More Republican smears

The answer to the question is "No, there ARE no depths below which the Republican won't stoop to smear anyone who stands in the way of their unchecked power."

Paul Hackett, an Iraq war veteran, is running for Congress in in Ohio in a special election against Tom DeLay lackey Jean Schmidt to fill the seat being vacated by Rob Portman.

It's a Republican district, but Hackett, an appealing and articulate candidate, has raised a shitload of money, while his opponent is in debt and has had to defend herself against ethical lapses, including campaign donations from Tom DeLay.

Hackett, a Marine reservist, served a seven month tour with the 1st Marine Division, serving as a Civil Affairs officer in Ramadi, and taking part in the Fallujah campaign and subsequent reconstruction.

So what does Schmidt's campaign do? What any red-blooded chickenhawk Republican would: have one of her mindless, grinning bulldogs attack Hackett's service record. Schmidt adviser Eric Minamyer:

I understand that Hackett did not participate in combat at all. It is still dangerous over there as I can personally attest. Let’s just not act as though we led marines in combat if we did not, okay…

I have asked the question time and again, what role did he actually play?

Given all the opportunities he has had to say “I served in combat” one fair conclusion is that he did not.

Here is Hackett's mention of his service at his web site. I don't see anything about claims of leading marines into combat, do you?

This kind of hairsplitting about whether one military function constitutes combat or not is about as disingenuous as a party that gives lip service to "supporting the troops" can get. Is Minamyer attacking EVERYONE that hasn't taken part in outright combat? Insurgents are all over Iraq. Taking a PISS is taking your life into your hands. ANYONE can find him or herself in a firefight at any given time there. Smearing Hackett's -- or anyone else's -- military service while equivocating support for Bush and support for the troops is about as cheap and low as you can get.

I don't live in Ohio, but I'm going to go give Hackett's campaign some shekels. Who's with me?