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South Carolina is known for its dirty politics and no one knows more about that than Senator John McCain. He suffered despicable personal attacks by George Bush and Karl Rove during the 2000 presidential campaign, and once again he finds himself the victim of a brutal and baseless smear campaign, similar to the swift boat ads John Kerry encountered in 2004.

Keith Olbermann talks with Jonathan Alter on today's Countdown about negative campaign ads being distributed in South Carolina attacking GOP candidates and about a particularly nasty flier attacking Senator John McCain by a group calling itself Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain that accuses the senator, who was held captive in Vietnam for some five years, of betraying his fellow POW's during his captivity. This group's website is really cheesy, and regardless of your political views, this kind of attack is the epitome of dirty politics. The flier is so bad the original Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group that attacked John Kerry is condemning it.



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92 comments

Well of course the Swifties are condemning it. It's against a REPUBLICAN. You can bet your ass they'd love it if this kind of tactic was used against one of the Dems.

God how I hate this people. These assholes made Georgie boy look good and John Kerry look bad. Even though I don't like McCain. Nobody should be slimed by these disgusting neocons. I hope the people of S.C. are smart enough this time and don't listen to this shit. But my father always says, "Some people are stupid. Look at me, I voted for Bush, twice."

Hahahaha this is hilarious!

Thanks for the laugh there team.

Errr..

Wait.

This *IS* a joke right?
www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com

Guys? This is not real right? This is a joke right?

Hanlon @ 1:

Well of course the Swifties are condemning it. It's against a REPUBLICAN. You can bet your ass they'd love it if this kind of tactic was used against one of the Dems.

It's not merely the Swifties voicing condemnation. That durned libbrrul media don't like Swift Boating tactics either. At least not when the target is Gone InSane.

Spake David Shuster:

They're suggesting, 'Oh, when John McCain was being tortured, he stopped being tortured because he gave up information about US aircraft and their flight patterns over ...' It's crazy!

And Cuppa Joe Scarborough? Why he says,

That seems to be about as low of an attack as I've seen.

And Tim Russert?

John McCain spent five years in a box, baking in the heat. ... And someone is going to attack his patriotism, his courage? Please.

So, where were these noble bastions of objectivity four years ago? (No, don't answer that. I don't want to reminisce.)

Oh, and their ultimate assessment is that this Swift Boating can only help the Senile Saint of Arizona.

SUPPORT THE TROOPS!!

Until one of them has the nerve to run for office.

Then, shit all over the bastards!

#2 "I hope the people of S.C. are smart enough this time..."

Hahaha...sorry, hard for me to get past this one. These dumb South Carolina hicks voted for Bush TWICE by WIDE margins. Why the mere mention of the words "gay", "immigrants", "terrorists", "leebruls" or "sekular" will get these bedwetting hillbillies running like scalded dogs to the nearest poll station to vote Republican and against their own best interests and the interests of the nation time and time again. Republicans sell these numnuts snake oil and they keep coming back for more. I don't have enough faith that they could even wipe their own asses without a how to manual from the Republican Party.

Scarborough should shut his lying mouth. He never defended Kerry. And now sings a different tune? Shameful indeed.

McCain didn't defend Kerry. McCain did suck up to Bush after Bush smeared him in South Carolina. You reap what you sow.

Just in case anyone's curious... Here is the publicly available registration information for who owns that website, complete with contact information. The idiots are obviously proud enough of their work to take credit for it and not hide it anonymously. That being the case, I'm sure they'd just LOVE to hear what people think about it. :)

Hanlon @ 1:

Well of course the Swifties are condemning it. It's against a REPUBLICAN. You can bet your ass they'd love it if this kind of tactic was used against one of the Dems.

Agree. The Swift Boat Veterans like McCain. It's not like they have suddenly found human decency and would hesitate using this for a second if it was someone else, say John Kerry. The McCain lie may not have had the financing, polish or orchestration that Kerry's did, but the lie perpetrated by the knock-off Swift Boaters was no greater than the one pulled off by the originals.

Ruthless People @ 6:

#2 "I hope the people of S.C. are smart enough this time..."

Hahaha...sorry, hard for me to get past this one. These dumb South Carolina hicks voted for Bush TWICE by WIDE margins. Why the mere mention of the words "gay", "immigrants", "terrorists", "leebruls" or "sekular" will get these bedwetting hillbillies running like scalded dogs to the nearest poll station to vote Republican and against their own best interests and the interests of the nation time and time again. Republicans sell these numnuts snake oil and they keep coming back for more. I don't have enough faith that they could even wipe their own asses without a how to manual from the Republican Party.

Precisely. Just imagine how would they vote on November if Hill-shill or Obama get dem-nominated.. And, SC is not alone - many more like them.

EDWARDS 2008 !!

Ruthless people, you are right. I'm from the north and I just don't understand thse people. My mother lived in N.C. for three years and she has never been the same again. Now she prays for the Rapture. Go figure.

I have no sympathy for McCain. He got kicked in the nuts by his own party in South Carolina against Bush yet he stayed a Republican and came back for more. I say kick twice as hard this time! Maybe Joe Lieberman will be there to wipe the tears from his eyes when his nuts get racked this time round.

The dualing swifties....'Our lies are better than your lies'......I need an asprin.

Never ever say to yourself "Well, they'd never do THAT"

There is NOTHING the Republicans would not do, if it served their purposes and if they thought they could get away with it.

NOTHING.

Guys, this just cannot be serious.
It has to be a spoof. No one will fall for this (again). Americans are not this dumb. This is a joke, a spoof, a comedy skit...

Come on...
Don't destroy the last illusions I have about this country....please...

I love it when they start eating their own...nope - no sympathy here.

wasn't right then and it ain't right now...........but the hypocricy is almost overwhelming......

dems need to understand the sad reality that negative attacks work. the gop is an easy target and needs to be attacked at every opening. you may not like the rules, but that is the way the game is played. if you try to be civil with your gop opponent, you will lose.

I can attest to the push polling going on down here. My wife got a huckabee call just a little while ago. She was not amused, to say the least. I do have to say, I really love it when they eat there own.

This operation is based in Virginia. Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin and Tom Tancredo are indirectly behind it. You heard it here first!

The Swift Boat guys are attacking it because they have all lined up behind McCain. Kind of funny if you look at it from that perspective.

Alter needs a new barber - how can you go on TV with that comb-over?

I wish I could feel a little sympathy for McCrazy.

Dear Swift Boat Vererans For Truth --

Karma is such a bitch!

Love,

Patriotic American Who Supports Vets No Matter Their Political Leanings

What McCain endured as a POW was an consequence of war. Only his fellow POW's truly know the score.

On the other hand, what McCain endured in South Carolina during the 2000 campaign is an open book. Even Alter referred to it as a contemptible attack upon common decency.

Which begs the question: what type of man would embrace the architect of that slander, as McCain embraced Bush?

I would contend it's a man who lacks character. A punk. A brown-nosed, egg sucking pissant.

I could pity him, were it not for the fact he seeks to be president, and might well succeed.

He is a sick-in-soul and dangerous man.

If the swiftboaters are so patriotic why don't they enlist? As I understand it, the guard and the army are letting in drop-outs and people with criminal records. Why wouldn't they let in a ferw crusty, rich old men?

Further proof there is nothing the GOP hates more than a soldier. Support the troops.

Keith, stop complaining/whining and DO SOMETHING...or at least use your resources to help others express themselves to those falsely accusing or in any way slandering/attacking a fellow veteran.We don't need much information, actually. Just give us a name, a relatively current picture and his or her office address. You can do this much in your "Worst Person" segment. Believe this...we'll take it from there

Hanlon @ 1:

Well of course the Swifties are condemning it. It's against a REPUBLICAN. You can bet your ass they'd love it if this kind of tactic was used against one of the Dems.

The fringe lunatics on the right vilify McCain. Stroll around the sociopathic freerepublic.com and see what I mean.

John Kraw do read my comment # 21.

Jon @ 17:

I love it when they start eating their own...nope - no sympathy here.

McCain was there to defend Kerry's record when the swift boaters ripped him apart with lies. Get your facts straight. It's not simply a Dem vs. Repub issue.

Nate @ 9:

Just in case anyone's curious... Here is the publicly available registration information for who owns that website, complete with contact information. The idiots are obviously proud enough of their work to take credit for it and not hide it anonymously. That being the case, I'm sure they'd just LOVE to hear what people think about it. :)

Hmm... I used samspade whois. It comes up with Rustikat and a Fred Riggs as contact. May be one is from cached info.

What's interesting is the name on the contact email address from network solutions; "frigss". And if you search on Fred Riggs and the contact email address you get this page, http://kinstonpress.com/opinion/aug06/81906record.html, about another site that got complaints a year and a half back.

The contact info could just be the hosting company. But this is a second time they've hosted a questionable political website.

SC – The Swift Boat State

Does anyone know the PBS documentary Olbermann was referencing? It sounds interesting.

Ruthless People @ 6:

#2 "I hope the people of S.C. are smart enough this time..."

Hahaha...sorry, hard for me to get past this one. These dumb South Carolina hicks voted for Bush TWICE by WIDE margins. Why the mere mention of the words "gay", "immigrants", "terrorists", "leebruls" or "sekular" will get these bedwetting hillbillies running like scalded dogs to the nearest poll station to vote Republican and against their own best interests and the interests of the nation time and time again. Republicans sell these numnuts snake oil and they keep coming back for more. I don't have enough faith that they could even wipe their own asses without a how to manual from the Republican Party.

In order to be a hillbilly,You need hills. SC has only flatlands and molehills.

Kerry:1,Silver Star,Bronze Star and 3 Purple Hearts.
McCain:1 Silver Star,Legion Of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross,Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
In my Opinion.....neither of these men deserve to be attacked like that.It should be about the issues.
and nothing else.

Looks as if this the the trade mark of U.S.A. now. I personally don't see a d... bit of difference in what they did to John Kerry compared to John McClain. The only difference is that the swift-boats were criminal republicans screwing a democrat and now they don't like the same medicine for their republican.
Bush has finally split, divided and turn this country into a group of losers. There are very few American citizens that are willing to put their talk into action.
They talk the talk but they don't walk the walk.
This nation is being destroyed right in front of our eyes while we sit on our a.. and talk about how bad it is,, but very few do any d... thing about it.
We let our President (illegal at that) destroy our jobs, social programs, election, freedom, rights and constitution then we blame our elected democrats for it, will very few are taking the fight to the heart of the problem which is money.
No we will not give up a d... bit of inconvenience to stop these arrogant corrupted criminal from taking our country. Really I don't believe Bush and his administration has let anything for the American citizens, because now the foreign nations and terrorist have brought our bank , so there goes our economy.
Israel is given more respect and right to have input into our policies and what our nation does them the American citizens.
I give a great deal of thanks to the people with the gut and fight to stick it in their face knowing that they will be beat on and jailed for their efforts.

Thing Fish @ 33:

Nate @ 9:

Just in case anyone's curious... Here is the publicly available registration information for who owns that website, complete with contact information. The idiots are obviously proud enough of their work to take credit for it and not hide it anonymously. That being the case, I'm sure they'd just LOVE to hear what people think about it. :)

Hmm... I used samspade whois. It comes up with Rustikat and a Fred Riggs as contact. May be one is from cached info.

What's interesting is the name on the contact email address from network solutions; "frigss". And if you search on Fred Riggs and the contact email address you get this page, http://kinstonpress.com/opinion/aug06/81906record.html, about another site that got complaints a year and a half back.

The contact info could just be the hosting company. But this is a second time they've hosted a questionable political website.

Okay, I searched the address of the person to whom the domain name is registered and got this:

ARNETT,HARDEN
I am looking for information on my Arnett line Thomas Arnett was married to Jane Harden We have always believed this line contained a Indian Anster. Please is anyone has information on a ARNETT surname email me.
">Cindy -- 910 Pamela Dr., Kinston, NC 28504
[Deleted. I'm sure you didn't mean to post an e-mail address in the comments section. Please be more careful the next time. :) Site Monitor]
Submitted on Fri Oct 23 00:48:08 EDT 1998

From this site.

So there is/was a "Cindy" using 910 Pamela Dr., etc., at some point. The name "Ciny Brochure" still seems a bit hinky to me.

Packers 21-Giants 17......down to the wire.

mudshark @ 40:

Packers 21-Giants 17......down to the wire.

Long story, but I'm NOT gonna be there this weekend. :(

However, I've still got Super Bowl tickets if the Packers win the NFC title. :)

Again, Keith gives TPM Muckraker kudos for pursuing this story. It's about time Josh gets some credit. I tell everyone to read TPM for good reporting about the issues important to Democrats.

Andy K @ 41:

mudshark @ 40:

Packers 21-Giants 17......down to the wire.

Long story, but I'm NOT gonna be there this weekend. :(

However, I've still got Super Bowl tickets if the Packers win the NFC title. :)

the safety's and the corners were incredible not to mention that old guy throwin the ball.....Good Luck.ps......I won money on that game......and on the Giants too.

Andy K @ 39:

Thing Fish @ 33:

Nate @ 9:

Just in case anyone's curious... Here is the publicly available registration information for who owns that website, complete with contact information. The idiots are obviously proud enough of their work to take credit for it and not hide it anonymously. That being the case, I'm sure they'd just LOVE to hear what people think about it. :)

Hmm... I used samspade whois. It comes up with Rustikat and a Fred Riggs as contact. May be one is from cached info.

What's interesting is the name on the contact email address from network solutions; "frigss". And if you search on Fred Riggs and the contact email address you get this page, http://kinstonpress.com/opinion/aug06/81906record.html, about another site that got complaints a year and a half back.

The contact info could just be the hosting company. But this is a second time they've hosted a questionable political website.

Okay, I searched the address of the person to whom the domain name is registered and got this:

ARNETT,HARDEN
I am looking for information on my Arnett line Thomas Arnett was married to Jane Harden We have always believed this line contained a Indian Anster. Please is anyone has information on a ARNETT surname email me.
">Cindy -- 910 Pamela Dr., Kinston, NC 28504
[Deleted. Refers to deleted material. Site Monitor]
Submitted on Fri Oct 23 00:48:08 EDT 1998

From this site.

So there is/was a "Cindy" using 910 Pamela Dr., etc., at some point. The name "Ciny Brochure" still seems a bit hinky to me.

And this address is a home (google maps). And home phone # shows up in Google. I would not contact this person. The info may be a ruse to harass an innocent party. Perhaps not. But there's not enough concrete info to start calling some one.

Also found this:
From NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann
The mastermind of the anti-McCain veterans mailer, Jerry Kiley of the group Vietnam Veterans Against McCain, told NBC News/National Journal that he created the ad, and it was printed and mailed by a group that publishes the like-minded journal US Veteran Dispatch.

There are sufficient, valid reasons to not want to elect McCain IMO. Attacking any person's war record so long after the fact is vile.

pol @ 42:

Again, Keith gives TPM Muckraker kudos for pursuing this story. It's about time Josh gets some credit. I tell everyone to read TPM for good reporting about the issues important to Democrats.

How soon we forget...TPM got major props- even from the MSM- for their work on the DoJ scandal! Not Josh's fault that witnesses like Goodling and Samson had "faulty" memories.

I just cannot feel sorry for John McCain.

Sorry, Site Monitor!

Okay, I'm going to bed. But I'm gonna leave ya with this thought:

Maybe this is the work of the McCain campaign. This way they get to point some fingers at Mittens/Huckster/Whoever.

Maybe.

GNA!

mudshark @ 43:

Andy K @ 41:

mudshark @ 40:

Packers 21-Giants 17......down to the wire.

Long story, but I'm NOT gonna be there this weekend. :(

However, I've still got Super Bowl tickets if the Packers win the NFC title. :)

the safety's and the corners were incredible not to mention that old guy throwin the ball.....Good Luck.ps......I won money on that game......and on the Giants too.

What a great game. Favre was breathtaking.

I wonder if that has any relationship to this:

http://omaha.craigslist.org/pol/526314099.html

Andy K @ 48:

Okay, I'm going to bed. But I'm gonna leave ya with this thought:

Maybe this is the work of the McCain campaign. This way they get to point some fingers at Mittens/Huckster/Whoever.

Maybe.

GNA!

I thought that too.

I'm sick of these astroturf groups. We need public financing of campaigns

liberalista @ 49:

mudshark @ 43:

Andy K @ 41:

mudshark @ 40:

Long story, but I'm NOT gonna be there this weekend. :(

However, I've still got Super Bowl tickets if the Packers win the NFC title. :)

the safety's and the corners were incredible not to mention that old guy throwin the ball.....Good Luck.ps......I won money on that game......and on the Giants too.

What a great game. Favre was breathtaking.

As great as it might have been to watch on tv, words can hardly express what it was like to be there.

The closest I can get is to quote the drunk guy who was sittin' right behind me in the south end zone. The entire game he could only say, "Awesome!"

Brett is having an awesome season, he will spank Eli next weekend (look for the Giants to finally crumble) but against Brady he will have to have his greatest performance ever.

The only reason the Swift Boat Veterans for "Truth" group that attacked John Kerry is condemning the McCain ad is because it is against their right wing party. The hate filled right wing only supports veterans who are Republicans. Rush Limbaugh called any soldier who didn't support Bush a "phony soldier". Remember the disgrace at the Republican convention? -people actually making fun of Kerry's purple hearts by mocking him and wearing them on their sleeves while supporting a man who was awol during the war simply because he was a Republican. These people are the lowest forms of human beings. I support all veterans including heroes like McCain and Kerry no matter what their politics.

When will humanity get beyond such garbage. I feel ashamed to be a fellow citizen of anyone that actually believes political ads at all, at least any ads that are so clearly untrue simply by weight of their lunatic charges. I am no longer a fan of McCain but will defend him here and would anywhere else against this crap. Right-wing groups have been floating this crap about him since the 70s. That anyone in the country can still profit in some way from it is...well, I don't know. I personally consider SBVFT as nasty as this SC group. They said essentially the same of Kerry, but when someone else gets in on their game it's personal. SBVFT can blow me. They don't represent support for troops any better than these losers in SC. That McCain loves shacking up with the people that have always screwed him over politically tells me he's really not terribly interested in honesty, most unfortunately.

jr @ 52:

I'm sick of these astroturf groups. We need public financing of campaigns

You think this crap will stop with public financing? At the very least with public financing we won't be bankrolling the garbage, although we'll still have to fight corporations dumping millions to outspend on ad air time with negative smear campaigns. You'll have to outlaw political ads period before negative ads stop.

That is one damn ugly website. My 8 year old could do better in half an evening with Dreamweaver. Dang, my eyes are still burning.

madman mc cain's action as a pow should be throughly investigated just like john kerry's were and play the ads over and over on tv as part of the story. i was not there but it seems that it is very possible that madman mc cain gave up info and is a traitor. bushco told us that torture got us some good info so if it works well for us there is no reason to think it did not work as well for the commies. madman mc cain is unfit to be president, i think the torture really fucked up mc cain mind

I haven't seen any of this swift boater stuff against McCain, but what's wrong with publishing something about a politician who is running for office, if it's true? McCain is no friend of POW families, and has stonewalled their efforts to find out what has become of them at every turn.

http://www.arcticbeacon.com/articles/31-oct-2005.html

CappuccettoRosso @ 11:

Ruthless People @ 6:

#2 "I hope the people of S.C. are smart enough this time..."

Hahaha...sorry, hard for me to get past this one. These dumb South Carolina hicks voted for Bush TWICE by WIDE margins. Why the mere mention of the words "gay", "immigrants", "terrorists", "leebruls" or "sekular" will get these bedwetting hillbillies running like scalded dogs to the nearest poll station to vote Republican and against their own best interests and the interests of the nation time and time again. Republicans sell these numnuts snake oil and they keep coming back for more. I don't have enough faith that they could even wipe their own asses without a how to manual from the Republican Party.

Precisely. Just imagine how would they vote on November if Hill-shill or Obama get dem-nominated.. And, SC is not alone - many more like them.

EDWARDS 2008 !!

It doesn't matter who the candidate is, South Carolina won't go Democratic.

Vote your conscience, '08.

tr @ 19:

dems need to understand the sad reality that negative attacks work. the gop is an easy target and needs to be attacked at every opening. you may not like the rules, but that is the way the game is played. if you try to be civil with your gop opponent, you will lose.

McCain has never been a favorite in the South--he isn't a fundamentalist. All this is going to do is rush the MSM to his side and give him more face-time on the evening "news." It's possibly a win-win for him. Or at least a win/"nothing-to-lose."

Um the bottom of the postcard (PDF) has the "Swift Boat Vets for Truth" logo... huH?

Good god! This is skeezy veteran politics at it's best making other vets with opinions look bad. Swing by Vetvoice if you want honest poltical discourse from vets.

He had it coming. Was he thinking his sucking up to the Leader would protect him from this? Carolina 2000 was one of the ugliest campaigns in recent memory. Yet McCain helped Bush in 2004. Remember THE EMBRACE...??!

And now, he's the official warmonger-in-chief of this campaign, complete with his sidekick Lieberman. And still they trash him.

Well, boooo-fucking-hoooo.

I hate mcCain with a passion, but I hate Romney more. Frankly if south Carolina residents vote for either they merely prove what foolish idiots they are.
So this is a call to you, if your ready to vote for Ronmeny or McCain and you live in south Carolina your a moron! Remember that when you vote. MORON!

Note that this group blatantly plagiarized the McCain caricature (just the face) from another artist. Hopefully they’ll get sued.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22888787@N07/2198554830/

"The flier is so bad the original Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group that attacked John Kerry is condemning it. "

They wouldn't condemn it if it were John Edwards, though.

And frenchfries (#66) is absolutely spot on.

Whatever happen to Mr. McCain's black baby?

CrazyDrumGuy @ 64:

Um the bottom of the postcard (PDF) has the "Swift Boat Vets for Truth" logo... huH?

Actually it's Swift Boot Vets for Truth. The KO clip discusses the difference. (Original group, wankers. This group takes wanking to the extreme.)

John McCain is not innocent here. He has hired his own "Swiftboat Team," so stop crying McCain!!!!!

Good ole South Carolina, well known for their dirty politics. Weren't they also among those who lead the charge for the South to secede from the Union, which provoked the Civil War? I have no doubt the GOP is already plotting all sorts of swift boat campaigns, not only against their own, but particularly against the Democratic front runners. I always think of the GOP as being like the Borg on Star Trek. They all think with a collective conscious, and therefore don't require marching orders from above. They just know what to do. That way, anything unethical or illegal doesn't get traced back to the leadership. It's taken them some time to hone their machine, but they've about got it down to a science. We should all be afraid. I believe we've already lost our democracy, and have turned into a full blown fascist corporatocracy with the GOP at the helm. They will not easily be pushed aside or go quietly into the night.

These creeps will be out in force against the Democratic candidate. They will not be swayed by calls for "transformational change', or "hope", or "bipartisanship". It is a "fairy tale" to think otherwise.

The only difference between the Swiftboat Liars for Truth and the Vets Against McCain is the sophistication of the presentation of their materials. There isn't a hair's difference between them as far as intent.

As for Craven McCain and his persistent Stockholm Syndrome, this man who groveled at the feet of bush and rove despite their vulgar trashing of his wife and daughter, well, McCain might deserve some praise for his former service, but as a man he deserves only contempt.

Incidentally, Kerry was accused of going to Vietnam to further his political career. The same could be said of Craven McCain, whose father, IIRC, was also strongly politically connected. The Swiftboaters opened up a can of worms and those worms ain't going back in.

I'm with no. 48

This sounds like an inside job.

the fininacially broke McCain campaign gets to play the victim in the same state he has been victimized in the past

look at all the sympathetic free press he's getting from this

it's no accident that the website and flier are so pathetic

one commericial playing "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" and followed with the comment "Does this sound Presidential to you?" should effectively end his effort during the general election.

Well, he self-mutilated in Michigan, by being honest. Let's see what happens.

Helena Montana @ 69:

"The flier is so bad the original Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group that attacked John Kerry is condemning it. "

They wouldn't condemn it if it were John Edwards, though.

And frenchfries (#66) is absolutely spot on.

John Edwards is a boldfaced liar.

Hanoi John, huh? Spending all those years with five star accommodations as a reward for his collaboration...they weren't really beating him with a rubber hose, they only pretended to so that he could come back to America, become a politician and undermine our blessed democracy for his real leader, Ho Chi Min.

Sure, he's a little bit nuts, but he's a lot more even keeled than most of us would be after that experience. And realistically, he's a pretty moderate Republican. The original McCain-Feingold bill was a good one. It would have put a stop to this kind of campaigning if both parties hadn't blown it up.

So WHEN is Keith Olbermann going to comment on the public judicial ousting of Kucinich from NBC TV?

McCain was #1 in the 2000 election. Bush showed up at New Hampshire and John handed off to Bush just like John Kerry did to Bush in 2000.

Anyone that really thinks they have voted in an election that was not rigged is not in reality. How do we keep candidates out of government that can be hacked easier than a Diebold machine using blackmail?

We need to get rid of that blackmailed pervert congress every last one of them and I don't care how and that will never happen until you have fair open fusion elections.

KO will end up regretting this story. The flier is not being 'distributed' by its authors...most of it's visabilty is the direct result of the McCain campaign. The Flier was only sent to a few news outlets..not homes or other public places. The authors have not bought TV time or radio time. And certainly the Swift Boat scabs disprove as its target is a Republican. For the most part this is a case of a candidate smearing himself in order to get the sympathy vote. I think we have seen a few examples of this of late.

TPM Muckraker has quite a bit more on this and how McCain has been able to garner quite an amount of sympathy from the press (big surprise there) out of the mailers that seemed to only be mailed to newpaper editors.

C&L - might want to consider an update to this to reflect what's really going on here.

mudshark @ 37:

Kerry:1,Silver Star,Bronze Star and 3 Purple Hearts.
McCain:1 Silver Star,Legion Of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross,Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
In my Opinion.....neither of these men deserve to be attacked like that.It should be about the issues.
and nothing else.

I AGREE! ISSUES AND NOTHING ELSE.

Miss Lane @ 63:

<Hahaha...sorry, hard for me to get past this one. These dumb South Carolina hicks voted for Bush TWICE by WIDE margins. Why the mere mention of the words "gay", "immigrants", "terrorists", "leebruls" or "sekular" will get these bedwetting hillbillies running like scalded dogs to the nearest poll station to vote Republican and against their own best interests and the interests of the nation time and time again. Republicans sell these numnuts snake oil and they keep coming back for more. I don't have enough faith that they could even wipe their own asses without a how to manual from the Republican Party.

Yeah, it's all SC's fault, not the DC & NYC Neocons, the Swiftboater's (Texas), Lieberman's (Connecticut) or the Bush's (New England & Texas), just the hicks from SC. I've lived in the NorthEast & the South, and by far the Republicans up North are the most rabid. Go to Central PA if you want to see inbred.
And if SC is so despicable, tell your neighbors to stop moving there, boycott the beaches, the golf courses, the fine dining, the Renaissance Weekend, and Spoleto.
Smug, Clueless, and myopic.

We all live in glass houses, so we maybe shouldn't be so eager to throw stones. Still, McCain may have lost SC in 2000 precisely because of the ugly, hateful, despicable lies vomited about him by Bush's people. That being the case, the Republicans in SC absolutely should be ashamed of themselves, either for being that stupid or for not insisting that Bush distance himself from the lying campaign by publicly repudiating the lies and rejecting the support of those who spread them. Same is true here: if Romney and the rest do not publicly eschew this nonesense, condemn its perpetrators and reject their support, they can all go to hell -- and their supporters along with them.

But it is also interesting to note -- as has been mentioned above -- that the "tsk-tsking" heard from the so-called "Liberal" MSM about this latest round of scurrility was strangely silent when the lying, cowardly Swiftboaters attacked John Kerry.

To my knowledge ted stampley is the only wanker who has attacked both Kerry and McCain's Vietnam record.

www.miafacts.org/prankster.htm

CD has named the culprit. Ted Sampley has been after McCain for more than fifteen years. Sampley has made a living out of milking those concerned about Vietnam POW/MIAs. More here (Salon, wait through the very short ad): http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/conason/2004/02/10/kerry_smear/

You're missing the point: Jonathan Alter's entire column is an interview with Ross Perot who apparently despises McCain, something about McCain abandoning POW's but it's never made very clear. How insidious, but typical for Alter. I have been on to him for a while now. Surprisingly, Alter's piece opens with him admitting that he is a liar, and I suggest that he also closes his piece with another lie. Remember when it was a journalist's job to shove a microphone in someone's face who didn't want a microphone shoved in their face. Now, not so much.

It's like John King's dust-up with Greenwald. John King actually thinks he's doing the job of a reporter. I would love to see him actually have to ask uncomfortable questions. I would love to see him stick a microphone in the face of someone--anyone--in this Administration and ask them about any number of crimes committed, or the congresswoman from Minnesota who thinks it's a good idea that some Minnesotans work 2 jobs, or ask about the Republican stimulus package, which is tax breaks for corporations, or Bush telling a mother who works three jobs, that is "uniquely American"??? Or maybe he should ask Condi about her fiasco in Pakistan? Or her meeting the other week with Cheney about sending troops into Pakistan and funding paramilitary forces to fight a proxy war in Pakistan? Or any other number of crimes and misdemeanors committed by the persons in power. But, I ain't holding my breath. Of course, someone would have to tell me he did because I don't watch CNN and haven't in about 3 years.

Of course it's most difficult to bury our heros. The point is this: The only one who can prove John McCain is a hero is John McCain. Can McCain provide witness's of his Heroism? Can he provide witness's to his torture?
Why did he work so feverishly to derail the Senate Select committee hearings of 1991/1992? Why did he campaign so hard against meaningful legislation concerning this nations POW/MIAS? How did he manage to dodge the Keating five scandal with a mere slap on the wrist?
The list of unasked question continues, and some of these questions are nearly forty years old.
Yes it is hard to seek answers to these questions when you cannot handle the truth.
As grandma would say "pay now or pay later"

This kind of spin just ticks me off. No where do I ever believe that John McCain ever referred to himself as a war hero. And he freely admitted in his book that he broke and he did sign a paper that said he was a war criminal.

On the radio this morning in SC was a former POW and supporter of McCain spouting the old swiftboat lies against Kerry.

They are still at it, even today: Spouting swiftboat lies to smear Kerry and by inference, the current Democrat candidate list.

It is abhorrent, but since McCain's crew is doing it now, he deserves to get it thrown back.

But they sure don't like it when it comes back at them.

I find it altogether bizarre. If Vets Against Mccain are republican, perhaps they don't care at all about polls. Seems now that McCain is the only Republican candidate that can beat Obama or Clinton. Swiftboaters probably realize that - and they were against a Democrat. On the other hand VAM also criticized McCain because of the US-Vietnam trade issue, and at least one of the Swiftboaters is directly involved in a company that benefits from Vietnam/US trade.

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