Arianna Huffington: The Harpy Shrieks

The President Needs to Denounce the Swift-Boating of Murtha... Now!

Arriana Huffington
The Huffinton Post

Last week, President Bush said that he would welcome "an honest debate about Iraq"-as long as "the tone of this debate is respectful."

Oh, really? Then he should start by denouncing the despicable smear campaign being launched against Jack Murtha.

The attacks, calling into question the military record of a decorated 37-year war veteran, and launched on the eve of Murtha's powerful appearance on "60 Minutes", are a vile, noxious, and blatantly obvious attempt to keep the press and the public from engaging in that "honest debate about Iraq."

They are the lowest form of character assassination -- cranked out by the GOP attack machine with ruthless efficiency (and almost comical predictability). A belly flop into the Beltway sewer that degrades a political culture already so befouled it might seem beyond further degradation. But then we get this effluvium -- and the stench hanging over our democracy becomes unbearable.

Bush must make it clear, immediately and in no uncertain terms, that, as a country, we need zero tolerance for this contemptible attempt to shove the reputation of a man who put his life on the line for his country into the media wood chipper. If Mrs. Alito cried over some of the questions asked of her husband, what should Mrs. Murtha do, slit her wrists?

Denouncing the swift-boating of Murtha would have the additional benefit of being something of a "do over" for the president -- a second bite at the Swift Boat apple. Another chance to finally do the right thing.

During the 2004 campaign, Bush was repeatedly asked if he would denounce the charges being leveled against John Kerry's war record by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. But he refused, dancing around the issue by calling on Kerry to join him in condemning all ads paid for by 527 groups.

Poor Arianna, her Harpy-like shriek of outrage is illustrative of her and other Liberal's muddled thinking. To them telling the truth is a "smear attack." If Cybercast News Service is incorrect, and Jack Murtha's wounds were severe enough to warrant two Purple Hearts, then I will apologize to her on these pages, but the evidence they present is pretty compelling. We know for a fact that the Swiftboat Veterans were justified in their criticism in spite of the MSM's efforts to delegitimize their claims. The real point is that the Democrats continue to put people forward loudly proclaiming the "bona fides" by announcing their receiving Purple Hearts. One has to be careful of their claims. If you are going to make unwarranted claims, you need to make sure that all the witnesses are going to support your claim.

Smearing is what Ted "The Killer" Kennedy did in the Alito hearings by reading scurrilous passages from the publication of an organization with which Judge Alito was peripherally associated, implying that he would support those statements. Smearing is making false accusations to besmirch a person's reputation. Smearing is not telling the truth or shining light on a false claim.

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