Here I am...

I think some people have lost their sense of humor. I think some people have forgotten how to differentiate between what matters and what doesn't.

Political campaigns have always been full of dirty tricks. They come with the territory. Both sides do it. Stealing signs--not a big deal. Slashing tires and sugar in the gas tanks of the GOTV cars--not nice, slightly criminal, bad--but not a crisis of mass proportion. No one need call UNICEF to get involved. OK?

Campaigns are full of political hacks and true believers. This is a dangerous combination. It is not unheard of--in fact it is quite common place--for a campaign worker to photocopy his or her ass and write the opponents name on it. Then the rest of the staff throws darts at it. Big deal? No.

However, in recent times stuff like this and things that are in poorer taste have become a big deal. It's spin. It's contrived. However, it's true. So, one should not do these things or if one does these things one should not get caught doing these things.

And so, in response to Hugh Hewitt's question (via Michelle Malkin):

Where are the Democrats who should be denouncing this?

Here I am. Wrong. Bad. Not good. Shouldn't have done it.

As an aside, this being done to a veteran, really disgusting...but how much can the Republicans honestly complain since they are the one who perfected this technique with the Swift Boat Veterans for Whatever and Paul Hackett and John Murtha and so on and so on and so on...

There needs to be a mass firing of all those who did this or who encouraged it. If you can't work up moral outrage then fire them all for stupidity. The Campaign Director should go too--because he or she obviously has no control over the staff...

Chris

More on this from: Powerline, Kuru Lounge, Captains Quarters

Comments

[JFH]

Is it a smear if it's the truth? I say this because I believe that the Paul Hackett stuff was innuendo without facts and completely wrong.

The Swiftboaters, however, I believe were telling the truth, but more importantly, expressing their opinion of John Kerry's behavior during the war. As one example, Paul Galanti, who I've exchanged emails with, is absolutely right and truthful when he states how John Kerry's speeches in the early 70s effected him as a POW.

[jestplainol'bill]

Chris,

don't know anything about this demodawg whut allegedly called this other dude a Nazi, but so what. The demodawgs perfected this a long time ago and they learned it from the Whigs who learned it from the Democrats who learned it from the Federalist. Name-calling has been around for ever. How many times has one of your erstwhile Demodawg heroes called the current President a Nazi? Too many and too numerous to mention.

One thing that the Repubs pish me off about is there reluctance too often to not fight dirt with dirt, but then I learned at the feet of Kentucky Demodawgs on how to fight dirty.

Your indignation here doesn't ring true. But maybe I am overreading.

As to Kerry, the "facts" of his records don't seem to be supported by many who were there. Murtha, has just sold out. And as for Paul, he is not a "retired" Marine Major as the papers and other MSM outlets portrayed him. He hasn't been in the Marine Corps Reserve long enough to have retired, nor was he a combat Marine. But has he corrected them? No, as it doesn't fit in with his game plan. He is or was a Naval JagOff. I think he tagged along on some convoys and I give him that. But one could compare that to Kerry and his 3 month (?) stint in VN. Done with an eye on a political future more than anything else.

Heck, maybe I will use my time in the Kingdom to portray my bravery (not!). Though the most danger I was in, was running up and down the highway between Al Jabyl and Dharan at a 160 KPH dodging the Kuwaitis who were driving 200 KPH and the one time the three Palestinians tried to run me off the road. That and the camel-meat tacos.

I personally consider Paul to be a blight on my Corps' History IMHO. But then that is jimho and no better nor worse nor right or wrong than others. it is jmho.

[JFH]

Completely OT, but on Jan 12 on this blog I wrote about the predicted vote on Alito's nomination:

58-42... Four Dems vote for (or maybe don't vote), one Repub (Chafee?) votes against... Straight party vote on the rest.

Anyone want my advise on the Superbowl score??

[Nurse Judy]

Chris:
You are right, people need to laugh more. This world has lost its sense of humor. Hogan's Heroes was one of my favorite shows from 1965 to 1971. I was so pissed when they took it off the air. They did so because they thought it might offend families of POWs.

I thought it was one of the funniest, most innovative shows of its time. Col's Klink and Schultz cracked me up more than any character now on TV. I even named my Schnauzer Schultz after Col Schultz. I looked at the photo of John Kline in his Col Klink uniform, and you know what, I can see why she did it, he looks like Klink.

Did you know that Werner Klemperer, who played Col Klink was Jewish and he fled with his family from Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

Now surely, if a Jew who fled the Nazis could play a Nazi in a comedic role, John Kline and his staff should have been able to come up with some sort of a funny retort to Rowley's depiction of him as Klink.

For example: One of Klink's best and most repeated lines was: "Dis-missed."

Kline could have retorted with "Dis-missed!" or "Private Rowley, you are Dis-missed!"

My brothers and sisters and I still say this to each other when we don't like what someone is saying.

Nurse Judy

[USMC Steve]

Had this woman or whoever on her staff came up with it done it with the intent of being funny, it would merely have been in poor taste. That ain't it. She wants to win, and she did it to win. She and her staff were serious about it as a heart attack. It goes right along with the democrat party dogma that all republicans are Nazis. That has really worked well for the dems, hasn't it? And now they have their tits in a wringer because they were STUPID. Intent is what was responded to here, as well as the act itself.

Paul Hackett committed multiple violations of the UCMJ in that, as a serving officer in the USMC, he made comments disloyal to and disrespectful of his commander in chief. He still holds a commission as an officer in the USMC, which makes him guilty of those offenses. Had he resigned his commission, he could have run his democrat mouth all day, and I would not care in the least. What I do mind is that the Corps didn't charge him for these offenses. He rates no special protections because he is a politician.

The swiftboat vets did nothing nearly as dishonorable as what Kerry had been doing for years. They called him on his bullshit war hero story, and it unraveled on him. (Remember Christmas in Cambodia for one specific instance?) Hackett, Kerry, and this latest morally bankrupt idiot all got their asses in trouble because they were stupid. And they reaped the rewards, or will shortly, of that crappy, lowlife behavior.

One other point I would like to make. Those of us who have worn our country's uniform really find it insulting to be protrayed as members of the military forces of one of the greatest fascist states in the history of this world. Some might not mind, but I would. I bet Bill would too.

These dems need to flush out their headgear and get a clue here. I wonder what they thought they would accomplish?

[USMC Steve]

Aw crap, I forgot part of my post. Hackett was a JAG legal officer who went out on a few convoys and came under fire on some of them. He then tried to aggrandize what he did, got called on it, and then had to regroup. He was not needed on nor ordered to go, he did it to get some potential trigger time for political gain. It backfired on him, and the leftists circled the wagons to say we "swiftboated" him for exposing what he did and why he did it. For those of you who know nothing about the Marine Corps, those of us who pull triggers for a living don't want amateurs around who might not know what to do when the shit hits the fan. Hackett did not need to go out on the convoys, and should not have. There was no benefit to anyone in having him along other than for his imminent election run, which began soon after he got back to the States.

But of course, that was just a string of coincidences, huh?

[Matt Hurley]

I'm a member of the Swift Boat Veterans Against Paul Hackett...Sheesh...I thought we cleared all this up a LONG time ago, Chris...USMC Steve has the read on the situation EXACTLY right and we can rehash that AGAIN if you like...

[Dimmer]

Oh Steve You Suck My Cock, I pay taxes for the likes of you? Damn. I want an opt out clause for idiots, homophobes, and just gerneral idiots pronto. The Army is where we put our psychopaths when the jails are full - we all know this, you don't need to show it. M'kay?

[jestplainol'bill]

Ah Steve, dummer just made my point for me, but I still feel compelled. If anyone of any higher stature made comments towards you and others who wore the uniform then it might mean something. But with those making the comments, such as dummer, cheesesteak, hGoebbelscboy and others of their ilk, it means nothing as they are nothing. They were born nothing, they have lived as nothing and when they expire there will have been nothing, with maybe the exception of some very gaseous and noxious material floating in the air. Other than that, nothing.
As to the first statement made by dummer..you would have to have a job in order to pay taxes old boy. Since you are only a tick on the buttocks of America it is highly doubtful you pay any taxes.

[USMC Steve]

Dimmer, the fact that you regularly Lewinsky me is of no concern to the others here. It is your only useful function.

Let us all sing O Canada now...

[USMC Steve]

BTW, does anyone on the blog speak fluent imbecile? If so, please translate what that fool Dimmer said. He never makes any sense anyway, but this latest one just makes absolutely no sense.