Maligning Murtha

"A quick glance at Bubp's background reveals him to be a low-level right-wing operative who has spent more time in the past ten years engaged in symbolic Christian right crusades than he has battling terrorist evil-doers. And throughout his career, Bubp's destiny has been inextricably linked with Schmidt's. Bubp may be a Marine, but his view of Murtha as a 'coward' is colored by naked political ambition. He is nothing more than cheap camouflage cover for the GOP's latest Swift-Boat campaign.

"March 1999 marked the beginning of a brilliant career. It was then that Bubp became pro-bono legal counsel for Adams County for the Ten Commandments, an ad-hoc Ohio group formed to keep 10 Commandments monuments displayed in local public schools after the ACLU filed a lawsuit demanding their removal. Bubp was assisted by a Who's Who of Christian right leaders, including James Dobson, Don Wildmon, Judge Roy Moore and Jay Sekulow."

I think we've established that he's not exactly neutral. Where was the MSM on this?

Not only that , but the colonel says it didn't happen that way:

"A spokeswoman for the colonel, Danny R. Bubp, said Ms. Schmidt had misconstrued their conversation. While Mr. Bubp, a Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, opposes a quick withdrawal for forces, 'he did not mention Congressman Murtha by name nor did he mean to disparage Congressman Murtha,' said Karen Tabor, his spokeswoman. 'He feels as though the words that Congresswoman Schmidt chose did not represent their conversation.'"

What a difference a lead makes. Here's the L.A. Times :

"Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday sought to tone down what has become a bitter and personal fight in Washington over the Iraq war, offering praise for a senior House Democrat who has called for the full withdrawal of troops and saying that an 'energetic debate' over the war was part of a healthy society."

And here's the Washington Times :

"Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday accused Democrats of 'corrupt and shameless' revisionism on the Iraq war and called their demands for a pullout 'self-defeating pessimism.'"

Hint: Both are correct.

Roger Simon notes that McClellan had attacked Murtha as a Michael Moore tight who would surrender to the terrorists:

"Surrender to the terrorists! That ought to smear him good! (Remember how easy it was to smear John Kerry with the Swift Boat veterans' attacks?)