Tests of a Smear Campaign ("he said/he said" reporting of GOP lies)

[papau]

Do you think the media owe the country a comparable review of what Bush was doing at the same time and the same age? - Do you think we will get it?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27208-2004Aug23.html

Tests of a Smear Campaign


By E. J. Dionne Jr.

Tuesday, August 24, 2004; Page A17


You would have thought that if the issue of who served under fire during the Vietnam War became a big deal at this point in the presidential campaign, it would be a major advantage to John Kerry.
<snip>

Yesterday Bush offered what you might call a nuanced response to the controversy over the anti-Kerry ads. While praising Kerry's service, Bush issued only a blanket condemnation of all ads by outside groups. What Bush really needs to do is tell the inappropriately named Swift Boat Veterans for Truth to stop smearing Kerry's service record and urge his big money contributors to stop bankrolling the distortions.

This is also a test for the media. We see here a fascinating and ugly development in the politics of annihilation. A supposedly outside group raises money from close Bush supporters, staffs itself with political operatives close to Bush and the Republicans, and then puts up several hundred thousand dollars worth of television ads. This is, as one operative with years of experience in Republican campaigns put it, "a professional hit." Suddenly, questions about Kerry's service that were asked and answered months ago become big news again.<snip>


If all the stories about what Kerry did in Vietnam are not balanced by serious scrutiny of Bush in the Vietnam years, the media will be capitulating to a right-wing smear campaign. Surely our nation's editors and producers don't want to send a signal that all you have to do to set the media's agenda is spend a half-million bucks on television ads.

This is also a test of John McCain. When he ran against Bush four years ago, McCain was smeared mercilessly. When McCain protested to Bush about the attacks at one of their debates during the 2000 primaries, Bush brushed him off. "John," Bush said, "it's politics."
<snip>

[tom_paine]

1. The test, I'm afraid showed that IT works

Imperial Amerikan Media has become a global laughingstock.

He said 1 + 1 =2

'SOME PEOPLE SAY' 1 + 1 = 3

Who is right? WE DON'T KNOW!