"...when the attack fits...."
Posted with permission.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2012_01/setting_the_standard_for_disho034491.php
January 03, 2012 12:35 PM
Setting the standard for dishonest smears
By Steve Benen
Theres no great mystery as to why Newt Gingrichs support collapsed in Iowa: Mitt Romney and his friends spent nearly $4 million in three weeks to tear Gingrich apart.
But before the disgraced former House Speaker began calling Romney a liar, he used a different word to describe his recent experiences: Gingrich said Sunday he felt Romney-boated by the attacks. The reference, obviously, referenced the loathsome Swift Boat ads run and financed by Bush/Cheney allies in 2004, casting doubts on John Kerrys heroic military service.
It was a fascinating choice of words for Gingrich. As Eric Boehlert explained this morning, Newt Gingrich, a leader of the modern-day conservative movement, presidential candidate, and proud Republican partisan adopting language that acknowledged the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are synonymous with unsubstantiated campaign attack ads. With his Romney-boated comment, the former Republican Speaker of the House reinforced what progressives have been saying for years.
Quite right. And as it turns out, some of the Swift Boat liars arent happy about it.
John ONeill, the swift-boat captain who led the anti-Kerry movement, is none too pleased with the comparison. To me, it reflects Gingrichs very cynical hypocrisy, which he shares with Kerry, ONeill tells National Review Online.
ONeill proceeded to elaborate on his disdain for Gingrich, but
the larger point is unavoidable: the Swift Boat liars lied about a war hero, they got caught, and their legacy is a standard for vicious campaign smears.
ONeill may not like the comparison, but when the attack fits
.