Let's not play this stupid game of trying to separate out Bush and the political machinery of Karl Rove. Swift Boat Veterans were no more about real veterans than the KKK is about Christianity. When I state that Bush attacked Kerry, it doesn't mean that he personally did it, but as the one running, all the dirty politics that were done in his name fall under his ultimate responsibility if he didn't condemn them. As I recall, there was little damn condemnation going on.

Of course the Dems did their attacking too and I know that's your next response but, here's the rub Tom. What they were attacking about was based on hard fast facts that any sane human being knew to be the truth because they could see the effects of Bush's idiocy in real life and the consequences of his failed policies. The attacks against Kerry were patently false and distorted and easily disputed or rationalized by the general behavior of Congress and the citizenry in a time of confusion.

When you saw a stumbling Bush without any command of the English language, there was no disputing the man would not be an effective world leader who would command respect from his peers. When no WMD's were found in Iraq, there was no disputing that the administration had failed in its intelligence gathering. When New Orleans was neglected in Katrina, the fault fell squarely on Bush and his cronies. The allegations of Bush using his influence to skirt Vietnam era combat service and his dismal performance in the National Guard weren't myth Tom. Those were hard facts. Only poor research by Dan Rather or some pretty fancy manipulation by the Rovian machinery saved him on that revelation.

Bush was a walking target Tom and Kerry handled him with kid gloves. Your attempts to distort that scenario are feeble at best.

Art