A rose by any other name

February 23, 2004

If this kind of thing keeps up, we’re going to have to start printing national identification numbers in news stories.

On Feb. 5, the Salon online magazine reported that Bush-Cheney spokesman Terry Holt, citing the Turnipseed-to-Edwards donation, questioned whether the motives behind Turnipseed’s comments about Bush’s service were “pure” or part of a “political attack.”
That donation, as the Mobile Register was able to confirm on Thursday, was actually given to the Edwards campaign by Will Turnipseed, a 34-year-old waiter at Wynlakes Country Club in Montgomery. [ Alabama Mobile Register]

Hah, this woudn’t happen to be part of the Right Wing Smear Machine that Charles Krauthammer thinks doesn’t exist, wouldn’t it?

Kerry’s spokesmen have already sounded the alarm, warning darkly that “the right-wing smear machine” is gearing up and declaring amusingly that “it’s time for George W. Bush to call off his right-wing slime machine.” When exactly was it called on? No matter. A CNN anchor dutifully picks up the theme, noting “how ugly this is turning so early on.” Republicans turning ugly? [ Emphasis Krauthammer’s]

How about this: same article, different smear:

Last Monday, Turnipseed’s daughter, Tracy T. Roberts of Spanish Fort, was in her car listening to Rush Limbaugh, when the conservative announcer told her and his millions of other radio listeners something she didn’t know. “When he said that General Turnipseed had reported that he had Alzheimer’s, I laughed,” said Roberts.

Turnipseed did say he was getting alzheimers, but according to him in the sort of tongue-in-cheek way many people say they are getting alzheimers. George Bush, for example, also said “he went to war” (“I’ve been to war. I’ve raised twins. If I had a choice, I’d rather go to war”). That doesn’t make it so.

Like Atrios says, you have to fact-check everything. “When you print [the RNC’s] lies, you are lying too.”

Posted in Politics