I don't thik the Swift Boat attacks on Kerry are necessarily false. Kerry refused to permit access to his military records. Why? McCain's are open. I think Kerry is a poseur. His attacks on Vietnam vets as criminals was and is false. The truth is not in his code of conduct.

"...without their foibles your own task would be moot, perhaps even purposeless."

I get your point (ha-ha) but do you really not think the job includes a discussion of the issues that inform the election, shape our lives, etc.? Seems to me, from hanging around here, that it does.

Sometimes, the irony is so overwhelming, I have to wonder if the political scene is some kind of satirical performance art and I'm just not in on the joke.

With all due respect, Steve: you - and every member of the political media - are part of the joke. In this matter, you seem to take the role of "straight man," whose indefatigable common sense renders him gobsmacked at the antics of his comic cohorts.

While it is indeed your job to point out the absurdities and ironies of the politicians, an even deeper irony is that without their foibles your own task would be moot, perhaps even purposeless.

But that's what makes it a good joke, see? The emperor indeed has no clothes, and the guy pointing it out is wearing see-through clothing.

Ha-ha!

I don't think this was a mistake. I love it.

Clark was spot on and now people are questioning McCain's premise of being the best choice for national security and war because he has wartime experience.

He should have been watching our primary. When a candidate claims experience, we examine it...eventually.

I am also happy Obama backed off. This is strategy. McCain nor Obama will never say anything nasty about each other...we know that. And so the job will be left to surrogates and 527s and "others"...plausible deniability.

I'm SO HAPPY we have a candidate who knows how this game is played...and isn't scared of it. If McCain can back away from comments by "unhinged surrogates" when he is secretly glad they came unhinged, so can we.

RIGHT: meet the new LEFT.

Benen writes: "Why, pray tell, is McCain encouraging one of the people responsible for the 'dishonest and dishonorable' smear to speak on behalf of his campaign, in order to distort the words of a four-star general?"

Who said anything about "denigrating soldiers"? A big part of the foundation of McCain's candidacy is based on his being a "war hero," and I'm sorry if you disagree but I don't see him as a "war hero." His "war hero" paint-job doesn't stand up to close inspection and it's the job of people who abhor the idea of McCain in the White House to examine it as closely as possible.

If there was a candidate who had been badly burned in a fire but through bravery and grit recovered and got on with his life -- even though he'd been pretty unremarkable in other aspects -- would you say that questioning whether that experience made him a better candidate for President of the United States was "denigrating burn victims"?

THEN WHY IS THE GOP NOT RUNNING BUD DAY HIMSELF? THIS GUY IS BATMAN AND SUPERMAN COMBINED! READ THIS, HIS MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION. THIS GUY MAY BE AN UNPRINCIPLED NUTCASE, BUT THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE...

On 26 August 1967, Col. Day was forced to eject from his aircraft over North Vietnam when it was hit by ground fire. His right arm was broken in 3 places, and his left knee was badly sprained. He was immediately captured by hostile forces and taken to a prison camp where he was interrogated and severely tortured. After causing the guards to relax their vigilance, Col. Day escaped into the jungle and began the trek toward South Vietnam. Despite injuries inflicted by fragments of a bomb or rocket, he continued southward surviving only on a few berries and uncooked frogs. He successfully evaded enemy patrols and reached the Ben Hai River, where he encountered U.S. artillery barrages. With the aid of a bamboo log float, Col. Day swam across the river and entered the demilitarized zone. Due to delirium, he lost his sense of direction and wandered aimlessly for several days. After several unsuccessful attempts to signal U.S. aircraft, he was ambushed and recaptured by the Viet Cong, sustaining gunshot wounds to his left hand and thigh. He was returned to the prison from which he had escaped and later was moved to Hanoi after giving his captors false information to questions put before him. Physically, Col. Day was totally debilitated and unable to perform even the simplest task for himself. Despite his many injuries, he continued to offer maximum resistance. His personal bravery in the face of deadly enemy pressure was significant in saving the lives of fellow aviators who were still flying against the enemy. Col. Day's conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Armed Forces.

WOW. HE WAS ALSO FIGHTING HIS 3rd WAR, HAVING FOUGHT IN WWII AND KOREA. WHO KNEW?

Were always the C- generals with a snazzy back story. McCain is the modern day equivalent.

His war experience is about 99% of the basis for his candidacy, so it needs to be fully explored. That is only fair.

I admire McCain's service and how he handled himself as a POW. But the one thing I most admired about McCain was his involvement in normalizing relations with Vietnam later in his life. That took courage and strength. I don't believe that that version of John McCain exists anymore. I don't see those qualities, they've been replaced by cold calculation and cynicism.

"...why, pray tell, is McCain encouraging one of the people responsible for the "dishonest and dishonorable" smear to speak on behalf of his campaign, in order to distort the words of a four-star general?" you ask.

Because McCain is not in charge of himself let alone the Republican side of this campaign for president. There are known and unknown pirates in the driver's seat whose vested interests in a McCain win are far greater than the symbolic presidential war hero and far greater than we ordinary souls can possibly imagine. He has been shunted aside for all intents and purposes.

These viscious Swift Boating provacateurs succeeded four years ago through the element of surprise. Who would have thought anyone would be so scummy as to launch a bold-faced disinformation and lying campaign? No one. So that's why they did it. And that's why it worked. Now that we know the capabilities, I certainly hope the Dems emerge from the state of catatonia they've been in for the last 8 years and come to this sword fight ready to use something more markworthy than the plastic knives they carried in 2004.