WaPo Attacks Swiftboaters

In the midst of a disgustingly concerted effort to smear Rep. Murtha's reputation, E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post has taken the Swiftboat set to task. $Q: What's maddening here is the unblushing hypocrisy of the right wing and the way it circulates -- usually through Web sites or talk radio -- personal vilification to abort honest political debate. Murtha's views on withdrawing troops from Iraq are certainly the object of legitimate contention. Many in Murtha's party disagree with him. But Murtha's right-wing critics can't content themselves with going after his ideas. They have to try to discredit his service. They wouldn't have been able to make Kerry's service an issue in '04 had the MSM not been complicit in giving the 'story' legs. It's remarkable the press didn't understand the bottom line—one candidate went, the other didn't. Kudos to E.J. Dionne for stomping on the character assassins as they once again slither out from under the rocks.