did it take until 1978 to receive an honorable discharge?

Then, a question about his citation: It seems the text dated from months after the medal was supposed to have been granted. Very interesting. And there's a "V" desiganation on for Kerry's silver star -- something, apparently according to Navy rules, is impossible:

On Friday, the Chicago Sun-Times ran a similar story by Thomas Lipscomb, who spoke to B.G. Burkett, author of "Stolen Valor" [a book about fake medals] and recipient of the Army's highest award given to a civilian, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award.

According to military experts and historians, the combat "V" is never awarded with a Silver Star. As Henry Mark and Erika Holzer note in Frontpagemag.com, "it would be redundant to award a Silver Star for 'gallantry' and then embellish it with a 'V' for valor." The authors also cite the Navy Awards Manual....

For his book, Mr. Burkett had to read thousands of military records to uncover phony claims of awards. "I've run across several claims for Silver Stars with combat 'V's, but they were all in fake records," he told Mr. Lipscomb.

Mr. and Mrs. Holzer bring up another interesting point. Over at JohnKerry.com, the Navy citation for Mr. Kerry's Silver Star does not mention the combat "V". It appears, then, that the Navy didn't mistakingly grant a "V" with Mr. Kerry's Silver Star. So, how did it get into Mr. Kerry's DD 214?

Verrry interesting questions indeed!

The NY Post notes:

Kerry's campaign Web site brags that he received a "Silver Star with combat V." Yet Thomas Lipscomb, writing in The Chicago Sun-Times, quotes a Navy spokesman disputing that: "The Navy has never issued a 'combat V' to anyone for a Silver Star."

NewsMax quotes even more from Burkett:

Several of the military records that appear on Kerry's Web site "appear to be fraudulent, according to U.S. Navy standards," the Sun-Times reporter told Malzberg.

"The Navy is now saying Kerry's records are incorrect," he added. "He's not entitled to this award. He's not entitled to that award. This is a new ballgame."

And another bombshell may have landed today when Lehman, whose own signature and words were apparently on Kerry's silver star citation, says he never wrote any such thing:

Former Navy Secretary John Lehman denied at week's end having written the Silver Star citation that appears on John Kerry's campaign Web site over Lehman's signature, dealing the Democrat's presidential campaign another stunning blow.

From Lipscomb's Chicago Sun Times article:

Former Navy Secretary John Lehman has no idea where a Silver Star citation displayed on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's campaign Web site came from, he said Friday. The citation appears over Lehman's signature.

"It is a total mystery to me. I never saw it. I never signed it. I never approved it. And the additional language it contains was not written by me," he said.

The additional language varied from the two previous citations, signed first by Adm. Elmo Zumwalt and then Adm. John Hyland, which themselves differ. The new material added in the Lehman citation reads in part: "By his brave actions, bold initiative, and unwavering devotion to duty, Lieutenant (jg) Kerry reflected great credit upon himself...."

Asked how the citation could have been executed over his signature without his knowledge, Lehman said: "I have no idea. I can only imagine they were signed by an autopen." The autopen is a device often used in the routine execution of executive documents in government.

Is this a big deal? Oh yes. If it's all true, it is a very big deal, or should be, if your brain hasn't been warped by Bush-hatred. It could mean Kerry is running on a forged record. It could even be worse, though I've noticed there seems to be a different set of laws for famous people...

This is more serious than one would think. In Title 19, U.S. Code, Section 1001, the law states: "Whoever, in any manner within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the United States, knowingly and willfully ... makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years or both." As Mr. Lipscomb reports, a complaint filed by Mr. Burkett actually led to the sentencing of Navy Capt. Roger D. Edwards to 115 days in the brig for falsification of his records.

Wow. A jaw-dropper. And yet, in some ways, it might not even shock: Haven't so many other things about Kerry turned out to have been fabrications? This may turn out to be a very interesting time to live. We all will see.

(Wasn't that a Chinese curse?)